Chapter 39
HOLLY
‘That’s how you left things with Paul?’ Georgia cried across the table from me in Starbucks.
It felt so strange to be back in our usual coffee shop like the past three weeks or so hadn’t happened.
I nodded. I had told her the story of me and Paul.
She had been giddy about me spending the night at his, but when I told her I’d walked away from him after he’d offered me a place in his life, she looked almost as gutted as he had done.
‘God, Georgia, his face when I left his apartment – he was so disappointed in me. And even though I wanted to just jump into his arms and stay there, I couldn’t let him rescue me. I need to rescue myself.’
‘I’m all for female empowerment, you know that, but I do have a small question… how are you going to do that?’
Paul had put his heart on the line but I hadn’t been able to do the same because I knew deep down, I wasn’t ready.
I wanted to though, and that was a big step forward.
But I needed to work out what I wanted from life.
I admitted to him that I wasn’t sure I could be happy and that was because somehow over the years, I’d convinced myself I didn’t deserve to be.
‘I need to face my past instead of running away from it all. I almost did it again but what Paul said was right. I need to try and fix things, otherwise it will all just follow me wherever I end up going. He thinks I’ve run again but even though I had to leave Birchbrook, I really am determined this isn’t me doing what I always do. ’
Georgia put her coffee down on the table.
‘I didn’t know you before university. I only knew you after you left Birchbrook but you’ve always had this sadness, this restlessness, all these years.
You also looked so wistful when you mentioned Paul or your mum or Birchbrook, like it was a piece of you that you’d lost. And you never wanted to talk about it or go back, but I think you were always meant to.
’ She reached over and squeezed my hand.
‘You light up when you say his name. It sounds like he’s challenging you in a way a man has never done before.
You want to be better not just for yourself, but for him too. ’
I sucked in a breath. I knew she was right. ‘For us,’ I added.
‘It’s pretty romantic, falling for your best friend, like something out of a romance book. Childhood sweethearts.’ She let out a dreamy sigh, causing me to roll my eyes.
‘Let’s keep things realistic. I left him; he might not want me back. And there’s still a whole heap of shit for me to deal with before I can even think about kissing that man again. If he even lets me kiss him ever again.’ God, I wanted him to.
‘One step at a time then,’ Georgia said, leaning forward with a determined look in her eyes. ‘How do we stop Grant Rivers?’
‘Karl said he needed proof. And that’s what I need to get. I have an idea; it’s a bit like something out of film noir, though,’ I admitted, feeling sick at the thought of seeing that man again. ‘I need to channel a femme fatale.’
‘Well, you need this then.’ She reached into her handbag and handed me her red lipstick.
‘And I’m coming with you. I know you said no to Paul but I’m not letting you do this alone, okay?
Any of it. If it means coming to your tiny countryside town and leaving my Starbucks and taxis and 24/7 food delivery behind, I’ll do it for you,’ she added with a wink.
‘Actually, the coffee Paul makes is better than this,’ I told her.
It was Georgia’s turn then to roll her eyes. ‘Jeez, you have got it bad.’ But she winked at me, making me giggle.
Talking it through with my best friend was just what I’d needed.
I knew Willow would have listened but I also knew she would have tried to persuade me to stay in Birchbrook.
I’d just told her I had to leave earlier than planned because of something I needed to do.
She had told me to go even though I could tell she was bursting with questions.
She’d given me a big hug that had made me feel emotional and I’d promised to explain everything to her soon. I had to keep my word.
‘Okay then,’ I said to Georgia. ‘This is the plan…’
* * *
Walking through the lobby of my old place of employment was strange.
I hadn’t been inside it for six months. I thought back to all the long hours I had worked my butt off for Grant Rivers and his events company, and I felt sick.
I’d tried so hard to impress him, to learn everything I needed to know about the business, and he’d seemed like my mentor but now, that all felt like a lie.
I thought back to when we’d worked late one evening and I’d told him that I was ready to start my own company – how I’d wanted to stay on good terms with him and maybe we could even do some events together.
‘Don’t go, Holly. I need you. I know you feel the same…’
I had been so shocked when he’d said that and even more so when he leaned in to kiss me. I had jumped up and pointed out he was married, that I thought of him as my mentor and that’s it. His face had clouded over and he’d told me to just go if that’s what I wanted.
‘You’ll regret it though, Holly.’
That was his parting shot as I had scurried out of his office. I hadn’t realised at the time that he’d meant he would make me regret it.
Now, I hurried past the reception desk when the receptionist wasn’t looking and dived into the lift.
I didn’t want Grant to have advance warning and then refuse to see me.
Angela had confirmed he was in his office this morning.
She was trying to help however she could, which I was grateful for.
I took the lift up to the open-plan office and again, I ducked my head and hurried across the floor to Grant’s window office.
I caught some surprised looks along with smiles and waves from my old colleagues but I didn’t make eye contact with them. I didn’t want anyone to interrupt this.
Grant’s door was closed but I opened it without knocking.
He was at his desk on his laptop and looked up with irritated surprise.
‘What…’ He trailed off when he saw it was me.
I closed the door behind me sharply and his eyes narrowed.
‘Holly, I’d say it was a pleasure but instead, why don’t you explain why you’ve just burst into my office after I told you never to darken my door again? ’
I wondered how I’d missed his arrogance before.
He leaned back in his chair and smirked at me, probably relishing how he had been sabotaging me for six months.
He was in his fifties and his dark hair flopped across his forehead, showing off his hazel eyes.
He wore his usual suit and I could smell his aftershave across the few feet between us.
It was overpowering. Like the man himself.
I thought back to him leaning in for a kiss and I shuddered.
‘I want to know why you told the Birchbrook newspaper that I embezzled money when I worked here,’ I said, trying to speak as confidently as possible.
I’d fumbled the phone call when I’d tentatively asked if he had anything to do with my lack of work and let him gaslight me through the entire conversation but now I knew for certain that he was behind it all and I couldn’t let him off the hook again.
His smirk widened. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is getting tiring, Holly. You just can’t cut it in this business. It has nothing to do with me why you can’t find work.’
‘How come the reporter you emailed told me all about what you said then?’ I asked, arching an eyebrow.
He looked shocked, his smirk fading. He had counted on the reporter believing him and probably writing an article telling people to avoid Mistletoe Lane but instead, Karl had gone to Willow and they had listened to me.
‘You said I had embezzled money. That is a serious allegation to make. I’ve come to ask to see the evidence you have, please,’ I lied but I needed to get him talking about it.
‘I don’t have time for this,’ Grant said with a dismissive wave of his hand like I was an annoying fly he wanted to swat away.
‘I told that reporter, whatever his name is, that I was unable to provide him with confidential company accounts but that you’d been fired from your job and he should be warning people not to use your company.
What’s it called? Oh yes, Wynter Wishes.
’ He chuckled like that was the most amusing thing he’d ever heard.
My blood started to boil. ‘I quit; I wasn’t fired!
You can’t just lie like that. You have to back up allegations like that with proof.
You’re trying to blacklist me all over the city and in my hometown without proof.
So, what money has gone missing – was it from the Smith/Thompson wedding?
Because I asked you about the ten thousand pounds I couldn’t account for and you said you’d look into it.
Did you?’ I’d suddenly remembered that last night and it got me thinking that maybe Karl was right – Grant Rivers was in trouble and trying to hide it.
The blood drained from his face. ‘I don’t know what you’re insinuating…’
‘Maybe the Board of Directors should take a look at the books in case they can find out why the company is losing money.’
‘How dare you!’ He jumped up and started to advance towards me.
‘Everyone is watching,’ I told him quickly, taking a step backwards. My heart was now racing but I couldn’t back down. I gestured to the glass window. I could see employees looking over, curious as to what I was doing here.
Grant stopped but he still looked furious. ‘Fine,’ he snapped. ‘I won’t tell anyone else that you stole money; you don’t need to go to the Board about anything, okay?’
‘You admit then that I never stole anything from this company?’
He sighed. ‘Yes, yes, if that makes you keep quiet.’
‘And the reason you’ve been telling people this is to stop my company from being successful?’
‘I taught you everything I knew and you threw it back in my face!’ he cried, advancing again so I backed up against the door. ‘I had to teach you a lesson,’ he snarled.
‘I told you from the beginning that I wanted to set up my own company and you said you supported that! You suddenly changed your mind when I was leaving and I think it was because I rejected you when you made a move on me.’ Even though he was glaring at me, I had to get my words out.
‘This was all revenge for that, wasn’t it? ’
‘You’re an ungrateful bitch,’ he snapped.
‘Yes, I wanted to stop your business before it even began,’ he said, looking smug again.
‘And I succeeded. I’ve ruined your reputation in this city.
No one wants to hire you in case it upsets me.
You lost your chance at being with me, Holly.
And you paid the price.’ He shrugged. ‘I get what I want; I always have.’
‘It’s funny, though – you didn’t get me, and you never will. And it sounds like you might lose all this too,’ I said, pointing to the office behind us. ‘Maybe everyone you stomped over on your way to the top will turn their backs when they see you on your way down.’
‘I’ll bounce back; I always do. I’ve been taking money for years; I have enough to retire on.
I’m going to sell this shitshow and walk away with loads of money.
I’ll be just fine, Holly, but good luck trying to claw back your reputation.
If you tell anyone about this, I will make your life hell.
’ He spat those last words before turning around and walking back to his desk.
‘I’ll warn the Board to ignore any communications from you in case you try to tell them what I’ve been doing.
’ He looked away from me. ‘It was nice knowing you.’
‘It definitely wasn’t nice knowing you,’ I replied before clasping at the door handle behind me, yanking it open and rushing out. I hurried back through the office, my hands shaking and my heart thumping.
I dived for the lift and it wasn’t until the doors closed that I was able to suck in a breath.
I reached into my coat pocket and pulled my phone out.
I sank against the wall in relief when I saw that our conversation had been recorded okay like I’d hoped.
I stopped it and listened back. I had managed to hold my phone slightly out of my pocket to pick up everything without him noticing.
With the volume turned up, every word Grant Rivers had said was now clear.
I emailed it over to Karl and also to Angela and to the Board of Directors too.
Everyone who needed to know exactly who Grant Rivers was.
And when the lift reached the ground floor, I ran out of that building, vowing I’d never go back ever again.
Outside in the cool air, I walked past the city’s big Christmas tree.
It was lit with thousands of lights with a sparkling star at the top.
It twinkled against the light-grey clouds.
It was getting colder by the hour and I wondered if snow might be on the cards.
I couldn’t help but think of the Birchbrook tree as I passed this one.
The lighting ceremony was only two days away now.
Paul had asked me to be his date but I had come back here instead.
What if he saw someone else under those lights and gave them a Christmas kiss instead of me?
I knew I wasn’t ready to go back yet, though. I hurried over to where Georgia was waiting inside a café nursing a coffee anxiously, on hand in case I had needed her with Grant. She waved with relief when she saw me, and I smiled, so glad she was in my corner.
And now I needed her help with one more thing.