Chapter 8 - Mr. Holloway
The table was staged more like a gallery piece than a meal.
Filet mignon gleamed under a lacquer of butter and herbs, potatoes sat like golden coins in their dish, and the wine was already breathing in cut-crystal glasses.
Khruangbin drifted through the background, soft and unhurried.
Sarah had taken her time with this one. Every detail meticulously chosen and every corner in order. Tonight had to feel steady.
Jim Holloway arrived exactly on time, suit jacket slung over one arm, smile easy but watchful. “I have to say, this is a first. In all my years, I’ve ever had dinner at one of my team members’ homes.”
“Then we’ll try not to disappoint,” Sarah said warmly. She’d dressed in a simple cream sweater, no jewelry but her wedding ring. There was a calm light in her eyes that Matt had been clinging to all day.
The first part of dinner stayed safe. They talked about the kids at their grandparents’ house watching Up, Jim’s wife’s trip to Europe, the recent deal at work, and the insane week leading up to it. It was as if the three of them had been close friends for years.
After the plates were cleared, Sarah returned from the kitchen carrying dessert. She set it down, took her seat, and drew in a slow breath.
“Mr. Holloway...”
“Sarah,” he interrupted with a small smile, “I’m sitting at your dinner table. Please call me Jim.”
She smiled back but shook her head lightly. “Sorry. Jim…there’s something we need to speak with you about.”
Holloway leaned back in his chair, patient. “I gathered as much.”
Sarah glanced once at Matt before continuing. “You know about the restraining order and that Lily broke into our home."
Jim’s fork rested on his plate, untouched now. He didn’t interrupt, didn’t move. His silence was measured, the kind that made Matt squirm in his seat.
Jim's gaze shifted to Matt, who nodded. "She also cornered me at work, still convinced we’re some kind of star-crossed lovers.”
Jim's brows lifted, though his tone stayed even. “Next time, allow security to handle it? I want you both to understand something,”
His voice was cool. “If these incidents continue and you do not involve the police, it undermines everything. It makes you both complicit. The firm cannot shield either of you from the consequences if you allow her to push this without official action.”
Sarah inclined her head, calm but firm. “I understand. I don’t want to live my life calling the police every time she breathes in my direction, but I hear you. Next time, I won’t hesitate.”
“That is the right answer,” Jim said. His eyes moved back to Matt. “You already know that for now, I want you working from home. Let this cool off. It keeps you on the job but out of the circus. Consider it a temporary reset.”
Matt’s stomach dropped, but he forced a nod. “Yes, sir.”
Jim studied him a moment longer. “I'm glad to see the two of you are reconciling.”
Sarah didn’t correct him. For a moment, Matt let himself imagine it was true, that they were reconciling, and the thought cut deeper than the truth.
Jim finished his glass of wine and set it down with care.
“There is one other thing. A new client in Charleston. I want you to take a trip down there, Matt. Meet them, secure the deal. Officially, it’s work.
Unofficially, it’s distance. Think of it as a chance to get out of sight while this storm calms down. ”
“Do you mean start the relocation?” Sarah asked.
“No. The relocation is off the table for now,” Jim said. “But a trip could serve you well. Business for him, a getaway for the family. Consider it.”
“I’ll think about it,” Sarah said.
Matt stared at Jim like he’d grown a third head. “Wait. Secure a deal? Jim, I’m your finance guy, not a salesman.”
Jim leaned in, voice calm but clipped. “Matt, you’ve crunched more numbers for this firm than anyone. Frederick & Chase wants us to care about their marketing while they focus on growth. They want someone who can sit across from their CFO and make the math sing.”
Matt’s eyebrow arched. “Frederick & Chase? That’s massive. They’re one of the largest lifestyle and apparel brands in the country.”
Jim nodded once. “This isn’t sales. This is a strategy. Landing them puts us in the top three marketing firms in the game. Real, measurable growth. And I need you in Charleston to make it stick.”
Matt sat back, the pieces falling into place. “So the relocation package was about keeping me close to Frederick & Chase."
“Exactly,” Jim said, his gaze steady. “They want proximity. We want their portfolio. If you deliver this, and if we can get you clear of the trouble you’re in, this deal is a guarantee.”
The deal sounded solid, the kind people built futures on. But beneath the surface, the trip carried a different weight.
Matt shifted in his chair. “Jim, why did you take the relocation off the table?”
Sarah studied Jim carefully, waiting. He didn’t flinch. “Matt, you and I both know that until this blows over, I can’t support a relocation. Not yet.”
Matt nodded and glanced at Sarah, who was still looking at Jim.
There was a fourth person at that table, not physically but by all accounts, mentally. Lily.
Outside, the night clung to the windows, and in its reflection, a shadow lingered. Lily stood there in all black, eyes narrowed, breath slow, the glass cool against her fingertips.
How dare they gang up on me.
Matt didn’t stand a chance with both his wife and Mr. Holloway whispering poison in his ear.
She tilted her head, studying the scene inside. The table gleamed under soft light, wine glinting in crystal, laughter spilling between bites. She couldn’t hear the words, but the easy smiles were enough to twist something deep in her chest.
It should be me at that table. Matt should be holding my hand, looking at me like I'm the only person in the room.
They are closing in, tightening their hold on him. I have to move fast before they turn him against me completely.
I have to strike before they weave their net so tight Matt can’t see a way out. I don’t know exactly how yet, but I can feel the shape of it coming together. Something bold. Something that will remind Matt how much power I have.
A plan began to form, dark and dangerous.
Her dreams could still come true.
But first, she had to remove Sarah Taylor from the picture.
Lily watched as the three of them got up from the table and moved into the living room.
Her view was now partially blocked, so she shifted to the side, trying to find a better angle.
In the process, her hip clipped a potted plant balanced on its stand.
It tipped, clattering against the porch and spilling dirt across the wood. Lily flinched, mouthing holy shit.
All three heads turned toward the sound at the same time.
Panic shot through her. She froze, scanning for cover while her pulse thudded in her ears. She backed away from the window and ducked low, trying not to bump into any more of the useless crap Sarah had scattered across the porch.
Footsteps approached. She could hear them coming closer, the creak of the floorboards, the shift in weight as someone reached for the knob.
The front door opened.
Matt stepped out onto the porch, scanning the space. His gaze fell on the plant lying on its side, then he stepped forward, looking left and right down the street.
From her hiding spot behind a dense hedge, Lily could see him perfectly. She could almost smell the faint trace of his cologne on the cool night air. Every part of her wanted to step out, touch his arm, tell him this was his chance to leave with her. But she stayed still. Small.
Matt lingered a moment longer before Sarah joined him. “Is it our stalker?” she asked.
They both laughed, and Jim’s voice called from inside, “I heard that.”
Still grinning, Matt said, “I’m certain our stalker doesn’t want your hands around her neck.”
They went back inside together, the solid click of the new lock sealing the door. Lily had noticed it earlier when she first approached. Brand new. Shiny. Another layer of Sarah’s obsessive little fortress.
Jim began saying his goodbyes while buttoning his jacket. “Dinner was excellent. Thank you both.” He slipped his keys from his pocket. “I want you to consider Charleston. I’ll need Matt there a week from Monday regardless, but a change of scenery could serve the family well.”
Matt nodded, glancing toward Sarah before answering. “We’ll consider it.”
They saw him off, exchanged polite words, and watched his car disappear into the darkness.
When Matt closed the door, the new lock clicked into place. The sound was loud in the quiet house, sealing them in.
Sarah turned to Matt, her hand finding his almost without thought.
“Matt,” she said, steady but soft, “even if we don’t work out, you should take that job in Charleston. It’s an important step for you.”
He didn’t hesitate. “I’m not leaving you, Sarah. If you don’t go, I don’t go.”
The words weren’t dramatic, just plainspoken, and that was what made them land. For the first time, she saw how fixed his focus had become. It was no longer about partnership or prestige. It was about her.
Sarah held his gaze a moment longer, a strange pull working in her chest. She wasn’t ready to believe him, not yet. But the conviction in his voice was undeniable, and it unsettled her more than any lie ever had.
The house went to sleep, but outside, the night was not empty. Lily had been there the night before. She was there tonight. And she would be there tomorrow, watching, waiting.
She had become part of the darkness that pressed against their house.
Her presence was as certain as the plants on the porch and the cars in the driveway.
She was making herself at home, only on the other side of the door.
She was the sound that went bump in the night, waiting for an opportunity she hadn’t quite worked out yet.