Conflict of Interest - By Allyson Lindt Page 0,66

guilty party.

She wouldn’t even deserve the memories if she couldn’t admit that. Before the thoughts finished forming, she was dialing.

“Hey.” Greta’s abrupt voice greeted her. “What’s up?”

“This thing, this suspension.” Kenzie dove right in. It was the best way to get it out, and Greta would appreciate the direct approach. “It’s my fault.”

“Really?”

Kenzie didn’t know how to interpret the question, so she just kept talking. “I mean, obviously, it takes two people, right? But I had been involved with the client before they signed me, and I should have said no then, or handed responsibility over to someone else at so many other points along the way. I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.”

That wasn’t good. Kenzie waited, toe tapping faster with each second of silence that stretched between them.

“You’re sure,” Greta finally said.

What was Kenzie missing? “Positive.”

“Here’s the thing.” Greta’s voice softened. “Your ‘it takes two’ was in here a couple of days ago, telling me personally that this was all his fault. That he sabotaged everything and set you up to fail.”

Her heart stopped, and then kick started again, hammering against her ribs as she tried to make sense of it. “He said that?”

Greta laughed. “He also quoted contract at me when he told me he wouldn’t allow any disputes to go beyond arbitration. And asked if you could have your job back. He’s a force to be reckoned with, isn’t he?”

She felt a smile forming for the first time in days, but it was subdued by the reality that it didn’t matter what he’d done or why, she’d still never see him again. “He is.”

“So here’s the deal,” Greta said. “I can consider this conversation off the record. We can say it never happened if you’d like to agree to his version of events.”

That would be convenient. Solve a lot of issues. Except the big outstanding one. Kenzie shook her head at the empty car. “I can’t do that. I’m as much to blame as anyone. All I can say is it won’t happen again.” Because just then she couldn’t imagine ever getting over Scott.

“I understand.” Greta sounded sad. “I don’t know if I can do anything for you if that’s the case, but your record still speaks in your favor. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”

“Thanks.” Kenzie disconnected and tossed her phone back in her purse. She still ached deep inside, and she hated the empty pit, but at least she’d finally stopped hiding things from everyone, including herself.

Chapter 20

Kenzie turned the folded clothes over in her hands, focused on the fabric of the T-shirt against her palms, the rough fleece of the battered sweats, the scent of detergent that wasn’t hers and sent waves of need and regret through her.

She should probably give Scott his clothes back. She’d been in such a hurry to get out of them, so furious and hurt the morning he’d loaned them to her, that she’d set them aside in a little stack on the back corner of her desk, pretending they didn’t exist.

She should wash them first. That would be the polite thing to do. But if she was washing them anyway, he wouldn’t care if … no, she shouldn’t. Screw it. It was as close as she was going to get to him ever again. She pulled the shirt over her head, inhaling deeply.

She tugged the sweats on next, having to pull the drawstring tight and roll the waistband down to let it rest comfortably on her hips.

She flopped back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, hugging herself. Her phone was in her hands before she knew why. Her fingers hesitated, the phone shaking along with her nerves. She had to do it. She missed him too much. She forced herself to type out the message.

I’m sorry.

No response. Of course, she didn’t know what he was up to. He may not be somewhere he could answer. Or, more likely, he just wasn’t going to. When her phone buzzed, she almost jumped straight up. She fumbled for the device, heart hammering, and pulled up the message.

Yeah. Me too.

Then nothing else. She should have expected that. It still hurt though. She really had destroyed her chances, hadn’t she? Finally, a guy she got along with, who listened, who showed her the world from a perspective she’d never see it from on her own, and who had the most brilliant way with sexy words. Damn it.

She pulled her knees to her chest and rolled onto her side. Tears pricked her eyelids.