Grant was just overreacting to me standing up to him. I said the words of comfort over and over in my mind as I drove home, but each one felt like a lie.
16
Crosby
“Delivery,” Penny singsonged as she walked into my office without knocking. “And it looks fancy.” She placed a package with intricate clear wrapping and an over-the-top box on my desk.
I surveyed the logo beneath the plastic and grinned. My favorite scotch. “Is there a note?”
Penny extended an envelope, but just before I plucked it from her hand, she pulled it back. “You gonna tell me who sent it?”
“I’d have to open the note to know that.” It had to be from Kenna. She must’ve asked Ford what my favorite scotch was.
“I’ll give you the note if you promise to tell me once you open it.”
“You know that you work for me, right? You’re not allowed to hold correspondence hostage because you’re nosy.”
Penny sniffed. “Correspondence. Don’t you put on that fancy lawyer vocabulary with me, young man.”
I grinned. “Hand over the card.”
She slapped it on my desk. “Fine. See if I care who’s sending you whiskey that probably costs more than my television.”
I chuckled as she turned and left, tearing open the card. I had the urge to drop it as soon as I saw the artful script on the thick paper.
Crosby,
I’m sorry. You’ll never know how much. Just tell me what I need to do to make it up to you. Come back to Boston, where you belong. Your family misses you. I miss you. Please.
All My Love,
Alicia
I groaned. I hadn’t heard from Alicia in a few days. I’d thought I’d finally gotten through to her. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. I shoved the card into the trash and pushed to my feet. I paced back and forth in the small space behind my desk. Back to Boston? Was she insane?
And she just had to bring my parents into it. She’d learned to use them as a tool early on in our relationship, realizing that their approval and attention meant more to me than it should have. When I’d considered leaving my law firm and taking a job with a non-profit, Alicia had conveniently slipped that information to my father, who had promptly lost his mind at the idea.
I blew out a harsh breath. As pissed as I was, I really should be thanking Alicia. Her cheating had been the wakeup call I hadn’t known I needed. She’d shown me just how much I was living my life on other people’s terms. Now, I had a life that was mine and mine alone. I wouldn’t give that up for anyone.
Just the suggestion that I return to that old way of existence had me yearning to stretch my wings and take advantage of my hard-fought freedom. I glanced at my watch, an idea forming in my mind. Four-thirty.
I snatched the bottle and grabbed my keys from my drawer. I strode out to reception and placed the gift on Penny’s desk. “Ever wanted to try the best scotch you’ll ever taste?”
Her brows rose as she took in my expression. “Not a fan of the sender I take it?”
“Not in the least.”
She tipped the box back to examine the label. “The knitting ladies and I are always up for trying new things. And we can’t let something like this go to waste.”
“That’s the spirit. I’m taking off for the day. Don’t stay past five. That’s an order.”
Penny shook her head. “And what if someone calls for you?”
“Put them through to voicemail and tell them I’ll return on Monday.” It was four-thirty on a Friday, no one should get their panties in a twist that I was gone for the weekend.
“Sure, leave me to piss them off.”
“Come on, Pen, you can handle anything. That’s why I hired you.”
“Sweet-talker.”
“You know it.” I gave her a wave as I headed out the door. I had two stops to make before five o’clock: my house and the local sporting goods store. If I hurried, I could make both.
I might have broken a couple of speeding laws, but I was pulling into Cornerstone CPAs at five to five. Employees were already trickling out of the building and heading to their cars, but Kenna’s silver four-door was still in the lot, of course.
I parked and headed inside. Chris Woodward was in the doorway of his office as I entered the building. “This is quite a few personal office visits this week.”