Norah looked at the barista who’d served her coffee almost every day of her last two years at Helios and waited a few moments for recognition to click. She tried a smile, “I guess it’s been a while, hasn’t it, Amos?”
Other than a faint twitch of his pierced eyebrow, his expression didn’t change. He didn’t remember her. Didn’t even make an effort to fake it.
She thought of Cassie and the Daily Grind and felt a wave of brutal homesickness for Wishful wash over her. That made her think of Cam and wonder how
long he was going to stay mad at her for bolting.
Amos cleared his throat.
“Sorry. I’ll have a venti Veranda blend.” Still rattled from the meeting with her attorney, she added a cheese danish. She took both to a table for two and sat, back to the door. Probably she wouldn’t run into anyone from Helios while she was here, except for the one person she was expecting, but she didn’t exactly want to advertise her presence.
Her professional life was rapidly descending into the fifth level of hell. Marcus was filing the suit today, but he’d cautioned that she shouldn’t get her hopes up. Evidence was going to be hard to come by, as Norah had absolutely had access to all the project materials, and proving she hadn’t done what Philip accused her of was going to be very difficult. She needed to work out a plan for damage control, but she wasn’t sure how much could actually be done after two whole weeks of no response. Several of her professional contacts outside the firm wouldn’t even return her calls. And that left her with very grave concerns about her future employability.
In need of a distraction, and wondering exactly what it was she’d turned down flat, she pulled out her laptop and began a search on Peyton Consolidated. Ten minutes into the search, she’d forgotten her pastry. Half an hour more, the last inch of her coffee had gone cold.
Gerald Peyton had built himself a juggernaut of a company. Its estimated value was over a billion dollars and growing. Company stock was a steady performer, even in the sluggish and unpredictable market. PC was the name behind a very solid and respected segment of the hospitality industry. But it was the past five years she was most interested in. He’d told her they’d made a name for themselves in urban renewal. She didn’t find much directly through the company itself, but she found plenty of press around the country, all of it positive. Peyton was the real deal, and his company was, by all appearances, a force for good. That had the kernel of an idea starting to tremble in her brain.
“Sorry I’m late.”
Norah looked up from her computer screen to see Cecily sliding into the chair on the opposite side of the table. She mustered up a smile. “Hey. Thanks for coming.”
Unwinding a chunky heather gray scarf, Cecily shook back her dark hair. “It took me a little longer than expected to slip away. Pierce is overloaded since you left. The guy they brought in to replace you is an idiot, and between the two of them, I’m not sure they can find their own asses without a map and a flashlight. So they’ve been relying on me a lot.”
“They haven’t been taking advantage of you, have they? Not making your life more difficult because I’m gone?”
“Apart from more work, no.”
Well, that was one tiny relief. “What about Christoff?” Her irascible PA would likely as not pop off and get himself in trouble on her behalf.
“Pretty sure he’s plotting someone’s doom. I know for sure there’s a voodoo doll in his desk, but he’s hanging on. Mouthing off to anybody who has the nerve to bad-mouth you.”
Norah grimaced. “Have there been many?”
“Among those who actually worked with you? No. The lower echelons full of the jealous…some. A lot of them don’t want to believe you got where you did by sheer hard work and brilliance.”
“There was always a segment that assumed I slept my way to the top. A rumor not improved by the fact that I actually dated Pierce. But whatever. I’m not concerned about that. What’s the office climate like?”
“Tense. I don’t think they realized how much you did until you weren’t there to do it. So they’ve been scrambling to reassign accounts. Several of yours walked when they found out you were no longer there.”
That was gratifying. She hoped Helios ultimately lost all the clients she’d helped reel in.
“Well, it isn’t going to get any less tense. My attorney is filing a suit for defamation of character today. I’m not sure how quickly Philip will get served, so brace yourself.”
“What can I do to help?”
“You’ve already done plenty just letting me know all this was going on and getting us copies of the emails that went out. I don’t want you risking your job on my account.”
Cecily scowled. “They’re assholes and they’re wrong. I know you didn’t do what they’re claiming.”
“I appreciate the faith.”
“What on earth have you been doing the last few months?”
“I’ve been in Mississippi. I don’t think you ever got to meet Miranda, but you certainly heard me talk about her.”
“No I never met her, but I remember her hunky brother.”
That wrangled a grin from Norah’s lips. “Mitch would be delighted to hear it.”