His face hardened. “Fine. Have it your way. End up in prison if that’s what you want.”
“That’s not what I want,” she insisted. “But I can’t keep relying on other people to save me. Especially if it puts other people in jeopardy.”
“What happens if you can’t clear your name, Heather?” he asked, his voice hoarse with emotion. “What happens to your son? What happens to us?”
“For the last time, there is no us,” she hissed. Her words sounded harsher than she intended, but she had to remove any doubts that still lingered. Maybe one day she could forgive him for how cruel he’d been toward her but letting him back into her heart was out of the question. All her time and energy had to go into staying out of jail and protecting Finn. No matter how much her heart ached over Simon, she wasn’t going to go down that road again.
“Maybe we can’t have a relationship, but I’ll always be your friend,” he said. “No matter how stubborn you are or how hard you try to push me away, I’ll never turn my back on you. We’ve been friends since we were kids, and I don’t intend to change that now.”
It would be so easy to give in to her feelings for him. So easy to retreat to his arms and let him soothe her fears. Comfort her. But every time she got closer to Simon, disaster followed. First, Gary had decided to come after her, then their relationship had ended up in the press. Even if she did forgive him, that didn’t mean they could have an actual relationship. It was way too dangerous. Besides, the timing of a relationship couldn’t be worse.
Her job at Dover wasn’t secure, she might still end up going to jail and, most important of all, there was Finn to think about. Her son came first.
“That’s all we can be,” she said firmly. “Friends. Coworkers. Nothing more. Which means there are certain things I can’t accept.”
“It’s not like I’m giving you money,” he said in exasperation. “What’s to accept? All you have to do is let me use whatever tools I have at my disposal to help clear your name and keep you out of jail.”
“Won’t that cost you money?” she asked. “I assume you’d get outside help to do that.”
“My financial investigator could help,” he said. “Plus, I have no problem getting you a top-notch lawyer.”
“And what if your investigator decides that I’m guilty after all?” she asked. “I mean, didn’t the financial investigator tell Everett and the rest of the board to suspect me?”
“That was just a preliminary hitch,” he said. “My investigator is the best there is. The best money can buy.”
“The best money can buy thought I was capable of betraying you,” she reminded him gently. “And you believed that before you believed me. Accepting your help might just make things even worse between us.”
“So, what am I supposed to do?” he asked. “Sit back and watch your life go up in flames?”
“No, you’re supposed to sit back and trust me,” she said. “You didn’t trust me before. At least have the courtesy to trust me now.” Anxiety seized her heart. It was a risk to reject Simon’s offer, but his investigation into her had caused problems. Maybe the solution was for them to take a step back. Take a step away from each other instead of letting their combustible relationship destroy what was left of their lives.
“I do trust you.”
She shook her head. “No, you don’t. You say you do, but you don’t act like you do.”
“Heather, please—”
“I’ve said everything that I want to say,” she said, sharply cutting him off. “I won’t come to you for help anymore. Coming to you today was a mistake I’m not going to repeat. I’m sorry I got you mixed up in all of this. I won’t let that happen again.”
“If you want to let your stubbornness and pride ruin your life, fine,” he said icily. “Don’t let me stand in your way. Throw your life away.”
She was too drained from their emotional argument to go on. All she wanted to do now was bury herself in work and let that distract her. When she got home, she’d talk to her lawyer. Go over everything with a fine-toothed comb until she got the proof she needed to clear her name. Nobody would fight as hard as she would to prove her innocence. Simon might insist that he would, but he had already shown her that he didn’t trust her. Didn’t believe her when she was counting on him the most.