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She jumped at the sound of Liam’s voice. He always knocked before he came inside, so she assumed he had this time, too, and she’d missed it. “Just daydreaming.”
“I brought coffee.” Liam set down the travel cup and sat next to her. He glanced at the laptop, but mostly in the way anyone would and not in the being-overly-nosy way.
But none of that explained why he was here.
“It’s Tuesday,” she said, meaning he should be in the office.
“Wednesday, but you were close.” He smiled as he took a sip from his cup.
She refused to be derailed by his usual easy charm. “How bad is it?”
His eyes narrowed. “What?”
“The news you’re about to drop. You’re here, with your tie loosened and your hair kind of standing up on the side.”
His hand went to the wrong side of his head. “Is it?”
She fought the urge to smooth the stray strands down for him. “And you forgot a belt this morning.”
He glanced down. “Oh, shit.”
He was a business guy, born to juggling deadlines and handling messes. Life had thrown barrier after barrier in front of him, and he’d stayed calm. The only time she’d seen him break down was at his sister’s funeral. Even then, he’d cried silent tears, which were gone by the time the service ended.
His strength fueled her. She’d spent most of her life leaning on him. He wasthatguy. The dependable one. Handsome, protective, understanding. Having more money didn’t change whohe was or how he saw the world. Except to make him more empathetic. In other words, the exact opposite of Baines.
She vowed not to be Liam’s responsibility now. Not when his employees and the business already sucked up so much of his time.
Not when they had such a confusing history.
She tried not to mother him, but... “Have you slept?”
“Did Baines leave any business documents here?” he asked at the same time.
“Wait...” She stopped in the middle of reaching for the coffee cup. “What?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “There’s just some... Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
She thought that might have been the lamestno big dealshrug she’d ever seen. “What is it?”
He fidgeted on the stool. Shifted until he looked ready to squirm out of his skin. “Would you believe me if I said nothing?”
“Not even a little.”
It took him a few minutes to spit out the words. “There’s a money issue.”
“Oh, that.” She picked up her cup and took a long sip, trying to fortify herself with caffeine. “I have this house. Baines referred to it as the ‘tiny bungalow in Glen Echo,’ but it was a good investment. The location right outside DC makes it worth more than it should be. I can sell and move farther out, discover the Maryland countryside, if I need to.”
“Gabby—”
“I also invested some of the money I got in the divorce, andI still get the quarterly payout from the business, which I trust you to run. All of that will keep me going until I can find a job. It’s been years, but I’d like to think . . . That’s not what you’re talking about.” She could tell by the way the tension pulled around his mouth. “Tell me.”
“There are some discrepancies in the business accounting.”
She recognized the empty words as having a big meaning. “Are you saying money is missing from the office accounts?”
Liam got off the stool and started pacing. After a few steps, he stopped and stared at her. “Did you know?”
“How would I know? I’m still not even sure what you’re saying.”
