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Asshole CFO: Leave me alone now, sunshine. I’m trying to have lunch with your brother, and you’re distracting me.
She doesn’t reply, and it’s not until an hour later, when Mason is already long gone to his meeting and we’re getting up to leave the office, that George, their receptionist, walks into the room.
“Am I able to interrupt Mason this afternoon? I have an urgent call from his sister.”
Charlie side-eyes me when I flinch, likely catching my frown at the same time.
My messages are still unread, which means she’s ignoring them.
“What’s up with Scarlet?” Elliot asks.
“I’m not sure exactly. It’s a woman from the local pharmacy that called.”
Elliot stands along with me. “Put the call through,” he tells George, walking to Mason’s desk.
He picks up the phone a couple of seconds later. “Hello?” I wait, leaning against the solid wood desk as I try to catch what’s being said. “No, it’s Elliot Montgomery… Yes… Is she okay?” Charlie stands. “I can be there within the hour… No, nothing that I’m aware of… She’s away with my dad for a long weekend and won’t get back until Monday… Thank you.” Elliot puts the phone down and turns toward Charlie.
“Scar’s just fainted in the pharmacy.”
Something cracks in my jaw.
“Is she okay?” Charlie asks.
“She’s come around and seems fine. She wants to go home, but they ask that someone goes and picks her up. I’m not pulling Mason out of Austin’s meeting; he’ll just worry about Scar the whole way there…” Elliot runs a hand through his hair, concern drawing in his brow. “He’s away tonight. Tell him what’s up when he comes out and to call me. Can you cancel my two o’clock, George? I won’t be back in today.”
I ignore everyone in the room, thinking about how I’ve been texting her bullshit messages while she’s passed out somewhere.
Fuck.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” George announces from the doorway. “But you moved Mrs Langley up to one thirty so you could get out a little earlier. She’s waiting in reception for you.”
“Good god.” Elliot tips his head back. “The woman’s a witch.”
“I’ll go,” Charlie tells him. “You see to Langley.”
“You can blow off the afternoon?” Elliot asks him, sceptical.
“With ease.” Charlie sniggers. “I’ll call you once I get there.”
Elliot nods and reaches for his jacket that’s lying across the back of the sofa. “She’s at the village pharmacy.” He buttons it up and strolls out. “Wish me luck, fuckers.”
Charlie turns to me when it’s just us. “Did you drive in?”
Why didn’tshemake the call? Why was it someone else? Could she not speak?
Charlie reaches into his pocket and takes out the keys to his Jag, throwing them at me.
“She’s fine, Sullivan. See that she gets home safe.”
He starts to leave. “Aldridge?”
“What?” He turns at the threshold.
“You thinkIshould go?”
He shakes his head and smiles, then carries on out the door.
ELEVEN
