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Because…holy shit! He was in a tuxedo. A tailored tux that fit his body like a glove, and I wanted to slowly take it off. He was clean-shaven where he normally had a bit of scruff, and he must have gotten his hair cut. I really wished that he wasn’t so hot. It would make all of this easier.
“You look nice, too.”
He grinned. “Sorry about Austin. Patrick filled me in.”
“Yeah. Your brother is a grade-A jerk.”
“Unfortunately, that’s how you can tell that he likes her.”
“Well, we’re not on the playground anymore, and mean boys weren’t cute even then.”
Landon held his hands up. “I wasn’t defending his actions. I think what he said was wrong. But this is Austin. He’s a total shit when he likes someone.”
What I wanted to say was, if he wasn’t such a raging alcoholic, then maybe he wouldn’t always find himself in this situation. But I didn’t really know Austin. Definitely not like Landon did. So, I just let it go.
“Do you want to…” Landon trailed off and gestured to the room behind him.
It was full of happy partygoers frivolously spending their money for charity.
“Do you really think that’s smart?”
“I find that I don’t care in the slightest.”
It was nearly impossible to stay aloof to Landon when he was staring down at me so earnestly, begging for a little time with me. Of course, this was what had gotten us into the mess to begin with.
“Yeah. I guess everyone already knows that I was fired because of you,” I said with a sigh.
“Actually, they don’t. Besides your supervisor, Julia, and me, no one on your floor is aware of the reason for your absence.”
“Absence?”
“Yes.”
“Everyone thinks that I’m taking some time off?” I asked in disbelief. “What kind of bullshit is that? Saving your own asses?”
“They were trying to avoid a scandal, Heidi. This could have been damaging to the Wright Construction brand. Far beyond the scope we’d thought about. I, obviously, have been primarily focused on your needs, but I do understand what Jensen and Morgan are dealing with.”
“Right. Fire the expendable girl, cover it up so that you don’t look bad, and then talk about how it could have hurt you and not her,” I spat.
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m trying to get you back!” he said. “I already tried to quit, hoping to get you your job back.”
My eyes rounded. “You did?”
“Yeah. I went straight to Jensen after you broke up with me. I told him I’d figure out my own shit.”
“I didn’t know that,” I said, my voice small.
“Yeah. But he refused. He said that, even if I quit, it wouldn’t guarantee you your job. At least not until they find out who sent the videos and if they were going to issue any more threats. Or at the very least until he could find me another position.”
“Wait, threats? You think the videos were a threat?”
“Don’t you?” he asked. “And it worked, too.”
“You think Miranda was threatening the company?”
“Any threat against a member of the Wright family is a threat against the company. And those videos being leaked strategically show me with an employee. Yeah, that’s a threat.”
I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I had been in my own bubble all week. Dejected and depressed over the loss of my job. I hadn’t once thought about this like a pool game. Lining up the balls for three moves from now. Seeing where your opponent would move to get you in the right position. It was strategic. And, if Miranda was playing this game, then it absolutely was more than just getting me out of the way.
