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He regarded me for a moment, tapping his chin. “I’m not sure he was as innocent as you say. However, I’m going to let it pass. Amy is a trusted

employee, so I do believe she knew nothing.” “She didn’t.”

“So you came on board. What was your plan?”

Putting my head down, I clasped my hands behind my head, pulling my neck. I felt tight and anxious, as if I would jump out of my skin any second.

“Richard, you need to calm down. Try to relax.”

With a huge exhale, I released my neck and looked up at him. “I don’t know where my wife is, Graham. I can’t relax. My life is in turmoil, and the one person who can make it better is out there somewhere”—I waved my hand toward the window—“thinking I don’t care.”

“When did you fall in love with her?”

“I have no idea. It was supposed to be an act. I needed her to make me more likable. I thought if I could get my foot in the door, prove my worth to you and your company, show you what I could offer to your campaigns, maybe my personal life wouldn’t matter as much. Eventually, I would divorce her, and we’d go our separate ways. I’d keep working; she’d be in a far better place financially than she had been. No one would be any the wiser.”

“But?” His question hung in the air, simple and heavy.

“Things changed. I changed. What was supposed to be an act became real. We became friends. Allies. Then we became more. I never saw it, though. I never saw how important she was becoming to me. I never thought I was capable of having feelings like that for anyone.”

“Where does Penny fit into this situation? I think she was a huge part of it all.”

“Katharine never wanted me to meet her or have anything to do with her life. She didn’t want to confuse Penny’s already muddled mind. The night you had the get-together when I joined the firm, and I had too much to drink—we argued. Or rather, I was an ass and I pushed her. She told me about her parents’ accident and how Penny came into her life. She informed me, in no

uncertain terms, exactly what she thought of me.” Even with my worry and the seriousness of the conversation, my lips curled into a smile. “I saw a side of Katharine that night I never imagined she possessed. She wasn’t an insignificant weakling as I’d originally thought. She was, is, fierce and strong. Loyal.” My smile fell. “And she opened my eyes to what a bastard I truly was—to her, to everyone around me. The next day, I went and met Penny.”

“I assumed she impressed you?”

“She reminded me of someone from my past. One of the few good people I had in my younger life.” I tugged at my cowlick and stopped talking, knowing I had to regroup my thoughts. I didn’t want to dig that far into my past with Graham. “Despite everything, Katharine married me that day because we had a deal and she kept her word.”

“And you fell in love with your wife.” “Yes, I did. But it was too late.” “Why do you say that?”

“She left me. She left everything I gave her behind. Her phone, the money, even the car. I have no idea how to find her or where she might have gone.”

“What about Penny’s things? Did she take them?”

“No, those are at the condo, along with a few of her personal things. I assume she’ll contact me as to where to send them.”

“You don’t want to wait until then.”

I stood up, going back to the window. “I don’t think there is anything to wait for, but no, I need to find her.”

“Are you willing to fight to change that—do you want to fight, Richard?” I spun around. “Yes. I want to fight for all of it. Her. My job. Everything.” He stood up, crossing his arms. “I suspected you were lying the first time

I met you.”

I gaped at him. “What?”

“I was fairly certain. I found your thought process intriguing, though. You intrigued me. Talking to you, I had a sense there was more to you than you allowed people to see. There was a spark, for lack of a better word, I could see. For the first time ever, I wanted to hire someone I wasn’t entirely sure about. Laura felt the same way about you—even stronger, to be honest. She felt you needed to be given a chance.”

“You said as much one other time.”

He nodded. “Katy—she was the deciding factor. She was open and real. Whether you realized it or not, you were different with her.” He smiled. “It was actually enjoyable watching you fall in love, Richard. We could both see it. We saw the changes in you.” He studied me, his head cocked to the side. “At the office, you were a wonder to behold. The way your mind works, spinning ideas, concepts. Your enthusiasm even got me going again. It was quite the spectacle to witness.”

My throat tightened. I could hear the finality of his words. Were. Was. My career at The Gavin Group was over. Even though I knew it would happen, hearing it was still a blow—a small flicker of hope had burned, and now, it was gone.

“Your company, Graham. My time there has been, without a doubt, the most positive, creative environment I have ever been part of in my career. The way you allow your people to work, the cohesive energy that permeates the environment you created. It was an honor to work for you. I can’t even begin to express my apologies for deceiving you. I won’t ask for your forgiveness, since I know I don’t deserve it. All I ask is that you forgive Katharine. I made her do it. I backed her into a corner until she had no choice.” I paused, unsure what else to say. “She’s so fond of Jenna and Laura. Once she comes back, it would give me great comfort knowing she had a friend she could rely on.”

“Where will you be?”

I shrugged. “Toronto, maybe? I don’t know. I won’t leave town until she returns and we settle everything.”

He raised his eyebrows. “This is your idea of fighting? It sounds as if you’ve already given up.”

“I can’t work for some obscure online advertising company, Graham. I’ll never go back to Anderson Inc., so I have no other choice really, except to move to another city and start again.”

“Have I fired you?”

“I assume it’s coming any minute.” “And when it does?”

“I’ll shake your hand, thank you for being someone I’ll respect the rest of my life—someone who believed enough in me to take a chance. Very few people have ever believed in me.” I swallowed the thick emotion in my throat—Katharine had been one of those people.

“Why are you telling me all this, Richard?” he asked, confused as to my motives. “You could have stayed silent and ridden this out. Katy may come back and all this will have been for nothing. My suspicions would have remained simply that—suspicions.”

I met his stare. “Katharine isn’t the only one tired of living a lie. I want to move forward on a clean slate, whether it’s here with you or elsewhere. I didn’t expect this plan to deviate. I hadn’t planned to fall in love with my wife, and I never expected your opinion of me would mean as much as it does. I didn’t”—I cleared my throat—“expect to feel this close to your family. I’ve never experienced anything like it—I never had a family, not a real one like yours. It was as if I had come to my own crossroad, and I had no choice except to tell you the truth. I’m sorry I let you down, Graham. I regret that more than I can express.”

He stepped forward and I held out my hand, surprised to see it was shaking. He looked down, ignoring my outstretched palm. His hand was

heavy as he clapped my shoulder and met my gaze. “I’m not firing you, Richard.”

“You . . . you’re not?”

“No. Not now. You have work to do. You need to find your wife and get her back. Then we’ll discuss your future with the company and in general.”

“I don’t understand.”

“There is more to all of this than meets the eye. Your past has dictated the person you became as an adult—which frankly wasn’t the nicest of people, until Katy.”

“What do you want, Graham?”

“I want you to find your wife. Find out what she’s thinking—how she’s feeling. Be honest—lay your cards on the table.”

“Then?”

“Bring her home or finish it. One way or another, get your life on track. You and I are going to sit down and talk—really talk. I think you have a lot to offer my company.” He stopped and gave a nod as if he had reached a decision in his head. “I think my family and I have something to offer you.”

“And what do I have to do to get it?”

“Be honest. Real. I want to know about your life. The Richard you were and the Richard you are now. As well, I will expect apologies to my family. If you stay on board, you are going to have to earn our trust all over again.”

“Back to square one?”

“I’d say right now you’re a negative five.”

“I understand.” I really did. His offer surprised me—it also terrified me. The thought of telling him my past life—the person I was growing up and before working for him—was daunting. However, I had something else I needed to do first.

“I don’t know how to find Katy.”

“I suggest you do the same thing as you did with me today. Start at the beginning.”

“What?”

“She and I talked a lot the day of Penny’s memorial. I think I know where she may be. If you look hard enough, you’ll find the answer in your home.”

“Tell me,” I urged. “Please.”

“No. You need to figure this out. Get to know your wife without help. If you try, if you think, you can do this, Richard.” He squeezed my shoulder. “I have confidence.”

“What if I can’t?”

“Then you don’t want it badly enough. If you love her, if you really love her, you’ll figure it out.” He paused and regarded me thoughtfully. “I’m going to ask you a question. I want you to answer me without thinking. I want your first thought.”

I straightened my shoulders. I was good at that. “Shoot.” “Why do you love Katy?”

“Because she makes me look at the world in a different way. She grounds me.” I lifted a shoulder in frustration of how to explain. “She makes life brighter. She showed me what real love meant.”

He nodded. “I’ll drive you home now.”