Moments In Time: The Complete Novella Collection by Dori Lavelle Page A

close to
tears. “You know as well as I do we have a connection. Deep
feelings for each other. You can’t deny that.”
    “The only connection we have is my brother.
Now please stay out of my life.”
    I blinked away tears. “Okay. I will, but
please forgive me. I’m not a murderer. I loved Chris.”
    “You’re asking for the impossible.” He
released my wrists and walked away from me.
    I stumbled out of the restaurant and
tottered through the lobby. I could barely breathe. My heart was
empty, and yet it weighed a thousand pounds. Nick was out of my
life forever.
    I stepped out of the hotel and shivered as a
brisk wind wrapped around me. My coat—I’d left it inside. On my way
to get it, I spotted Nick at the elevators, talking to a sexy
blond. Pain swelled inside me as I thought of him being with her.
With anyone. Any woman could be my replacement. But as he’d said,
it was over. We’d had our last kiss and now all we had left were
some bittersweet memories.
     
    ***
     
    Three weeks after meeting Nick, I climbed
out of the taxi and headed toward Stalford, ready to start the day
and the rest of my life. I had no choice but to move on. But as
soon as I stepped foot in the boutique, the hairs on the back of my
neck sprang up and I halted in the doorway.
    All eyes were on me, including Lilliana’s
and Sam’s. Julie’s face was so red, it almost matched the color of
her hair. Amanda looked triumphant. So did the other sales
associates.
    “Hi.” I sifted through all kinds of possible
scenarios in my mind, trying to figure out what could have
happened. Did another article pop up about me and Nick?
    No one responded to my greeting, but
Lilliana asked me to follow her and Sam to her office.
    As they settled into their seats, I
unbuttoned my coat.
    “You might want to leave that on,” Sam said,
his voice loaded.
    “Oh, um. Okay. Did something happen?” I
gazed from one to the other.
    “When I hired you to work at Stalford,
didn’t you think it was important for me to know you’re responsible
for someone’s death?”
    My stomach dropped to the floor, and I felt
suddenly like I might faint. Without being asked to sit, I lowered
myself onto the couch. I inhaled deeply as my heart pounded.
“How...”
    “How did we find out?” Sam snapped. “You
should have known being involved with Nick Johnson would expose you
and your life. It’s all over the papers.”
    “You didn’t think it was important to tell
me this?” Lilliana sounded more hurt than angry. And of course she
was. She had trusted me. She had hired me with no credentials or
experience.
    “I’m sure you’ll understand that under these
circumstances, we cannot keep you on as an employee,” Sam said.
    “Is it true?” Lilliana asked. “Did you
really kill a man?”
    A tear slid down my cheek. Since I had not
read the papers, I had no idea how much they knew. But I couldn’t
lie to Lilliana. So I nodded and told her what I’d told Nick. “I’m
not a murderer. It was not my intention to—”
    “A killer, then.” Sam paced the room, his
face stormy. “What difference does it make? We’d be foolish to keep
you on after you’ve tainted our image. Instead of thinking about
what you’re selling, everyone will think of what you did. There has
already been a reduction in customers this morning. You’re bad for
business.”
    “I really need this job.” My throat was
tight and tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to break down in
front of them. Despite my stomach being shredded to pieces, I had
to show them I was strong. I could deal with this.
    “There’s nothing more to say. Please
leave.”
     
    ***
     
    I stepped out of Stalford and inhaled the
cool, fresh air. At first I walked purposelessly down the street,
allowing the air to calm my nerves. After a while, I broke into a
jog. I hadn’t buttoned up my coat again, and the cold wind pierced
my torso through my cashmere sweater. But the sharp sting didn’t
bother me. I kept right on