I stopped, looked at his hand on my arm, and then up at him.
“Again, I’m sorry.”
Was he sincere? I was eighty-five percent sure he was. Hearing him say he was sorry versus reading it on a card were two different things.
“You’re forgiven.” I gave a small nod.
He let go of my arm and I walked to my desk.
****
Jack
Sitting down at my desk, I picked up my coffee cup and, when I took a sip, I spit it out.
“Lorelei!” I yelled.
“Why are you yelling?” she asked as she walked into my office.
“What is this?” I held up the cup.
“Your Americano with a triple shot of espresso. Like you get every morning.”
“This is NOT an AMERICANO! It’s sweet and sickening. Taste it.” I held out the cup to her.
She brought it up to her lips and took a sip. “Oh. You’re right. This isn’t an Americano. It tastes like a caramel macchiato. You can clearly see on the cup it says ‘Americano Triple shot espresso.’”
“I see that. Obviously, they fucked up.”
“Would you like me to go get you a new one?”
“No. I have a meeting to get to.”
“I’m sorry, Jack. I guess from now on, I’ll have to taste it before I leave.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m sorry I yelled your name like that.”
She gave me a small smile and walked out of my office. After grabbing my phone from my desk, I headed upstairs to my mother’s office.
****
Lorelei
As Jack walked down the hallway to his meeting, I sat there with a smile splayed across my face. Starbucks didn’t screw up Jack’s coffee. I did. I ordered a caramel macchiato but had them write “Americano” on the cup. I considered it a small payback for him being an insensitive jerk. Even though the day had just started, for me, it was now complete.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jack
Stepping into my mother’s office, I took a seat across from Coco, who was sitting at the round table with Garrett and our mother.
“What is going on?” my mother asked as she took off her glasses and glared at me. “I had a very important meeting this morning with the editorial staff, which I had to cancel due to your ‘emergency’ meeting. These two won’t tell me a thing.”
“I don’t even know what this is about, Mother,” Coco expressed as she took a sip of her coffee.
“We’re here to talk about Bradley Shaw,” I spoke.
“What about him?” my mother asked.
“He’s embezzled money from this company.”
Coco choked on her coffee as her eyes grew wide. “What?!”
“You know this for sure, Jack?” My mother glared at me but spoke with a calm tone.
“Yes. His secretary found some papers on his desk and when she asked him about it, he became very nervous and hasn’t been seen since. I have a private investigator trying to find him and we’re meeting with a lawyer from Finn, Muir, & Abernathy. I have someone upstairs right now hacking into his damn computer to try and find out where the money is.”
“How much did he take?” Coco asked.
“Over eight million dollars.”
“WHAT?!” she shouted so loud that it made my ears hurt.
I stared at my mother, who took in a deep breath and sat there with her arms folded.
“Keep me posted and keep this quiet. Make sure Lindsey doesn’t speak a word of this to anyone.” She got up from her seat and walked out of the office.
Garrett looked at me and narrowed his eye. He was thinking the same thing I was. I got up from my seat and tilted my head to the side, alerting Garrett to follow me out of the office.
“Don’t worry, Coco. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Garrett followed behind, and as we stepped onto the elevator, he looked at me.
“What’s up with Kit?”
“If you mean why she didn’t seem upset, I have no clue.”
“Maybe she’s in shock?” Garrett asked.
“Doubt it. I’ll talk to you later.” I placed my hand on his shoulder as I stepped out of the elevator.
“Lorelei, call accounting and have the last six months’ reports brought down,” I spoke as I scurried
“Again, I’m sorry.”
Was he sincere? I was eighty-five percent sure he was. Hearing him say he was sorry versus reading it on a card were two different things.
“You’re forgiven.” I gave a small nod.
He let go of my arm and I walked to my desk.
****
Jack
Sitting down at my desk, I picked up my coffee cup and, when I took a sip, I spit it out.
“Lorelei!” I yelled.
“Why are you yelling?” she asked as she walked into my office.
“What is this?” I held up the cup.
“Your Americano with a triple shot of espresso. Like you get every morning.”
“This is NOT an AMERICANO! It’s sweet and sickening. Taste it.” I held out the cup to her.
She brought it up to her lips and took a sip. “Oh. You’re right. This isn’t an Americano. It tastes like a caramel macchiato. You can clearly see on the cup it says ‘Americano Triple shot espresso.’”
“I see that. Obviously, they fucked up.”
“Would you like me to go get you a new one?”
“No. I have a meeting to get to.”
“I’m sorry, Jack. I guess from now on, I’ll have to taste it before I leave.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m sorry I yelled your name like that.”
She gave me a small smile and walked out of my office. After grabbing my phone from my desk, I headed upstairs to my mother’s office.
****
Lorelei
As Jack walked down the hallway to his meeting, I sat there with a smile splayed across my face. Starbucks didn’t screw up Jack’s coffee. I did. I ordered a caramel macchiato but had them write “Americano” on the cup. I considered it a small payback for him being an insensitive jerk. Even though the day had just started, for me, it was now complete.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jack
Stepping into my mother’s office, I took a seat across from Coco, who was sitting at the round table with Garrett and our mother.
“What is going on?” my mother asked as she took off her glasses and glared at me. “I had a very important meeting this morning with the editorial staff, which I had to cancel due to your ‘emergency’ meeting. These two won’t tell me a thing.”
“I don’t even know what this is about, Mother,” Coco expressed as she took a sip of her coffee.
“We’re here to talk about Bradley Shaw,” I spoke.
“What about him?” my mother asked.
“He’s embezzled money from this company.”
Coco choked on her coffee as her eyes grew wide. “What?!”
“You know this for sure, Jack?” My mother glared at me but spoke with a calm tone.
“Yes. His secretary found some papers on his desk and when she asked him about it, he became very nervous and hasn’t been seen since. I have a private investigator trying to find him and we’re meeting with a lawyer from Finn, Muir, & Abernathy. I have someone upstairs right now hacking into his damn computer to try and find out where the money is.”
“How much did he take?” Coco asked.
“Over eight million dollars.”
“WHAT?!” she shouted so loud that it made my ears hurt.
I stared at my mother, who took in a deep breath and sat there with her arms folded.
“Keep me posted and keep this quiet. Make sure Lindsey doesn’t speak a word of this to anyone.” She got up from her seat and walked out of the office.
Garrett looked at me and narrowed his eye. He was thinking the same thing I was. I got up from my seat and tilted my head to the side, alerting Garrett to follow me out of the office.
“Don’t worry, Coco. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Garrett followed behind, and as we stepped onto the elevator, he looked at me.
“What’s up with Kit?”
“If you mean why she didn’t seem upset, I have no clue.”
“Maybe she’s in shock?” Garrett asked.
“Doubt it. I’ll talk to you later.” I placed my hand on his shoulder as I stepped out of the elevator.
“Lorelei, call accounting and have the last six months’ reports brought down,” I spoke as I scurried
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