“Shae...you always land on your feet. You know you will this time, too. I’ll help.”
Her eyes snapped open and for a moment she simply stared at him, stunned. Really? He thought it was that easy? She’d just jump to her feet, dust herself off and carry on?
“I know no such thing.”
“Tell me a time you haven’t.”
“Brant...maybe you don’t quite get what is going on here. My fiancé walked out on me six weeks before the wedding I’ve been planning for almost two years. Then my boss fired me—”
“I’m here for you, honestly I am. But Shae...I don’t know if you realize how much you depend on other people to bail you out of your problems.”
Again she stared at him, a slow burn starting deep inside of her. “First Mel and now you. Why are you adding fuel to the fire?”
“What?”
“Mel stopped by the day I was fired to tell me it was my fault, and now...” She didn’t finish because there was no need. He knew where she was going with this. “Why are you doing this?”
Brant considered for a moment, then said, “Because it’s something that needs to be said. And it’s time.”
“It’s time. Now while I’m down is the time to give me another swift kick?”
“No. I’m not trying to kick you while you’re down.” He set down the beer and slid across the sofa to sit next to her, his voice earnest as he said, “If you need a loan, I’m happy to give it to you. Just...don’t take anything more from Vivian and Dad, okay? They’ve dipped into their retirement for your wedding and they don’t need to be dipping again.”
Shae’s head was starting to throb. “I’ll pay them back,” she muttered, putting a hand to her forehead. “They insisted that I take it. I told Dad that Reed and I were paying for everything, but he insisted on helping with my half. He said it was his duty as a father.”
“And maybe,” Brant said softly, “Since you knew they were trying to save for retirement, it was your duty as a daughter to say no.”
She set her wineglass down abruptly, sloshing chardonnay over the glass tabletop. “I care about my family,” she said.
“Yeah, I know, Shae. But do you think about us?”
“Yes.” Shae pressed a hand to her forehead. “Yes, I do. I’ve just... The wedding... Crap!”
Brant reached out to pull her hand away from her head and held on for a moment. “Like I said, Shae, I’m here for you. It’s a rough time. If you need to depend on someone, depend on me.”
Shae pulled her hand out of her brother’s and reached for her wine. “Thank you. I appreciate the offer.” But at that moment she was pretty damned sure that she wasn’t going to depend on anyone to bail her out of her problems.
Brant hung around long enough to finish his beer and reiterate his offer of help, then took off to meet his girlfriend, Sara, for dinner.
Shae waited only a few minutes after he left to get on the phone and call Wallace—at home—and request a face-to-face meeting.
“I need closure,” she said.
“Closure?”
“And to talk.”
“Shae...”
“Please? I can come in early before anyone gets there. Or I could meet you at a coffee shop.” She swallowed drily. Begging was so not her thing, but neither was feeling this desperate. She picked up a Macy’s bill—the one she’d been afraid to open—then dropped it back down on the counter. “Ten minutes. I’ve gone the extra mile for you, Wallace. Please.”
“You haven’t gone the extra mile during the last year, but...” Shae bit her lip, held her breath. “Ten minutes. At the coffee shop across the street.”
“Thank you.”
Shae hung up, feeling as if she might have a toehold. Wallace had always had a soft spot for her. Maybe...just maybe...
* * *
“I’M NOT GIVING you your job back, Shae.” At the last minute Wallace had called and asked her to meet him at the office after hours, which had made Shae hopeful that perhaps he was reconsidering. He was, after all, allowing her back on the premises, and he’d seemed more human than the last time she’d spoken to him.
Now that he’d made his proclamation, Shae wasn’t feeling one bit hopeful, but she had him there and she wasn’t giving up this easily.
“Not even in a probationary capacity?” Wallace picked up the pencil lying on top of a pile of spreadsheets, looked at it instead of at her. “It was Miranda who made the decision to let you go. I went over the performance evaluations with her, but it was obvious from the beginning that she’d already decided you were the one going.”
That stung. “I don’t understand. Why me? It isn’t like I was slacking off while she was around, and you gave me a satisfactory evaluation.”
“That,” Wallace said pointedly, “was a gift. And—” he tapped the pencil again “—she didn’t need to be at the office to see you.”
“Meaning?”
“The cameras.”
Shae’s heart jumped. “She’s using them?” The cameras had come with the building when the company had first moved in four years ago and as far as she—or anyone she worked with—knew, they’d never been turned on. Well, guess again.
“I did my job,” she said stiffly.
“And a lot of other stuff.”
“I didn’t think a phone call here and there would matter.”
“It did, and it was more than a few phone calls, Shae. Miranda’s not happy, and she’s making an example of you.”
Shae let her head fall back. “A little warning would have been nice.”
“I dropped some hints.”
“When?” Shae asked, perplexed. Wallace pressed his fingers to his forehead as if staving off a headache and she abandoned the topic. “What about the good things I’ve done? Before the wedding plans,” she added quickly. “What about the Tuscan Canyon Ranch? I put most of that purchase agreement together. I found the property, which wasn’t even for sale, if you remember right, and matched it to the perfect client. We made a great commission and then we got the management contract on top of that!”
“You’re good, Shae, when you focus.”
“And I will focus. The wedding... I let it get out of hand.” It was finally starting to sink in just how far out of hand she’d allowed it to go.
“But what if something else comes up?”
“I’ve learned my lesson.”
Wallace gave her a doubtful look. “I’m not certain that would reassure Miranda.”
Shae leaned forward, placing her palm flat on the desk. “I made a mistake. I can change. I need a job.”
“Then you should have taken care with the one you had.”
“And that’s that?” she asked softly.
“Afraid so, Shae.”
It can’t end this way.
“Sorry,” Wallace said.
“Yeah.” Shae got to her feet, gave him a faint smile mustered from the need to hold on to a few shreds of her dignity, then turned to go, her stomach so tight she