Chapter 4
I can’t remember how I got back to the hotel.
All I know is that right was freezing cold, and I kept dreaming about Jake carrying me through that flood three
ee years ago!
Except in my dreams, we both drowned []
My phone started blowing up at dawn, jolting n
me awake
“Ms. Reynolds! We’re totally screwed!”
“Mr. Harrison let River handle the Greenfield contract, and she left off a zero on the quote.”
“The client already signed and wired payment for everything”
I dug my nails into my palms, trying to stay calm: “How bad is it?”
“At least ten million,” my assistant’s voice cracked. “We just worked a whole year for nothing“]
I gripped my phone so tight my knuckles went white.
By the time I got to the office, Jake was comforting River while our entire team shot daggers at me.
My assistant pulled me aside, looking sick
“Jake told everyone the Greenfield project was your responsibility. Sald River had nothing to do with it.”
I stared at her in disbelief, started toward Jake’s office, but he dragged me inside first.
“Moe, I’m really sorry about this mess.”
“But you’re upper management–corporate will just demote you or transfer you somewhere else. Maybe dock your pay. You’ll survive this.“[
“River’s different. She’ll get fired immediately, blacklisted everywhere. Her career would be over before it started.”
I wanted to puke listening to this garbage. Finally snapped and slapped him hard across the face:
“Jake, have you lost your damn mind?! Do you ever think about how I feel? Ever?!“]]
He took a deep breath and said the one thing that completely destroyed me:
“Just help her out this once.“]
“Consider it payback for me saving your life.”
The world went silent except for this deafening roar in my ears. I opened my mouth but no sound came out.
Jake dragged me in front of the whole team and said with this fake apologetic tone:]
“The Greenfield project was Ms. Reynolds’s responsibility. She feels terrible about the mistake. Hope you all can understand ”
Someone threw their coffee mug at the wall
“That’s bullshit! Why should we all pay for her screwup?
“Tan barely make my mortgage payments as it is
More and more people turned on me, their faces twisted with disgust and rage:
I just stood there, frozen, voceless.
River flinched like she was scared, and Jako immediately pulled her protectively into his arms
everyone, back to work. We’ll deal with this when corporate makes the derision
As people scattered, someone “accidentally” body checked me. I went down hard, sprawled on the floor like trash
Nobody helped me up. They all just walked past like I was invisible. Even my assistant pulled her hand back
River crouched down next to me.
That necklace dangled from her throat, swaying over the hickeys Jake had left, like she was mocking me.[]
“Thanks for taking the fall, Moe,” she whispered. “I don’t mind sharing Jake with you.“]
My face went chalk white as I clenched my fists and used every ounce of strength I had left to slap her.[]
She screamed, covering her cheek, tears instantly streaming down her face
“Mon! I was just trying to help you up! Why did you hit me?]
Everyone rushed back over
Jake completely lost it. Seeing River’s face, he reflexively backhanded me so hard I saw stars:
Moe, can you stop being such a psycho bitch?
Tust time Jake had ever laid a hand on me
Surrounded by all those mocking, disgusted faces, something weird happened
I felt this strange calm wash over me:
“Jake, if this is how it ends, I wish
His face
I wish I’d just paid you back with money three years ago.”
went pale. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
I picked myself up off the floor and called Preston Hayes, the board director at corporate.
be like that again
