Page 39 of Love From the Ashes
I followed Mr. Kingsley past Ms. Prescott’s desk and rounded a corner. We walked by an office with the door open. Reid was sitting at the desk, and Della and Adam were sitting in two chairs in front of him. Reid looked upset when he saw me, and I diverted my gaze. Feeling lightheaded and shaking, I continued to follow Mr. Kingsley, unsure what was happening, although I knew I would find out any second. He led me into the office next to Reid’s, motioning me to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Ms. Morgan sat there with a stoic expression as Mr. Kingsley settled in the chair next to me.
“Sofie, I understand Krista sent you a text message last week. I’d like to see it,” Ms. Morgan said, her voice firm.
I nodded and retrieved my phone from my purse. I opened the text message, my hand shaking as I placed my phone on Ms. Morgan’s desk.
Ms. Morgan picked up my phone and looked at the message. Then she handed it to Mr. Kingsley. He frowned as he looked at the screen.
“I understand Krista confronted you in the office three weeks ago regarding some events that occurred while you were out for the evening at a dance club. Is this correct?” Ms. Morgan said.
“Yes.”
“I need to hear directly from you what was said. Do you understand me, Sofie? I need to hear it in your words, and I don’t want you to hold anything back. Am I clear?”
I nodded and explained the best I could what Krista had said to me and what I’d said to her in return. When I had finished, I folded my hands in my lap and waited to find out what would happen to me.
Ms. Morgan turned to Mr. Kingsley. “Is Alice here today?”
“Yes, she is.”
“Good. I’ll go with you back to your office, and we’ll talk with Alice.” Ms. Morgan looked at me as I sat there, my knees shaking. “Sofie, I do not want you to leave these offices. After Mr. Kingsley and I finish with Alice, we’ll talk to Krista. The meetings may become ugly and disruptive, and I expect we’ll escort Krista back to her office to collect her belongings immediately afterward. I don’t want you near your office until we’ve finished. Ms. Prescott will be at her desk. You can let her know if you need anything.”
“Okay.” I watched the two of them walk out the door, and then I stared down at my lap. I was uncomfortable sitting alone in Ms. Morgan’s office but didn’t dare move, wishing I could run and hide instead. My breath caught in my throat a moment later when I heard someone enter the office behind me.
“I need you to tell me the truth. Did you mean it when you said you loved me?” Reid said, his words startling me.
“Yes,” I whispered, pained to admit it because of the circumstances.
Reid walked to the desk and sat on its edge so he was directly in front of me. “Look at me, please.”
I raised my head, meeting Reid’s gaze. My heart fluttered when I saw the expression on his face. It was the same look from before, the look I didn’t understand until I realized he loved me.
“I’m not dating Samantha. We grew up together, and she’s a family friend. Her mother is Maddie Langston. Honestly, it would be like dating my sister. That’s how close we are. I was in New York on a business trip tied to the nonprofit that I used to help run, the World Hunger Foundation. I was the director of new business development. I stepped down from my position when my father died, and I came back to Boston to help my mother run the company. I still work for the charity, but in a minor capacity. Anyway, that doesn’t matter right now. The bottom line is Samantha lives in New York and heard I’d be there on business. She asked if we could get together while I was there. She’s getting married to one of my close friends, who I introduced to her a few years ago. I’m one of the groomsmen at their wedding. Her fiancé, Ryan, was flying in from Europe, and his flight got delayed, although he joined us later that evening. So, nothing is going on, Sofie. The person I love is you.”
I stared at Reid, my eyes clouding with tears as I hoped I’d heard him right. “So she’s just a friend, and all your jet-setting around the world that I’ve heard whispers about was business-related?”
“Yes, and I can assure you most of my travel allowed little or no time for personal enjoyment. Now, would you please come here?” He extended his hand, pulling me against his chest when I took it. “You’re so undeniably special. Why would I want anyone else?” Reid tipped my head up with his finger as he looked down and kissed me.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, eagerly returning his kiss. I loved him, and I missed him. I stood there, savoring his body’s warmth and his gentle touch. I wanted to screamReid Morgan loves me. I was so happy.
“I want you to know Adam and Della told me everything,” Reid said as I snuggled against his chest.
“Everything?”
“Yes, and it’s okay. I don’t care that you were married or lived at a women’s shelter. None of that matters, and your husband was a fool not to appreciate or love you. I feel bad about what happened to him, but he didn’t deserve you.”
I relaxed in Reid’s arms, relieved he was comfortable with this part of my life.
“I don’t want any more secrets between us. Is there anything else you need to tell me? I want to get it out of the way so we can move forward with everything out in the open. No surprises.”
I could feel fear bubble up inside me. What was I supposed to say?
Reid looked down at me, studying my face. “Is there anything else I should know?”
“No,” I whispered. I couldn’t tell Reid the darkest secrets of my life. I feared if I did, he’d feel so shocked and sickened by what he learned that he’d reject me, and I couldn’t deal with that after everything that had happened. All I could do was try to keep those pieces of my life hidden and hope that no one came looking for me.
Reid’s cell phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket and answered it. “Hello? She did? That’s too bad it went that far. Okay. Are you firing her now? I will. Better yet, I’m going to take Sofie home right now, so I can get her out of here. Okay. I’ll see you in the morning. Bye.”
“What happened?” I glanced up at Reid, almost afraid to hear his answer.