Final Showdown Read online

  Why did this sound familiar? Her mind jumped back to when Georgia asked for a loan when she was involved with Hamilton. Surely not, Liz thought. Surely Georgia wasn’t that naive to start seeing him again. But Liz couldn’t think of any other reason Georgia would ask her for a loan and not go straight to her brother.

  “Seriously, Georgia. What are you up to?” Liz couldn’t get the horrible thought out of her mind.

  There was silence on the other side of the phone. “Never mind. Don’t worry about the loan,” Georgia said.

  Liz gripped her phone tighter. “I’m not worried about the loan; I’m worried about you,” Liz said. “Are you in trouble?”

  Georgia responded with a bright giggle. “No. It’s a surprise. I just need a little more time. My brother won’t understand until I’m done.”

  “Won’t understand what?” Liz asked her.

  “The surprise.” Georgia’s voice was so close to a whine that it would have been funny if Liz weren’t so confused. “I just need two more weeks.”

  Liz was afraid to let Georgia’s charade go on any longer. Who knew how much trouble Georgia could get in in two weeks or what she was into now? “No, absolutely not. You don’t have to tell me, but you need to call your brother, now, and tell him that you’re not in Savannah.”

  Georgia didn’t say anything, and Liz wasn’t going to give her any more time. If Georgia didn’t agree to tell Darcy, Liz was going to call him.

  Liz wished Georgia were sitting in front of her, so she could make her pinky promise or do a kind of blood oath. “Promise me you’ll tell him.”

  “I promise,” Georgia said.

  Liz exhaled, grateful she didn’t have to call Darcy and deliver the news that Georgia hadn’t been working in Savannah.

  16.

  “Was I that bad of a dancer?” Sam texted Liz.

  Liz grinned and picked up her phone, shifting it between her hands. “I thought you were pretty good for a teenager.”

  “You weren’t so bad for an old lady.”

  She smiled and groaned at the same time. There was no point in trying to defend her age to a twentysomething. “James wanted to take over the real estate stuff.”

  Sam texted back quickly: “Gotcha. He better start working on his line dance skills. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “I’ll let him know.” Liz set down her phone on the desk and got back to work.

  Rose peeked her head into the executive office door. “Who were you smiling while texting?” Liz waved Rose into the office. Her floral dress swayed as she walked in front of Liz’s desk.

  “It was Sam, the real estate guy.”

  “Ohhh,” Rose said. She walked into Liz’s office and sat down at the chair in front of her desk. “Something going on with you two?”

  The thought of dating Sam made Liz’s nose wrinkle. “No. He’s more like a pesky little brother who gets me in trouble.”

  “I know all about those.” Rose had four little brothers, and as the only girl, Liz could only imagine how much teasing Rose dealt with.

  “How are you doing?” Liz asked. It had been almost a month since their trip to Nashville, and other than the bathroom incident, Rose still hadn’t talked about James.

  “Good,” Rose said, but by the way she looked down at her lap, Liz knew she still wasn’t over him.

  Rose shrugged her shoulders. “I just feel so stupid. I thought he really liked me.” Rose faked a smile. “I’m giving up on love.” She gathered a stack of papers on Liz’s desk, then looked up.

  Liz couldn’t believe Rose, the hopeless romantic, would ever give up on the only thing she wanted. “Don’t say that.”

  “I am,” Rose responded quickly, tears flooding into her lower lids. “There’s no one out there for me.”

  Liz couldn’t take it any longer; she had to tell Rose the truth. “Don’t,” Liz said, her voice was just above a whisper.

  Rose shook her head. “It’s really okay. James hasn’t texted or called since before we went to Nashville. When he came here to see you, he didn’t even speak to me.” Rose’s voice cracked, and Liz could tell Rose was trying to hold back tears.

  Liz’s reached out toward her friend. She couldn’t stand to see her friend so upset, especially when Rose didn’t even know the truth that James was brokenhearted over her too.

  “Listen, Rose,” Liz said. She looked around at all the glass walls in the office, and she knew they needed to be somewhere more private. “I need to tell you something.”

  Rose looked up at her, blinking away the moisture in her big blue eyes.

  “I know I told you Darcy approved of your relationship. But he didn’t.”

  Rose looked at Liz with her mouth opened just a centimeter, then she closed it shut. She shut her eyes too. “You lied to me?”

  Rose opened her eyes slowly, and Liz wanted to close hers and crawl under the desk. There was so much betrayal on Rose’s face, she could barely stand it. Liz nodded. “I did.”

  “I . . . ,” Liz continued. “I didn’t want you to quit, then break up with James a few days later. I didn’t want to lose you.”

  “As what? A friend or an employee?” Rose asked.

  Liz thought for a moment. “Both.” There was the truth, in black and white, sitting in front of Liz. Liz knew she was officially the worst friend ever. Instead of telling Rose the truth and letting her decide whether to find another job or not, Liz did what was best for herself.

  “James might still have feelings for me?” Rose asked.

  Liz replied, “I don’t know, but he didn’t stop looking at you when he was meeting with me.”

  As the realization dawned on Rose’s face, she stood up.

  “Liz, my life isn’t all about work like yours. I want to get married. I want to have a family. And I thought the first man whom I wanted to marry completely dumped me. And you . . . ” She stopped. She looked at Liz like she was looking at an enemy. “You let me think he didn’t want to be with me.”

  “I’m so sorry, Rose. Believe me. I’m so sorry.” Liz tried to grab her friend’s hands, but Rose shook her head, refusing to look at Liz.

  “It kills me the most because you knew and . . . ” Rose looked at Liz. “You watched me. You watched me sit there,” she flung her arm toward her desk, “and be devastated.”

  Liz nodded. She did know. Rose had been looking for love as long as Liz had known her. “I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me?”

  “No. You lost me as . . . as both a friend and an employee.” Rose walked out of the executive office. She didn’t slow down as she grabbed her purse off of her desk and marched out of the building.

  17.

  When Rose didn’t come into work on Wednesday, the day after Liz’s confession, Liz called and left her a rambling, apologetic voicemail. When Rose didn’t come in Thursday, Liz left a voicemail and texted her. When Rose didn’t come in Friday, Liz left her a voicemail, texted her, went to her apartment, knocked, and stood outside for ten minutes. Rose didn’t answer any of it.

  By Saturday, Liz was worried about her friend, so she called Elise and Stella. Elise immediately texted back, saying she busy at an Instagram Scavenger hunt, but Stella answered on the first ring. “If it isn’t the evil stepsister. Don’t worry; Cinderella is okay.”

  Liz knew Stella was right; she was the evil stepsister, and somehow she had to make it right. “Where is she?” Liz asked. “Is she okay?”

  “Yes,” Stella said.

  Liz sighed. “And . . . ”

  “And what?” Stella said. “Is she upset? Is she devastated? Is she curled up into the fetal position? Answers: yes, yes, and she has been for the past three days. Not only did you lie to her, but James is still not talking to her.”

  Liz’s heart broke. She grabbed her purse off a hook on her kitchen wall and walked out of the door. “I need to see her. Where is she?”

  “She’s at my house, but please,” Stella’s voice softened as a baby cried in the background. “Please, jus
t give her some time.”

  Liz didn’t listen. She left her house and jumped in the driver’s seat of her car. “I just need to make sure she’s okay. I’ve given her time already.”

  She put her key in the ignition and started her car. “Stop,” Stella said. “She’s okay. She’s staying with me. It’s nice to have someone other than my mom to talk to.”

  Liz paused before putting her car in drive. “What about Hamilton?”

  A few beats of silence passed before Stella spoke. “I was stupid. So stupid. I thought he was this handsome guy who wanted to be a father, but he just wants money.”

  Even though Liz already knew the truth about Hamilton, it was still hard to hear the sadness in her friend’s voice. “I’m so sorry,” Liz said.

  Stella was quiet for few seconds, like she was debating what to say, but then the floodgates opened. “He only came by a couple times after Odette was born, each time asking for money. I asked him to stop a couple weeks ago. Honestly, I hope I don’t see him again.”

  “Are you okay?”

  Stella inhaled so deeply that Liz could hear it through the phone. “I will be.”

  As Stella answered, another thought popped in Liz’s head. Hamilton had been gone for a month, and Georgia fell off the map about a month ago, too. Not only that, but Georgia had just asked her for a loan.

  Surely Georgia hadn’t been with Hamilton this whole time. Darcy would kill Georgia. Darcy would kill them both.

  Liz groaned. What was happening? It was like everyone in her life was falling apart. Between Rose, Stella, and Georgia, she didn’t know which fire to put out first.

  Liz beat her head against the steering wheel. “Can I come see you and Rose?”

  “Liz, I know you’re worried, but she’s going to be okay. I promise, just give her a little more time. Maybe in two weeks.”

  Two weeks? If Rose was planning on being away from work that long, Liz vowed to protect her friend’s job. She owed her friend that, just in case she wanted to come back to Pemberley Media. “I’m coming over two weeks from today,” Liz said.

  “That sounds good,” Stella said.

  “How’s Odette?” Liz asked, feeling bad she hadn’t asked about the baby already.

  “She’s good. Maternity leave ends next week. So . . . that’s hard.”

  “I bet.” Liz sighed. Everything in adulthood was hard: relationships, friendships, and babies. And for the second time, like the time before when she touched the tiny dress Rose bought for Odette, something deep inside Liz ached.

  Liz rolled her eyes. She didn’t have time to think about that. She now had to cover her own job and Rose’s job.

  “Take care of them . . . both,” Liz said.

  “I will,” Stella said. For the first time, her voice sounded strong and confident. Liz trusted Stella. She was a mom now. If she could take care of a newborn, then hopefully she could help Rose mend her broken heart.

  18.

  “Where is Rose’s Ace Hotel Proposal?” Liz’s phone dinged in the middle of the night, and her vision was still blurry. She reread the text three more times.

  Liz’s eyes flew open. It was from Darcy. Just three days into her plan to cover for Rose at work, and she was officially busted. “I’m handling Ace Hotel now,” Liz texted back.

  “You missed their presentation this week.”

  Liz double-booked herself and canceled on the president of the new hotel chain, who apparently went straight to Darcy.

  “You’ve never missed a presentation before.”

  Liz didn’t know what to say. Darcy was right. Liz kicked off her blanket and typed back the truth: “Rose took a leave of absence. I’m just a little behind.”

  “Is this about James?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m coming to town,” Darcy texted before she had a chance to reply. “We’re going to solve this.”

  Liz looked at the clock. It was four a.m., and she knew she wouldn’t go back to sleep. Her heart tightened at the thought of seeing Darcy. They hadn’t talked since their last meeting when he said that he thought about her.

  “Okay.” Liz wondered who would arrive in Savannah. Would it be warm Darcy or work Darcy? She didn’t want to lie awake, debating who was coming, so she got out of bed and put her tennis shoes on.

  Darcy did arrive, but it wasn’t the next day. It was a week later, and not much had changed around the office in seven days. Liz was still trying to juggle two jobs, because she wasn’t ready to give up on her friend.

  As Darcy stood in the middle of her office, looking better than ever, Liz hoped that her feelings would be less strong for him. As soon as she saw him, her throat tightened, and she could feel her heart race.

  He didn’t say anything; he just stood there and stared at her for a few seconds. It was like they were in a silent negotiation. Neither wanting to throw out the first price for fear of starting too high.

  Liz closed her email, but she didn’t say anything. She wasn’t going to break the silence first.

  James walked quickly into the executive office with a huge smile on his face. “Hello, Liz.” James nodded at her and looked at his partner. “Darcy, meet you at Alba?”

  “Great,” Darcy said.

  Liz squinted at her boss. Surely Darcy wasn’t planning on eating lunch at Alba. Surely, they weren’t planning on going on a business lunch at the restaurant that provided the location for Liz and Darcy’s first and only kiss.

  Liz raised her eyebrows, silently questioning Darcy. Darcy shrugged his shoulders and turned to James. “Yes.” Then, he extended his arm to the door. “Will you join us, Liz?”

  19.

  Liz expected to eat lunch with Darcy and James, but when she walked in, she saw three people at the table: James, Darcy, and Rose.

  Liz wanted to hug her friend and apologize, but Rose didn’t look up as she sat down. Instead of a heartfelt reunion, the table was awkwardly silent for a few seconds until James grabbed Rose’s hand, smiled at Darcy and Liz, and cleared his throat.

  “Rose called me and told me the whole story.” Liz glanced at the couple’s hands. James had interlocked his fingers with Rose as he talked. “Rose thought I didn’t have feelings for her, but I did. I was just following the policy, and when she stopped communicating with me, I thought she’d lost interest.”

  Liz couldn’t stomach her part in the debacle. She looked back at the couple just in time to see Rose smile at James like Liz hadn’t seen since their trip to Atlanta. “And, I know,” James said. “I know I’ve said this in the past, but this woman is the only one for me. And I hope she feels the same way.”

  Rose smiled even wider and said, “I do.”

  Liz’s heart crumpled as she looked at the happy couple she had separated. She looked at Darcy, his face full of a scowl.

  Rose jumped into the conversation. “We talked about everything: the Nashville trip, our jobs, and even our future with each other.”

  Liz looked at the perfect couple, looking like a united front, both wearing shirts that were the same shade of pale blue. “We want to be together,” James said.

  Rose didn’t look at Liz or Darcy. Instead, she looked down at the table, where her hand held James’s.

  “Please,” Rose pleaded.

  Liz could barely stay focused on Rose and James. Her mind kept leaping to Darcy. So much so that she started to feel dizzy.

  “Liz. Everything okay?” Darcy asked.

  Liz knew she had to focus. This meeting was about Rose and James, not about an old kiss between her and Darcy. Liz nodded and looked at her friend. “Rose, I’m so sorry. I lied to you and told you Darcy approved of your relationship, but I just didn’t want to lose you.” Liz reached out and took Rose’s other hand that wasn’t interlocked with James’s.

  “I know, Liz, but you did hurt me.” The way Rose’s eyes narrowed at Liz’s made Liz wonder if her friend would ever be able to forgive her.

  “I’m sorry.” Liz wished there was somethin
g she could say to make it better.

  “James.” Darcy glared at his friend like he was going to try and reason with him. “You know why I can’t approve your relationship. It’s against policy.”

  “I understand Darcy,” James said. “And, trust me, I’ve tried to stop my feelings. I ignored them. I tried to cut her out of my life. But,” James paused for a moment, “I can’t go on without her.”

  “No offense, Rose,” Darcy said. “You’re an amazing person. James has said the exact same thing about the last three women he’s fallen for.”

  Darcy raised his voice. “And it’s one thing,” he continued, “if it’s a random woman off the street, and we have to hire extra security until they come to terms that you’ve ghosted them. But Rose is a critical member of Liz’s team, and we’re getting ready to expand into Nashville. We need to focus right now, focus on the future of the company. My father didn’t allow interoffice relationships. I can’t either . . . ” Darcy trailed off.

  James interrupted. “About that. I’ve talked to Chairman Saunders, and he’s approved our relationship as long as I’m not Rose’s supervisor.”

  “He what?” Darcy snapped.

  Liz jumped in. She needed to save this conversation before Darcy lost his temper. “Surely there’s some kind of solution or compromise we can come to.”

  Darcy shot a warning glance at Liz. “Yes, James could find someone more appropriate to date.”

  Rose separated her hands from James and Liz’s, and she placed them palm down on the white table cloth. She spoke with a soft, but firm, voice. “Clearly, your relationship policy means a lot to you, Darcy. I respect that. Also, I can tell there isn’t a compromise here that will suit us all.”

  The table was silent for a few seconds. Rose had said it all. Her quiet voice had summarized the conversation that everyone knew wasn’t going anywhere. She sighed. “I quit.”