Crush(77)

Rebecca Reeves was Clementine’s new nanny and I couldn’t be more pleased. Michael had broken the mold and hired an older, more experienced woman. She seemed completely competent in childcare and took charge right away.

Finally confident that Clementine was in good hands, I was packing my things to return home. My nerves over her care had gotten the best of me. She’d gone through three caregivers since I’d arrived in Boston and with the death of my sister, I wanted her to have some stability during her days.

Knowing that besides Michael, I might be the only anchor in her life, I’d spent Saturday and Sunday night here. Logan was never far from my thoughts, but with Clementine to occupy my time, my heartache didn’t seem so catastrophic.

Aside from the incident where Michael had put his hand on my back, nothing in his behavior the rest of the weekend had pushed me to feel the need to say anything to him about it.

Just as I was zipping up my bag, the house phone rang. “Hello,” I answered.

Michael had to leave unusually early for work and I had agreed to stay until the new nanny arrived so I could introduce her to Clementine. Things had gotten off to a great start and they were busy getting acquainted in the nursery.

“Elle, is that you?” The familiar voice shouted my name.

“Yes, is this Heidi?” I knew by the German accent that it was.

“Is Michael home?”

Michael? Not Mr. O’Shea. Interesting. “No, he left for work early.”

With a huff, she said, “I’m at his office and his secretary has informed me he won’t be in until later today.”

I set my bag down. “Can I help you with anything?”

She sighed. “I need my paycheck. I’ve been staying at a hostel, but I have to be out in a few days. Could you tell him to please leave it for me at his office and I’ll come by again in the morning?”

Curiosity took control of me. “I’ll let him know. Do you mind if I ask why you left so hastily?”

She laughed. “I didn’t leave. He ordered me out.”

Stunned, I didn’t hold back. “Why?”

“You must know what he’s looking for.”

My skin bristled. “I know he wants someone competent to look after Clementine.”

“Right, that’s what he wants.”

I flinched at the tone of her voice. “Did your departure have to do with a disagreement over Clementine?”

Her laugh was dry. “Not at all.”

“Then what?” I was pushing it and I knew it.

“I didn’t want—” She stopped. “I said no, and he ordered me to leave—Never mind, I’m not looking for any trouble, just please tell him I’ll come by his office in the morning.”

Once she hung up, I stood there at the night table near the bed, reeling. What was going on with him? I didn’t like what I was thinking. Why had he lied to me about Heidi quitting and also about having to go into work early?

The website I saw on the piece of paper in Heidi’s former room came to mind and I found myself back in there. Traci hadn’t arrived yet, so everything was the way it had been left. First thing I did was look at the crumpled paper again. It had been cut to about a quarter of the size of a normal piece and I could tell it had been folded down the middle. I’d seen one like this before in Michael’s secretary’s desk. The secretary he fired over a month ago.

Tossing it back in the wastebasket, I glanced in the open drawers and then under the bed. Nothing. I went into the bathroom. Nothing. I hurried to the nightstand and when I pulled it open, I found nothing there either.

What the hell was going on?

What was Heidi alluding to?

I had to know. Before I knew it, I was in Michael’s office and at his computer before I could stop myself. My phone battery had died and I couldn’t wait until I got home. I had to know what this meant now.

The screen saver vanished and I was prompted to enter a password.

Crap.

The first word that came to mind was Clementine and I entered it. That didn’t work. I was no hacker, but I kept going, this time entering her birthdate, and what did you know? It worked.

In the address bar, I typed www.evanmarks.com. The site loaded immediately. What came up were pictures of professional-looking men, as if Michael were searching for a law partner. The site was very nondescript. Its name was across the top, with the images scrolling down.

Pick one, the piece of paper had instructed. Was it possible Michael had wanted Heidi to pick a man? What on earth for? I clicked on one of the images to see if the profile would load beneath it.

“Did you need something?” The question was asked in a cool and strong tone, like that of steel.

My hand moved quickly and the shaking caused me to click in the wrong place. A list of files filled the screen and my eyes landed on a video clip labeled Elizabeth. With no time to look at it or even blink, I somehow managed to close the window and then glance up within a reasonable amount of time. “I hope you don’t mind that I was using your computer, but I needed to check my inventory and get my orders placed before nine.” My own tone was calm, but I was anything but.

Michael stood in the doorway with a bouquet of beautiful mixed flowers in his hand. “Not at all, but you’ve been keeping something from me.”

My hands began to shake and I had to dig my nails into my palms to tame their quivering.