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Marcus smiles, but it looks sad. “If there’s something about the idea of this that scares you, tell me. No matter how complicated it is.”

My pulse pounds in my ears. I force myself to meet his eyes. “There is something. I lied to you about Jamie’s father.”

Every part of him goes still. “Natalie–”

His phone rings. He reaches to silence it, but Tuck’s name flashes across the screen.

“Take it,” I whisper.

“This is more important.”

The phone rings again. I know Tuck would not keep calling unless it was urgent. “Take it. I’m not running away. I will tell you everything after you deal with this.”

He answers without taking his eyes off me. After a few clipped words, his jaw hardens. Janice has agreed to meet, but only now, and only if his lawyer is present.

“Go,” I say, even though my nerve is already leaking away. “We’ll finish this after.”

Marcus looks as if he wants to argue. Then he nods once and opens the SUV door for me. As I climb inside, I know I have finally cracked the wall between us. I also know I still have to walk through it.

Chapter 32

Marcus

I may or may not have led Janice Brunswick to believe that if she met with me, it would only be us.

I wouldn’t call myself a snake, because I’m usually not. I find other ways to get what I want (both in business and in pleasure) and lying isn’t generally part of that. But considering the fragility of this situation, I needed her to trust me. So when she walks into the boardroom and stops as if she slammed into an invisible wall, I’m not surprised.

“Oh,” she lets out as her eyes dart from person to person sitting at the table. She starts with me, then Jim, Tuck, my personal lawyer Rick Hardin, and Margaret.

“Janice,” Jim starts softly.

“I didn’t know this was a group meeting,” she says, and I half expect her to bail. Just turn around and run out of the building.

“Janice, please join us,” Margaret says sweetly, waving to a chair next to her. “It’s alright, darling, we are simply trying to figure out some tangles in the finance department since you left, that’s all.”

Janice is still apprehensive, but after a moment of obvious contemplation, she walks over and sits next to Margaret.

“I’m Marcus Ashford,” I tell her, and she nods. Her back is rigid, and I almost feel bad. I know as well as anyone else at this table that whatever is going on is not her fault. Most likely, she was just involved or maybe knew too much…a guilty by association scenario. Some would argue that she would still be considered guilty. Even if that were the case, I’m not looking to spear any messengers.

“As we talked about on the phone,” I go on. “There are some holes in the current financial structure of Mission Events. This is causing hemorrhages in Ashford now, and we are just wondering if you can help us piece any of that together.”

“Who is he?” she asks, pointing to Rick.

“I’m Rick Hardin, Marcus’s attorney.”

Janice’s face goes white.

“Janice, dear,” Margaret says, putting her hand over Janice’s. “You’re not in any trouble. Like Marcus said, we are struggling to figure out what’s going on with some of the internal funding and could really use your help figuring it all out.”

“Janice,” Jim cuts in and his voice is both gentle and serious. “It was brought to our attention–”

“By whom?” Janice asks.

“Natalie,” Jim answers. “The numbers aren’t adding up. There is money missing. A lot of money.”

“Well, the design department has always had a flair for overspending,” she says. The rest of us give each other a knowing look. That’s not the issue.

“They can’t spend money that isn’t there,” Jim says.