Page 61 of Hope and Hot Chocolate on Mistletoe Lane

Georgia put her coffee down on the table. ‘I didn’t know you before university. I only knew you after you left Birchbrook but you’ve always had this sadness, this restlessness, all these years. You also looked so wistful when you mentioned Paul or your mum or Birchbrook, like it was a piece of you that you’d lost. And you never wanted to talk about it or go back, but I think you were always meant to.’ She reached over and squeezed my hand. ‘You light up when you say his name. It sounds like he’s challenging you in a way a man has never done before. You want to be better not just for yourself, but for him too.’

I sucked in a breath. I knew she was right. ‘For us,’ I added.

‘It’s pretty romantic, falling for your best friend, like something out of a romance book. Childhood sweethearts.’ She let out a dreamy sigh, causing me to roll my eyes.

‘Let’s keep things realistic. I left him; he might not want me back. And there’s still a whole heap of shit for me to deal with before I can even think about kissing that man again. If he even lets me kiss him ever again.’ God, I wanted him to.

‘One step at a time then,’ Georgia said, leaning forward with a determined look in her eyes. ‘How do we stop Grant Rivers?’

‘Karl said he needed proof. And that’s what I need to get. I have an idea; it’s a bit like something out of film noir, though,’ I admitted, feeling sick at the thought of seeing that man again. ‘I need to channel a femme fatale.’

‘Well, you need this then.’ She reached into her handbag and handed me her red lipstick. ‘And I’m coming with you. I know you said no to Paul but I’m not letting you do this alone, okay? Any of it. If it means coming to your tiny countryside town and leaving my Starbucks and taxis and 24/7 food delivery behind, I’ll do it for you,’ she added with a wink.

‘Actually, the coffee Paul makes is better than this,’ I told her.

It was Georgia’s turn then to roll her eyes. ‘Jeez, you have got it bad.’ But she winked at me, making me giggle.

Talking it through with my best friend was just what I’d needed. I knew Willow would have listened but I also knew she would have tried to persuade me to stay in Birchbrook. I’d just told her I had to leave earlier than planned because of something I needed to do. She had told me to go even though I could tell she was bursting with questions. She’d given me a big hug that had made me feel emotional and I’d promised to explain everything to her soon. I had to keep my word.

‘Okay then,’ I said to Georgia. ‘This is the plan…’

* * *

Walking through the lobby of my old place of employment was strange. I hadn’t been inside it for six months. I thought back to all the long hours I had worked my butt off for Grant Rivers and his events company, and I felt sick. I’d tried so hard to impress him, to learn everything I needed to know about the business, and he’d seemed like my mentor but now, that all felt like a lie. I thought back to when we’d worked late one evening and I’d told him that I was ready to start my own company – how I’d wanted to stay on good terms with him and maybe we could even do some events together.

‘Don’t go, Holly. I need you. I know you feel the same…’

I had been so shocked when he’d said that and even more so when he leaned in to kiss me. I had jumped up and pointed out he was married, that I thought of him as my mentor and that’s it. His face had clouded over and he’d told me to just go if that’s what I wanted.

‘You’ll regret it though, Holly.’

That was his parting shot as I had scurried out of his office. I hadn’t realised at the time that he’d meant he would make me regret it.

Now, I hurried past the reception desk when the receptionist wasn’t looking and dived into the lift. I didn’t want Grant to have advance warning and then refuse to see me. Angela had confirmed he was in his office this morning. She was trying to help however she could, which I was grateful for. I took the lift up to the open-plan office and again, I ducked my head and hurried across the floor to Grant’s window office. I caught some surprised looks along with smiles and waves from my old colleagues but I didn’t make eye contact with them. I didn’t want anyone to interrupt this.

Grant’s door was closed but I opened it without knocking. He was at his desk on his laptop and looked up with irritated surprise. ‘What…’ He trailed off when he saw it was me. I closed the door behind me sharply and his eyes narrowed. ‘Holly, I’d say it was a pleasure but instead, why don’t you explain why you’ve just burst into my office after I told you never to darken my door again?’

I wondered how I’d missed his arrogance before. He leaned back in his chair and smirked at me, probably relishing how he had been sabotaging me for six months. He was in his fifties and his dark hair flopped across his forehead, showing off his hazel eyes. He wore his usual suit and I could smell his aftershave across the few feet between us. It was overpowering. Like the man himself.

I thought back to him leaning in for a kiss and I shuddered. ‘I want to know why you told the Birchbrook newspaper that I embezzled money when I worked here,’ I said, trying to speak as confidently as possible. I’d fumbled the phone call when I’d tentatively asked if he had anything to do with my lack of work and let him gaslight me through the entire conversation but now I knew for certain that he was behind it all and I couldn’t let him off the hook again.

His smirk widened. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is getting tiring, Holly. You just can’t cut it in this business. It has nothing to do with me why you can’t find work.’

‘How come the reporter you emailed told me all about what you said then?’ I asked, arching an eyebrow.

He looked shocked, his smirk fading. He had counted on the reporter believing him and probably writing an article telling people to avoid Mistletoe Lane but instead, Karl had gone to Willow and they had listened to me.

‘You said I had embezzled money. That is a serious allegation to make. I’ve come to ask to see the evidence you have, please,’ I lied but I needed to get him talking about it.

‘I don’t have time for this,’ Grant said with a dismissive wave of his hand like I was an annoying fly he wanted to swat away. ‘I told that reporter, whatever his name is, that I was unable to provide him with confidential company accounts but that you’d been fired from your job and he should be warning people not to use your company. What’s it called? Oh yes, Wynter Wishes.’ He chuckled like that was the most amusing thing he’d ever heard.

My blood started to boil. ‘I quit; I wasn’t fired! You can’t just lie like that. You have to back up allegations like that with proof. You’re trying to blacklist me all over the city and in my hometown without proof. So, what money has gone missing – was it from the Smith/Thompson wedding? Because I asked you about the ten thousand pounds I couldn’t account for and you said you’d look into it. Did you?’ I’d suddenly remembered that last night and it got me thinking that maybe Karl was right – Grant Rivers was in trouble and trying to hide it.

The blood drained from his face. ‘I don’t know what you’re insinuating…’

‘Maybe the Board of Directors should take a look at the books in case they can find out why the company is losing money.’

‘How dare you!’ He jumped up and started to advance towards me.