The Paris Connection (18 page)

“Very well, if that’s what you prefer. Marc pointed out that those candidates came from a variety of recruiter files at the firm. But the only person who had every single one already stored on their computer is Aquitaine’s managing director.”

Of course. Emma had realized that when she’d caught Henri. While the files kept on each recruiter’s computer were for their specialty alone, her computer held all of the candidate lists. A buffet of information for someone looking for easy access to names. In her desire to protect Henri, she had never really considered how his actions incriminated her.

“You cannot honestly find me culpable with such weak evidence.”

“Marc told us your opposition to this merger is well known. Julien confirmed it. I did some investigating myself and spoke with the CEO at Léon Professional. It seems you are in talks with that company concerning the possibility of employment.”

It was one thing to be accused of something she felt somewhat responsible for, like the candidate leak. But she had not followed up on Solene’s offer, and the shadow such an allegation cast on her in this situation was too much. She spoke without thinking her response through.

“That wasn’t me. Solene was determined that I should interview for a position there. She was the one setting things up.”

The instant the words left her mouth, she knew she never should have spoken them. Three sets of eyes rested on her, but Julien’s were the ones she locked on to. His gaze positively burned with betrayal. She had always been very careful where her friendship with Solene was concerned. Even though there was animosity between Solene and Julien, Emma cared for them both and hadn’t wanted to make an enemy of either. But by naming Solene, by indicating she knew what her friend was up to, she had caused herself to look guilty in Julien’s eyes. She felt the blood draining from her face as he stared at her, his expression turning cold.

“I wasn’t necessarily going to go through with it,” she whispered, but she recognized the culpability in those words. There were too many strikes against her.

Drawing a slow breath, she shifted her eyes in Cole’s direction. He was staring at her with an expression somewhere between shock and disappointment. When she tried to meet his eyes, he looked away. A weight settled on her shoulders. She looked back at Lillian and found her stare even frostier than before.

“I believe it’s best if you pack up your things.”

She lost the slippery grip on her composure and jumped to her feet. “I didn’t do it. I did not sell those candidate files to Solene.”

Lillian scoffed. “So, they were
sold
to our rival? My, how the plot thickens.”

Emma’s eyes slid closed. How deep would she dig this hole before she realized there was no way out of it?

“I would never do something like that to this company.” She opened her eyes and looked at Julien. “I would never do that to you. I swear it, Julien. I wouldn’t betray you like that.”

Lillian clicked her tongue in disgust. “The candidate files were all stored on your computer. You are clearly good friends with this Solene, a woman who obviously has a vendetta against Julien. You were opposed to the merger of my company with this one. You had plans to interview for a position with our rival. And you just inadvertently admitted those files were sold off, making the entire situation even more sordid. Exactly why should we believe you?”

At this list of sins, Emma slowly swiveled her attention back in Lillian’s direction. It was apparent to her, from both Julien’s silence as well as Cole’s, that she would lose this battle. All that remained to be seen was how much dignity she could take with her when she left.

“You know, Julien once told me that I should admire you, given the similarities between my situation and your own past. Both single mothers, both trying to make better lives for ourselves and our daughters through our careers. But I don’t see as much to admire as he does. I hope I am never as cold and unfeeling as you are.”

She moved from behind the desk and headed for the door. She wanted to look in Cole’s direction, to try to read his expression once more, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She had just picked her purse up from the table when Lillian spoke.

“I trust it goes without saying, Ms. Brooks, that you will not be welcome in this office again.”

She swallowed and didn’t bother to turn around as she left the room. She would ask Giselle to box up her belongings later. Right now, she needed to get away. She caught sight of Marc, hovering nearby. She glared at him, and at least he had the decency to look abashed.

She was sorry Lillian had confronted her when the day was just beginning. Too many of her coworkers must have sensed what had happened because she felt their stares as she headed for the elevator. She rounded a corner and caught sight of Henri. He, too, must have realized because his eyes conveyed apology.

She still didn’t know who had broken their promise—whether it was Solene or Henri. She supposed it didn’t matter anymore. She held Henri’s stare for the length of time it took her to reach the elevators. Only then did she look away and turn her back on them all.

* * *

C
OLE
SAT
FROZEN
, unable to move, as he tried to process the evidence Lillian had presented against Emma. It seemed unbelievable. He began to experience a sinking feeling. Just how well did he know Emma?

“We’ll need to begin interviewing for a new managing director,” Lillian announced. “Do you have any acceptable candidates for promotion, Julien? I know Marc has already put in his bid, but we should at least consider a few others, for the sake of formality.”

Cole looked at Julien. The other man appeared heartsick. He’d mentored Emma for years. Why hadn’t he come to her defense? Lillian seemed oblivious to their mood. She continued.

“Perhaps I should bring over someone from New York, as I wanted to do in the first place. Someone whose loyalty is secure—”

Cole stood abruptly at this. He couldn’t listen to another word. He had to talk to Emma himself. He moved toward the door.

“Cole. Where are you going? We have a lot to discuss, including how we’re going to spin Emma’s departure after your session at the conference. This couldn’t have come at a worse time,” Lillian muttered.

But Cole didn’t answer. He exited the office and ignored her calls for him to come back. He headed for the elevator, avoiding the stares from his employees and hoping he could catch Emma before she left the building. He pressed the elevator button multiple times until it opened, and then he hurried inside, hitting the button for the lobby. He tapped his foot impatiently as the car descended. The minute the doors chimed open, he rushed out.

His gaze fell on Emma as she exited the front entrance, and he ran to catch up with her.

“Emma!” He kept calling her name, hoping she’d stop. “Emma!”

Her clipped pace meant she had already made it down the steps and halfway across the plaza by the time he reached her.

“Emma!” He hurried past her and blocked her path. She moved to step around him, but he matched her movements and hindered her progress again.

“Emma, please. Talk to me for a minute.”

Her gray eyes were darker than he’d ever seen them, shaded in charcoal. They were also slightly red, as though she was holding back tears.

“We’ll find a way out of this, all right? I’ll stand by you. If you still want to work for Aquitaine, I can talk to Lillian and maybe negotiate a trial suspension....”

She was staring at him wordlessly.

“And if she won’t agree, well...at least we don’t have to worry about you dating your boss anymore, right?” He knew it wasn’t the right thing to say, but he had never been all that good at consolation.

She scowled at him. “That is the least of my concerns at the moment. I just got fired. For something I didn’t do.”

He hesitated, uncertain how to approach her in this sort of mood. He had seen her angry, of course; their first meeting had shown him how mad she could become. But this was different. He cared for her now. Loved her, even. He didn’t know what to say to make things better.

“You know that I didn’t do this, right?” she asked.

He looked at her, saw the frustration building in her face. He willed himself to answer, but he couldn’t. Slowly, her features fell.

“Cole, you do believe me, don’t you?”

A cold wind cut sharply, as though a curtain of ice had descended between them.

“I’m sure you had your reasons,” he forced out. “It doesn’t change how I feel about you, about Avery.”

She took a step back, widening the space between them.

“You think I’m guilty. You believe them. Even after what happened with Marc at the retreat. You know he’s been out to get me, that he wants my job—”

“Then tell me the truth. Did you know about this, about any of it? Did you know how those files got into Solene’s hands? You said they were sold to her. By whom, Emma? If not you, then tell me who sold them. Did she tell you? Did you lie to me?”

Her face had grown stony, hardening with each question he asked. Now he took a step back, the gap growing even wider.

“You can’t keep those kinds of secrets, Emma. Not from me. If you’re as innocent as you claim, you have to tell me what you know.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it. “I can’t. I made a promise.”

“A promise that you can’t even share with me?” He shook his head. “That’s not a very good way to start a relationship.”

“I don’t know what kind of relationship we can have after this.”

Maybe she had spoken the words in truth or maybe she’d been trying to wound him. If her goal had been to cause him hurt, she’d succeeded. He had trusted her, had shared more with her than he had with anyone ever before.

At least she looked as miserable as he felt.

“How can we build on something when you can’t even believe in my innocence?” she asked.

“Because you’re not giving me all that much to go on,” he argued. “I want to believe you. But I need to know what you’re holding back.”

She seemed to be wavering, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she considered. “Can’t you just trust me?” she finally asked. “Don’t you know me well enough to believe me if I tell you that I didn’t do this?”

His frustration spread, fanning into anger. “I’m beginning to think I don’t know you at all.”

He felt a flicker of guilt as tears finally filled her eyes. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe you don’t know me. Maybe I don’t want you to.”

She began to brush by him, but he grabbed her hand. She jerked it out of his grasp.

“Emma, we’re not done yet.”

“I’m afraid we are. I don’t have anything more to say to you.” He could tell she was battling herself, not wanting him to see her cry.

“I can talk to Lillian, ask her to demote you instead of firing you.” He was growing desperate, bargaining to keep her from just walking away.

“No. That would be the same as saying I did this. Julien will never look me in the eye again. It’s better if I leave.”

“But what will you do? You can’t go work for Léon Professional.”

“Why not?” Her tone was bitter. “If I’m going to be accused of seeking a position there, I might as well do it.”

“You don’t mean that.”

She sighed. “I don’t know what I mean, Cole. I just want to go home. I just want everyone, including you, to leave me alone.”

He knew she was right. She needed time. “Can I call you later, to see how you’re doing?”

She looked away. “I think maybe it’s better if we don’t talk to each other for a while.”

He felt an ache begin in the center of his chest. “Oh. I see.”

“It’s probably better if you don’t associate with me right now anyway. You wouldn’t want my guilt to rub off on you.”

He didn’t reply. They stood there for a few seconds more.

“Can you tell Avery I’ll miss her?”

She blinked rapidly, but even so, a single tear escaped. She quickly dashed it away.

“I will.”

“Okay. I guess this is goodbye, then.”

“Yes. Goodbye, Cole.”

“Bye, Emma.”

He watched her walk away, the whole way across the plaza and toward the
métro
station until her figure blurred in amongst the commuters and tourists, and she faded completely from his sight.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

E
MMA
BROKE
DOWN
as soon as she entered the CNIT building that housed the
métro.
She quickly made her way to the bathroom, locked herself in a stall and had a good cry for the next thirty minutes. After that, she felt marginally better and exited to splash some cold water on her face, trying to reduce the puffiness of her swollen eyelids. Then she left the building and headed in the direction of Léon Professional Services, on the other end of the business district.

She drew on the last dregs of her self-confidence as she approached the receptionist and asked her to page Solene Thierry. She waited, her anger rising as she replayed the morning’s events. When Solene finally appeared, Emma met her halfway across the room.

“You broke your promise.”

Solene frowned. “Emma.” She didn’t deny it, didn’t even ask for clarification. “Why don’t we take a walk outside?”

When her friend moved as if she would take her arm, Emma stepped away. She saw the woman at reception and other bystanders eyeing them curiously. Solene was right. This was no place for a scene. She turned on her heel and headed for the door. Solene followed her out into the morning sunshine. Emma kept walking, moving away from the building until Solene asked her to stop.

“What is going on,
chérie?
”

Emma faced her. “Come on, Solene. You know exactly what’s going on. You went back on your word.”

Solene seemed to be considering keeping up the pretense and then must have realized the futility in it. “He was a perfect match for my client. I had a deadline to place someone, and he was interested.”

“You
promised
me.”

“I know, and I am sorry. Truly, I am, Emma. But I didn’t think one more placement would matter.”

Emma’s emotions overflowed. “How can you possibly be so selfish? When did you start to believe the world only revolved around you? Julien gave you chance after chance, and you burned through them as if he owed them to you. And when he stopped handing out chances, you decided your own shortcomings were his fault. Did it ever occur to you that you had simply let him down one too many times? Have you ever thought about how often you let people down?”

Solene’s face remained blank at this litany of accusations. “Something has happened.”

Emma threw up her arms in disbelief at this response. “Of course something has happened. I was fired from Aquitaine.”

At this, Solene’s jaw went slack. “What? Truly? Julien fired you?”

“Lillian did. But Julien sat there and watched it happen and never said a word.”

Solene’s face hardened. “I told you that he would turn his back on you, as he did to me.”

“No.” Emma put the full weight of her disgust behind that single word. “You won’t blame Julien for this. At some point, you need to start taking responsibility for your own actions.”

“But, Emma, what did I do? I used another name from the first list that I had gotten, but I didn’t arrange for any more since I spoke to you. It was just one more name. I didn’t think it would matter.”

“But it did. It matters not just because it caused me to lose my job but because you were supposed to be my friend. I trusted you. I knew about Henri. I caught him logging on to my computer, and he told me everything—about his custody battle, and the lawyer fees, and the arrangement you two made. I could have turned him in, revealed what I knew, but I didn’t. He said he’d confess once his personal matters were settled. I wanted to give him a chance to be with his children. Because I believed you both when you said it wouldn’t happen again.”

Solene seemed dumbstruck by this. Emma sighed. They stood together in silence for several moments as the hum of the business district continued around them.

“Emma, I’m sorry,” Solene finally said, “but this is not as bad as it seems. My boss is still interested in interviewing you for the managing director position. I know you’re angry right now, but once you get over it, we could work together again—”

“Get over it?” Emma cut her off. “Solene, you cost me my job. And Lillian somehow managed to find out that you were trying to get me hired at your company. I think that little tidbit hurt Julien more than anything else.”

“Why are you so worried about what Julien thinks? I keep telling you, he is not the saint you make him out to be.”

“I never said he was a saint. But you can’t keep blaming him for firing you when he did. It’s his company, and he has the right to run it the way he wants. He told you plenty of times that he didn’t approve of your methods. You knew how he felt, and you went over his head and did what you wanted anyway. I thought it was just because you didn’t know any better, but I don’t believe that anymore. You’ve always known that what you do benefits
you,
and you don’t worry about anyone else.”

Emma realized it then. There was no place for her at Léon Professional, either. If they condoned Solene’s tactics, then Emma couldn’t be a part of a company like that.

“I can’t come work with you. I won’t.”

“Oh, come on, Emma, don’t be so high and mighty.”

“It’s not high and mighty to have a few principles.” Emma was exhausted. She felt as though she had lost one friend after another today. And Cole. In him, she feared she had lost more than just a friend. “I appreciate how you took me under your wing all those years ago. I really do. But who you were then can’t make up for what you did now.”

She had nothing else to say, so she turned to go.

“Emma, come on.”

She ignored her and kept walking.

“Emma!” Solene called after her. “You’re going to regret this. You’re making too big a deal out of things!”

Emma didn’t so much as look over her shoulder as she strode away. She thought her day couldn’t possibly get any worse. Her cell phone chimed from within her handbag. She kept walking but shifted the purse off her shoulder to reach inside. A part of her hoped it was Cole, despite what she’d told him about not speaking for a while. Her stomach sank as she saw the name on the caller ID. Brice.

She tapped the screen to accept the call and held the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Emma, it’s me.”

“Brice, now is really not a good time—”

“I am afraid I have bad news.”

Her steps faltered, and she paused, waiting.

“Jacqueline, my mother, she’s had another heart attack.”

She was stunned when she heard him sob on the other end.

“She did not make it, Emma. She’s gone.”

* * *

L
OSING
J
ACQUELINE
WAS
the worst blow of them all for Emma. Jacqueline had been like a surrogate mother to her when she married Brice. And even after the divorce, Emma had looked forward to visits with her. Avery adored her, the only grandmother she had ever known since she’d been too young to remember Emma’s mother coming to visit them before she had passed away. Explaining Jacqueline’s death to her daughter that evening was far more difficult than anything she’d experienced already that day.

Avery’s response to the news was somber, with a few questions about the afterlife, but mostly, she wanted to know if her grandmother had been in pain. Emma hugged her close at these words.

“She’s not in pain anymore, Avery. I promise.”

The funeral was scheduled for that Friday, at Jaqueline’s church in Le Mans. Since Emma’s schedule was now clear, she had no trouble arranging the one-hour train ride through the Gare du Mans railway station. She gave Melanie that day off and tried not to think about the problem her au pair now presented. She had no idea how she would continue to pay for a live-in nanny in the upcoming weeks, especially when the girl’s services were not necessary at the moment.

In the face of Jacqueline’s death, however, Emma put off such concerns, focusing instead on her own grief and that of her daughter. They attended the service at the church, which was filled with Jacqueline’s friends and family. Emma knew about half of the funeral goers, family members and acquaintances she had met during her marriage. Brice sat near the front with his girlfriend, Christine, at his side. Emma and Avery sat in a pew halfway back. The service was simple, just as Jacqueline would have preferred it. Avery leaned into her, nestling her head in Emma’s lap several minutes into the eulogy. After it ended, they hung back, allowing the rest of the family to proceed to the church’s cemetery, where Jacqueline’s body would be interred.

Avery was listless as they waited, but Emma did her best to keep her daughter’s spirits up. She seemed deep in thought, however, and finally voiced what was on her mind.

“Why doesn’t Daddy ever come to see me?”

This question added to the grief Emma already carried.

“Well, he’s very busy with his job.” It was the weakest of excuses, but it was all she had to offer her daughter.

“Does he love me?”

Emma didn’t know what to say. She’d tried to reassure Avery on this matter before, but the girl could obviously tell something was missing. If Brice did love his daughter, he rarely did much to show it.

“I love you, Avery. Very, very much. More than anyone else in the world.”

“Even more than you love Cole?”

She jerked in surprise. Because of Jacqueline’s death, she hadn’t had to answer too many questions from Avery concerning Cole. When Avery asked why he hadn’t come by to visit them that week, Emma had said that he was busy at the office, and Avery hadn’t asked again.

“I don’t love Cole like I love you,” she said, brushing the hair back from Avery’s forehead.

“But you do love him,” Avery countered.

Emma had no reply to this. She did love Cole. The past week without him had been the most miserable she could ever remember spending in France, even worse than the week after she and Brice had decided to divorce. She’d told herself it was because of her grief over the loss of Jacqueline and her job. And even though it was true, she suspected she was grieving for losing Cole, too.

“Maybe you and I should go away for a while, hmm? We could take a trip to Oregon. Wouldn’t you like that? You could finally meet your great-aunts and uncles, and I have a lot of cousins who would probably love to get to know you.”

Avery looked up at her with eyes that had aged just a little bit more than Emma would have liked in the past week. “I miss him.”

“Who?” She knew the answer, but she asked anyway.

“Cole. He makes you laugh. You haven’t laughed at all since
Grand-mère
died.”

“I loved your grandmother, Avery. It’s hard to laugh when I’ve been missing her this week.”

Avery looked away, and they fell silent once again as they waited for the family to return from the graveside. After that, they all convened at Jacqueline’s house for a memorial gathering. They mingled and remembered, and Emma felt out of place. She had known these people once, but she was no longer a part of their lives. It got her thinking.

She thought about her job, and the loss of it and her future. What was left for her in Paris? Why had she stayed as long as she had in the city? She loved it, true. It had become home to her, and she couldn’t quite imagine leaving it behind. She supposed she could find another job. If not in the recruiting sector, then certainly in management or human resources. She could start anew in the City of Light.

But what about Avery? Would her daughter be better served spending some time in America? Emma still had family there. Her parents were gone, but she still had extended relatives she kept in touch with. Avery had never met any of them. Perhaps it was time she did.

Avery clung to her during the gathering at Jacqueline’s house. She didn’t mingle with the others; she knew them even less than Emma did. Jacqueline had been the one who’d stayed in touch after the divorce. She had loved her granddaughter and, by extension, Emma. And Emma had loved her. But now that she was gone, what sort of ties did Avery still have to these people? What sort of ties did she have to Brice?

She was still considering this question when her ex-husband approached. He patted Avery on the head, an awkward gesture, and she slipped away from his touch, moving toward the hall and, if Emma could guess, Jacqueline’s bedroom.

“Thank you for coming, Emma,” Brice said. “I know she would have appreciated it.”

“She was always so kind to me,” Emma replied. “I’m going to miss her very much. She made me feel welcome in this country. I don’t think I ever told her that. I wish that I had.”

Tears filled his eyes. “I suppose we all have things left unsaid.”

“I suppose.” They stood there, and though Emma should have felt uncomfortable, she didn’t. “Brice, could we go somewhere to talk? Privately?”

He nodded and began to direct her to the balcony. His face was so lined with loss that she couldn’t tell if he was uneasy about her request. Once they were outside, he closed the door behind them. A breeze had picked up since the services at the church, and she shivered slightly, folding her arms across her midsection.

“I lost my job this week.” She hadn’t intended to start so abruptly, but once the words were out, the rest came easily. “I’m thinking of moving back to the States. It might do Avery good to meet some of her family there.”

There was a small bistro set on the balcony, and Brice reached blindly for one of the wrought-iron chairs before sinking into it.

“You would leave Paris?”

“I don’t feel like there’s much here for me anymore.”

They were silent for a time.

“I’m sorry that you lost your job. You always seemed to be Julien’s favorite. What happened?”

“A misunderstanding. One that can’t be fixed.”

“Do you need money? I could give you some.”

This offer startled her. Brice occasionally provided support for Avery, even though she had never asked him to. She had always supposed he did it out of some sense of obligation, but she never pressured him about it. She had chosen to keep Avery, even when he had made it clear he didn’t want a child. She didn’t necessarily feel it was right to ask him for additional support.