Her heart raced as he stepped back into Linda’s office. She frowned as she watched him intently.

The expression on his face was hard to read, but that didn’t stop her anxiety. Simon and Linda had been gone for what felt like forever. What could they possibly have been talking about? Was it about the board? Their mistrust of her?

Heather bit her lip. “Where’s Linda?”

“She had something to attend to,” he replied.

“What did she think you had told me?” she asked. “It sounded really important.”

He jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, his brow furrowing. “It’s good news, actually.”

She wished that his reassurance could have slowed her pounding heart, but it didn’t. If anything, all this secrecy and obfuscation only helped to fry her nerves. “Really? You didn’t sound like you wanted Linda to tell me what it was.”

“That’s because I thought it was best that I tell you,” he said slowly.

For some strange reason, she got the distinct sense that Simon was stalling for time. But why would that be? He obviously wanted to tell her whatever it was, now that he was back in the room.

“So, tell me,” she said.

“Well...” He took a deep breath. “The photo.”

She blinked in confusion. “What?”

“You remember the photo that was taken of us at our high school reunion?” he asked.

“Yes, I remember.” Her face heated at the delicious memory of their passionate kiss. Simon’s old friend, Neil Bernard, had snapped photos of them kissing at the reunion. So far, the photo hadn’t surfaced in the media, but it still held power over her. That photo getting out would just give her ex-husband more ammunition to use against her in the custody battle for her son.

“Dover’s legal team has managed to keep it out of the press,” he said. “We don’t know how long that will last, but for the time being it won’t see the light of day.”

“Even if we don’t know how long it will be out of the press that’s still good news, right?”

He nodded. “Yes, it’s good news. It means we’ll have a better chance at keeping it out of the press permanently.”

“Neil must be hopping mad,” she said. “He was so determined to make money off of it.”

“He got paid to keep it out of the media,” Simon explained. “It’s not as much as he’d make if the photo got published, but he should be grateful he’s getting paid to not do something.”

“Do you know how long this will last?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Right now, it looks like they’re going week to week. It’s a hard battle, so Neil’s editor is still fighting us. We just have to let Dover’s legal team do their job.”

“Okay. No breathing a sigh of relief just yet. Got it.”

“It’s still good news,” he pointed out.

“Yes, it is. But when did you find out?” she asked. “If Linda thought you had told me, you must have found out a while ago.”

He paused, letting his gaze land on hers. “I found out from the board just before we flew out to California.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

“Honestly, I got so caught up in the chaos of our trip that I forgot to tell you,” he said.

A nagging feeling was suddenly making her restless. It wasn’t like him to just forget to tell her something that important. “Did you refuse to tell me on purpose?” she demanded. “We weren’t on the best of terms before we went down to California. Did you keep it to yourself because you were still angry at me?”

“No. Of course not,” he responded. “I’d never do anything like that, Heather. You know that I value professionalism above everything. I would never deliberately keep information like that from you out of anger.”

Guilt started to overtake her suspicion. She’d practically accused him of deliberately trying to hide the truth from her. Simon would never undermine her like that. Ever. She knew that he was honorable. Knew he had too much integrity to ever try to keep the truth from her. So, why did it still feel like he was keeping things from her? Keeping a secret he refused to reveal to her?

Now she was fighting her conflicting emotions, caught between suspicion that he was keeping a secret from her and guilt that she was willing to believe the worst of him. It wasn’t fair to believe he was lying to her. Especially not after she had been so hurt over him accusing her of hacking into his security system. If she expected Simon to trust her, she had to trust him. To do otherwise would be hypocritical.

Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling. Linda had seemed way too eager for this to just be about an incriminating photo. “I know you’d never deliberately keep anything from me,” she said gently. “But Linda reacted so strangely earlier. As if what you had to tell me was some kind of secret.”

“Well, it was a secret,” he said. “Remember, we had to keep the truth about that photo under wraps. Very few people know about it, and we’ve made sure the public thinks we’ve ended our relationship.”

“So, why did she force us into the same room then?” Heather pressed. “If us being together would arouse suspicion, wouldn’t it make sense for us to have separate rooms?”

“I think Linda was testing us,” he said quickly. “To see if we were staying true to our word.”

She lowered her eyes, now embarrassed because after getting into bed with him during their trip, they had most definitely not kept their word. “We ended up reconciling in California. So, we failed her test.”

“Well, she knows that,” he said.

“Is she going to tell the board?” she asked.

“No. She’s assured me that she won’t,” he said.

“So, why test us?” She frowned, still not satisfied with Simon’s explanations.

“I think she wanted to know for herself,” he said. “She’s very worried about her position at Dover. Linda worries that our relationship has caused issues with the company which could lead to layoffs.”

“Oh, no.” Guilt made her stomach tighten. “No wonders she seemed so secretive. She feels embarrassed about having to make sure her job is secure. I feel so responsible.”

He sank into the chair beside her and reached for her hand. “Heather, don’t blame yourself. We’ve all made our share of mistakes.”

“I know, but my mistakes can ruin so many people’s lives,” she said. “I put Dover in jeopardy and I still have to worry about keeping custody of Finn. Everything is such a mess.”

Simon released her hand to cup her chin, forcing her to meet his determined gaze. “We’re going to get through this. I know you don’t want me to help you with your investigation, but I can still be here for you. I can still support you.”

“What does that mean? For us?”

“We do have to talk,” he said. “But I don’t want to put any pressure on you. You’ve got so much stuff to deal with, and I refuse to add more to your plate.”

She leaned against his hand, loving the way it felt to be touched so tenderly. After everything she had put him through, Simon still insisted on being here for her. Her heart warmed, and she promised herself that no matter what happened she’d always be grateful for his support. “I don’t want you to think that I’m not interested in taking the next step in our relationship.”

“So, you’re interested?”

“Yes,” she said. “More than anything.”

His mouth turned up into a dazzling smile that sent a thrill through her. “Okay. We don’t have to make any decisions right now, and I’m ready to take things as slowly as you’d like. Just tell me we have a chance.”

Heather returned his smile, her heart suddenly lighter than it had been in weeks. Knowing he was still interested in her was the most wonderful feeling, and she never wanted this dream to end. “We do.”

~~*~~

“I KNOW YOU SAID YOU don’t want my help, but I can’t let you pass this opportunity by.”

She held her cell phone against her ear as she opened the oven door to check on the chocolate chip cookies she was baking. “Simon, if this is a ploy to take over the investigation, I’m going to be very upset.”

“It’s not,” he said.

After they’d had their brief talk about their relationship, the rest of the work week had gone by without too much incident. Her lawyer was still working on clearing her name, while Heather had compiled a list of Dover’s hacking experts who had previously worked for their rival, VLA. She hated having to consider her co-workers as suspects, but she needed a lead. There was no telling how long the board would be willing to keep her on with this cloud of suspicion over her.

As much as she hated to admit it to herself, without Simon’s protection Dover’s board would have probably fired her by now. She might have repeatedly refused his help, but his power was so expansive that even when she didn’t want his help Simon still ended up helping her in subtle ways.

“You really think the electricians who worked on your apartment would be willing to give us some information?” she asked.

“It’s taken forever for them to agree to talk to me,” he said. “My lawyer and I questioned my building’s super, and I don’t think he had anything to do with the photos or the hacking of my home computer system. At first the electricians refused to talk to me about the day they worked on my apartment, but my lawyers have managed to put enough pressure on them. They’re scared enough to talk.”

“I’m surprised they’re so willing to talk now,” she said as she closed the oven door, and then turned it off to let the residual heat bake this last batch of cookies.

“Well, they can either talk to us or they can wait for the police to swoop down and ruin their reputation later on,” he said. “It took them a while to see the light, but I don’t think they want their company to get a reputation for hacking and criminal behavior.”

“And you want me to be there while you talk to them?” She frowned. “Why are you still trying to help me?”

“The truth is, Dover is running its own investigation into this whether you like it or not,” he said. “As the CEO I’m privy to this information, and it would crazy for me not to share information with you. I know you don’t want my help, but I was already going to talk to the electricians since I’m the CEO and they broke into my home system.”

She could see his point. If Dover was going to run an investigation to protect itself, it made sense for the company to share its findings with her and the police. Just like it would make sense for her to share her findings with Linda, Dover, and her own lawyer.

“I guess that makes sense,” she said cautiously.

“I know I didn’t trust you in the past, but I trust you now,” he said. “The police are obviously doing their own digging while Dover is also investigating. Your investigation means we’ve got at least three investigations going at the same time. The way I see it, having multiple investigations at once can be both a hindrance and a help. We could end up stepping on each other’s toes, or we could share information others might have missed. Don’t think of this as me interfering. Try to think of it as information-sharing.”

“Is this your way of getting an excuse to see me over the weekend?” she asked.

“Well, I guess you caught me red-handed,” he replied, sounding a little sheepish.

That made her laugh.

“I could pick you up if you want,” he offered.

“Don’t worry about that,” she said. “I don’t mind driving and I’ll be at your place in no time.”

Her parents were over, so she could spare some time to work on her investigation. They had agreed to take things slow, but that didn’t stop her heart from racing. There were already butterflies in her stomach at the prospect of spending the afternoon with Simon.