Heather refused to allow her professional life to get mixed up with her personal life ever again. With a custody battle looming over her, Simon had to stay her boss and nothing more. She had to think of Finn.
Chapter 6
Heather scrolled through the news article, staring at her phone screen in shock. This was worse than anything she could possibly have imagined.
Fragments of the article flashed in her mind.
Simon Diesel and his subordinate were found after a secret rendezvous.
Diesel paid for his lover’s legal expenses. She paid him back with favors.
Disaster for Dover as sex scandal roils company amid rollout of new products.
This was a nightmare.
She’d been torturing herself since early in the morning, reading the articles over and over. She was screwed.
When Gary got wind of this he’d use it against her. She hadn’t gotten any word from her ex-husband in the days since the disastrous phone call. Other than the court order she’d gotten in the mail, she hadn’t heard anything. Which was to be expected, now that the only lawyer she could afford was dealing with her custody case. The lawyer might have been cheap, but at least she didn’t have to deal with Gary all by herself.
Her cell phone rang. She answered it, her hands still shaking. “Simon?”
“Linda just released your press statement, so that might take some oxygen out of the stories circulating,” her boss said, not bothering to start his call with pleasantries.
“That’s good,” she said, glancing down. She was in jeans and a t-shirt. Not exactly work clothes—the benefits of working from home. “Are you at Dover?”
“Yep. In my office, about to meet with some board members,” he replied. “We’re dealing with it.”
“Simon, I should be there,” she said. “You can’t face them alone.” She covered her face with her hand. Really? You can’t face them alone? How old is he? He doesn’t need you, his assistant, to hold his hand. She sounded like an idiot.
“I’m not facing them alone,” he said, clearly oblivious to her inner thoughts. “As much as I hate the fact that they badgered you into releasing a statement, your words will actually help the situation. So, thank you for doing that, Heather. I appreciate it.” He paused a moment. “You sure as hell didn’t have to.”
“How about I come down to the office,” she said, hoping this time he’d see things her way and relent. If the board planned on suspending him temporarily over the story, he’d need backup.
“No. Sit tight. Seeing us together at a board meeting will just remind them of this mess and piss them off. Trust me, Heather, and let me handle this,” he said firmly. “When I’m done with the board, I’ll head home.”
She stared at the piles of papers on her desk. “I’ve got some confidential documents you need to sign. My scanner isn’t working, so I should come to the office to get these over to you.”
“I’m heading home after the meeting. Just come to my place.”
She realized she’d been hoping he would say that. Keep it profession. “Sounds good. We can talk things over, and you can let me know how the board meeting went. Then see how we can proceed now that the story is out.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll call you as I’m leaving Dover.”
Four hours later, late afternoon, Simon called her again and she drove to his apartment. She’d changed into a jean skirt and blouse, trying to look a little more professional than jeans and t-shirt, but still trying to stay casual. She didn’t want him to think she was trying to impress him. Thankfully, her parents had offered to pick Finn up from school this week, and she was grateful for that. She had contemplated letting Finn stay home because of the story, but he needed stability. School would be good for him, plus her parents knew to expect the story and they’d shield Finn from any unwanted attention. If she was waiting at the school yard, it would only cause unwanted attention. Finn didn’t deserve it.
It didn’t ease her guilt. She had put her son through so much over this past year. Her heart ached for him. She parked her car in the underground parking lot like Simon had instructed. The parking lot was totally empty expect for her car and Simon’s electric car.