She wasn't going to lie: it felt good to know that she had something over his head. But she worried she was losing a little bit of her soul. Her core values, her beliefs by doing things this way. Still, did somebody like Devon really deserve her using morals to approach him? He sure as hell didn't have any morals or kindness in him.
“I didn't do anything to get you fired, I swear.”
“Good. If I find out you’re lying to me, good luck.”
She was half a heartbeat from hanging up when she heard Devon say, “Wait.”
Putting the phone back to her ear, she prayed she’d have time for whatever he was about to say next. With a glance toward the master bedroom, she silently urged Carter to stay in there a little longer. “What?”
“I'll tell you everything I know if...” He seemed to trail off.
“If what?”
“If you'll meet me at the little coffee shop three blocks away from Carter's place. It’s called Black Magic.” He sounded serious.
“You said you didn't do anything.” Kaitlyn couldn't help but be suspicious.
“I said I didn't do anything. I didn't say that I didn't know anything.”
The semantics argument almost had Kaitlyn rolling her eyes. “Then why should I believe you or trust you?”
“Because I know exactly which manager it was that fired you. Victor. And I know why.” He sounded pleased with himself. “At least I know why he told me he fired you.”
“I'll think about it.” With that, Kaitlyn ended the call. Nearly the moment she hung up, her phone rang again. She recognized the work number and swallowed hard as she answered the call.
“We heard you took a high-dollar client with you when you were fired. Devon was a regular here before you, and he will be after you, no matter what you ask him to say. If you keep disrupting our business, we’ll press charges.” Before she could even deny the accusation, the line clicked and went silent.
Devon had already told them that he wasn't going to go there now that she’d been fired?
The oddly kind gesture surprised her. But Kaitlyn was certain that Devon hadn't changed, and that this was just some new tactic to get her to let her guard down.
She wasn’t falling for that.
Chapter12
Carter
After two days,Kaitlyn finally seemed to be settling in like she belonged in his home. He enjoyed seeing how at ease she was and her company made him happier.
They'd moved on from their slight disagreement. Both parties had apologized and she had just mentioned being under a lot of stress after getting fired and dealing with other personal issues. He wasn't about to press her and demand - again - to know what those personal issues were, but he did make sure that she knew he had an open-door policy and she was welcome to discuss anything with him any time.
Carter knew he was starting to develop feelings for her, but he wasn't sure how to put on the brakes with her living in his home. With their constant proximity, it was hard to think about anything other than her. Coming home to her after work felt natural, seeing the smile on her face, eating dinner together, curling up and watching movies, being with her just felt right.
Now today, he was hurrying to get work done so he could get home to her.
Someone knocked on his office door and he let out a sigh. No doubt this meant he wouldn't get to leave in the next ten minutes like he'd planned. Before he could call out and tell the person to come in, the door opened and he found himself stunned to see Devon standing in the doorway.
Carter stood up, not sure if he was ready to do battle, charge the guy, or go slam the door in his face. “What are you doing here?” With both hands planted on his desk, he tried to ground himself in the moment and keep from doing anything rash or stupid.
Before he could say anything, one of his security guys stepped in and took Devon by the arm, no doubt about to march him out of the building like they’d been told to do if he managed to slip inside, but not before Devon spoke. “It’s really that easy, Carter.”
The words sent a chill up Carter's neck.
While Devon hadn’t outright threatened him, the words definitely felt like a threat. He walked around his desk to close his office door, but before he could, Phil from HR hurried his direction, holding up a hand. Carter swung the door open wide, letting Phil know that he was welcome to come in.
Perching on the edge of his desk, he glanced at the time before nodding at Phil, who walked in and closed the door behind him. “This isn't a bad time, is it?” Phil gestured between the two of them.
Carter shook his head. “Not at all. How can I help you?” He'd been working with Phil since he founded the company, and the guy was easily his favorite HR person.