“You must be so proud of yourself,” he said. “You did it. You got rid of your competition. Well done, by the way.”
Of all the things I had expected Carson to say, that was not it. I squinted at him.
“What?”
“It took me a second, but I finally figured it out while sitting in there being accused of things I didn’t do. You’re threatened by me,” he said.
A surprised laugh burst out of me. “I’m sorry, what are you talking about?”
“Forget it, Annabelle,” he said. “You’re not that good of an actress. When the truth comes out, and it will, everyone will know exactly what sort of cold, calculating bi—”
“Is there a problem here?” Sophie appeared in the doorway to her office.
If Carson had been angry with me, his temper dialed up to volcanic when she appeared.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” he raged. “You put her up to it.”
Sophie frowned at him. “Up to what exactly?”
“You’ve hated me from the first moment we met,” he said. “Probably because I didn’t fall at your feet like Miguel did.”
Sophie looked bored. “Carson, you are—and I can’t emphasize this enough—making an ass of yourself.”
“Who cares?” He raised his arms in the air. “Tell me, Annabelle, did you think the whole scheme up by yourself, or did she tell you to do it? Is that how you got your job here?”
As Carson’s voice rose, people were poking their heads out of their office doors. The workroom had come to a complete standstill as everyone watched the unfolding drama. I was only surprised I didn’t hear the sound of popcorn being made.
“I’m going to my office now,” I said.
Carson stepped in my way. He was taller than me and decidedly more muscular. It occurred to me that he could definitely do me some damage if he chose.
“Oh, no you’re not,” he said. “I want answers. Were you so threatened by me that you set up a whole ‘Oh my god, someone’s been stealing my company card out of my wallet and charging expensive dinners to it’ scenario so that you could falsely accuse me in an attempt to get me fired?”
“That’s enough, Carson,” Sophie said. We both ignored her.
I stared him down. His gaze flitted from mine, hardly keeping it. He was lying. He was projecting what he had done onto me and acting like the victim. I wasn’t having it.
I looked shocked. I dropped all the materials in my arms for dramatic effect. “Carson West, are you telling me you stole my company card out of my wallet and charged expensive dinners to it?”
“No!” He denied it. “It’s all a lie. You faked it to set me up.”
I looked at him in confusion. “What possible reason would I have to do that?”
“Because you’re threatened by me,” he insisted. More projection.
“How would I be threatened by you?” I asked. I made a point of looking him up and down. “Is it my higher salary? No. Bigger office space? No. Being the creative director? No. I’m not really seeing why you think you have anything happening that I would consider a threat.”
“Because I’m . . . Miguel and I—”
“Correction, there is no ‘Miguel and I.’ ” Miguel stepped out of his office. He moved to stand beside his wife. “You’re fired, Carson.”
There was a collective ripple of shock in the office, and I have to admit I was right there with them. I had never seen Miguel look so furious.
“You think you’re so clever,” Carson spit. “Miguel Vasquez, owner of a design firm, married to the hot girl, living the big life, but you’re not. You’re just a whipped—”
“We have video, Carson, of you taking Annabelle’s company card out of her wallet,” Miguel said. He sounded so disappointed. Carson’s chin jutted out like he was still going to deny it, but Miguel didn’t give him a chance. “How was Beckett’s Table last night?”
Carson opened his mouth to speak, but Miguel held up his hand.
“Never mind. We have video of you putting the card back this morning as well. There’s no wiggle room here, Carson.”
“This is a total setup,” Carson cried.
Everyone stared. It seemed no one believed him.
“We’ll escort you to your office to pack up your desk now. We’ll want your keys to the building when we escort you to your car,” Hector said. I hadn’t even seen the security guards arrive, but as they shouldered their way past me, I knew their timing wasn’t a coincidence. Someone had expected Carson to handle this badly. I glanced at Miguel and realized it was probably him.
Carson opened his mouth, but Curtis, who was as wide as he was tall, stepped forward. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest in a fair impression of a brick wall. Thinking better of whatever he’d been about to say, Carson turned and stomped down the hallway to his office. I wasn’t sorry to see him go.
24
“Belly, where are you?” Soph asked. “I feel like I’ve been talking to the side of your face for the last fifteen minutes.”
I turned from my Sunday brunch people-watching to face her. We were enjoying Bloody Marys at Matt’s Big Breakfast on Camelback Road, and Soph had been talking about how amazing the materials for Lexi’s development, New Dawn, had turned out.
“What’s wrong?” Soph asked.
“Nothing,” I said. She didn’t know that Nick and I had ever been together so I couldn’t exactly cry on her shoulder now that we’d broken up, could I? “Just thinking about the gala.”
“It’s so exciting,” Soph said. “I heard that the mayor is going to be there, and she’s bringing several prominent local politicians with her. I’m just thrilled. We have to get our hair done and shop for new dresses. It’s my treat.”
“Oh no, I can’t let you—”
“Yes, you can. Annabelle, I’m going to be straight with you,” she said. She took a big sip of her drink. These were not lightweight beverages, so I wondered why she felt she needed liquid courage. Needless to say, she now had my full and undivided attention.
“Okay,” I encouraged her.
“Miguel and I have been in marriage counseling,” she said.
“So that’s what the meetings at four o’clock are,” I said. I didn’t mean to say it out loud but oops.