Chapter 15

Fifteen

Liam

"Thank God for fucking coffee!"

Grumbling under my breath, I reached for the chipped mug that always sat at the front of the cluttered cupboard. Papers cascaded across my desk like an unruly waterfall, each sheet a reminder of tasks left unfinished.

My gaze flitted over the maze of contracts and proposals, attempting to refocus on the work at hand, but my mind stubbornly wandered back to Mia. The memory of her nestled in my embrace after the gala was a persistent distraction. Yet, duty beckoned—I couldn't afford to let Edgewater slide while I indulged in memories of Mia in my arms.

My phone buzzed on the desk, pulling me back to reality. A text from Carla.

Great.

CARLA: On my way to Cedar Cove. Got some client proposals to drop off. Be there in an hour.

I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. I didn't ask her to come all the way out here. Didn't need her to either. But Carla had a way of making sure things happened whether I wanted them to or not, so I shot her a return text.

LIAM: No need to come all the way out here. Just email me the files.

Her reply came almost instantly.

CARLA: Nope! I'm visiting my sister in Cedar Cove. You're getting these in person.

I rolled my eyes. Classic Carla. Stubborn as ever. She was right, though—I hadn't been in the office for a while, and things were probably slipping without me around. Still, I wasn't in any rush to go back to Dallas. Not yet. Not with everything that was happening with Mia.

An hour later, there was a sharp knock at the door, and I heard Carla's no-nonsense voice calling out. "Liam, open up. I've got your paperwork."

I pulled the door open, and there she was—Carla, in all her executive assistant glory, dressed like she was about to lead a board meeting. She didn't waste time with pleasantries, handing me a thick stack of folders before brushing past me into the cabin.

"Nice place," she said, glancing around. "But you really think hiding out here is doing the company any favors?"

"Good to see you too, Carla," I said, tossing the folders onto the desk. "You didn't have to drive all the way out here."

She shot me a look. "Yes, I did. You've been MIA for weeks, Liam. It's starting to show. People are leaving early, coming in late, productivity's down… and I'm not exactly loving playing babysitter while you pretend this place is your new office."

I leaned back against the counter, crossing my arms. "You've got the authority to handle it. I hired you because you're the best. Just crack the whip and get them back in line."

Carla snorted. "I'm doing my best, but we need you in Dallas. You know it, I know it."

"I'll be back soon," I said, waving her off. "Just tying up a few things here."

Carla raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Tying up things, huh? Well, while you're at it, you might want to consider that the office isn't the only thing slipping. Remember that embezzlement case you've been chasing? Your excuse for hanging out here in the woods. The accountant hasn't seen any more red flags in weeks. Whoever was messing with the funds seems to have stopped. Maybe it worked itself out? Or perhaps it was a mistake."

"I doubt it," I muttered, my mind already spinning. Something didn't add up. Things like that don't just work themselves out.

Carla settled onto the leather couch, elegantly crossing her legs. "Zoom meetings aren't sufficient anymore. You've got a good team, but they need you to lead. You're the boss, remember? The 'billionaire' CEO of Edgewater."

I smirked, shaking my head. "Always one to keep me grounded, huh?"

"Someone's got to," she said with a small smile. "By the way, I ran into Derek the other day at lunch. He's been singing your praises. That guy's loyal, Liam. You should be thankful for a friend like him."

"Yeah, Derek's solid," I said, my thoughts briefly wandering to my old friend and the gala.

Carla stood up, brushing off her skirt. "Anyway, I've done my part. Now it's your turn. Get your ass back to the office. We can't run Edgewater without you forever."

"Message received," I said, pushing myself off the counter. "But while you're at it, I shouldn't have to remind you again… you put your foot down, Carla. You've got the authority to fire, hire, and shmooze everyone to do what you want. Do what I pay you for."

Carla gave me a long look, then sighed. "Yeah, yeah. But don't think this little vacation is going to last forever. Edgewater needs its cocky king back."

"I'll be there soon enough," I said, walking her to the door. "Thanks for coming all the way out here."

She left with a wave, and I closed the door, leaning back against it for a second. I appreciated Carla's loyalty—she was always looking out for me—but she didn't understand the real reason I was dragging my feet. It wasn't just the case or the office that kept me in Cedar Cove. It was Mia.

And the more I stayed here, the more I realized I wasn't ready to walk away from her. Not yet.

After Carla left, the cabin fell silent again, the kind of silence that should've felt comforting but now just felt heavy. I tossed the folders she'd brought onto the desk, knowing I'd get to them later. The idea of going back to Dallas, to the office, felt like stepping back into a cage I'd just barely escaped from.

I pushed myself off the door and headed for the kitchen. Grabbing another cup of coffee, I sat at the table, pondering Carla's words. The office in disarray ? Not surprising. Without supervision, people tend to slack off. However, the mention of missing funds had been bothering me for weeks. Issues like that don't just disappear on their own. There was definitely something amiss; I just hadn't pinpointed it yet.

I finished my coffee, set the mug in the sink, and then headed over to the desk, flipping through the stack of papers Carla had dropped off. New client proposals and contracts for security setups were about the usual. I could handle it remotely, sure, but there was something about being out of the office that made me feel like I wasn't getting the full picture—that I wasn't in control.

I scanned through the contracts for about an hour, and a sudden realization sparked in the back of my mind. The tux. My checkbook.

Shit

I headed over to the chair where my rented tux had been tossed the night before. Reaching into the inner pocket, I pulled out the checkbook and absentmindedly flipped through it, my eyes narrowing as I hit the middle. One check, pulled from the center of the book, was not in order and labeled void on the duplicate.

What the hell?

I sat at my desk, staring at the checkbook in front of me, confusion settling in as I tried to figure out why the check was missing. No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't remember writing it, and pulling a check from the middle of the book wasn't something I ever did.

An uneasy feeling crept in, bringing back the memory of the door left ajar when I returned from Mia's. At the time, I brushed it off, blaming it on forgetfulness or the pain pills. But now... now that explanation seemed weak. Something wasn't right.

Pacing around the cabin, my eyes scanned every corner—windows, drawers, cabinets. Everything appeared untouched, perfectly in place. Yet that one missing check stood out like a red flag. The possibility of someone having been inside began to take root. Someone with access. Derek had a spare key, as did a few others. It had never crossed my mind to worry about that, but suddenly, doubt crept in, tightening its grip.

Finally, I pulled myself together and called the bank to trace the missing check. The customer service rep was polite, but my cheeks burned with embarrassment when he informed me that no such check had come through.

I hung up and settled back at my desk, the phone oddly heavy in my hand. The urge to call her, to hear her voice, and share this unsettling feeling gnawed at me. But she had asked for space, and calling her now would only make it seem like I was pushing too hard. Still, I couldn't shake the thought of her—how much had changed between us at the gala, and how being with her made me want to hold on, even if it meant bending my own rules.

Instead of dialing, I tossed the phone back on the couch and limped over to the kitchen. I needed to clear my head, and there was only one way I knew how to do that: breakfast for dinner.

I whipped up some egg whites and turkey bacon, the sizzle filling the silence as I tried to push everything out of my mind—the missing check, the situation at Edgewater, Mia. It all circled back to her. No matter how much I tried to focus on work or on finding the embezzler, my thoughts kept drifting to her.

When dinner was ready, I flopped down on the couch with my plate, flicked on the TV, and landed on a football game. I wasn't really watching, though. My mind was miles away, stuck on the one thing I couldn't control: Mia.

I'd never been one to worry about someone else like this before. Hell, I didn't even know if she'd ever want to be a part of my life in Dallas. She wasn't cut from the same cloth as the women I'd dated before, and that's what I liked about her. But I couldn't shake the feeling that asking her to leave Cedar Cove and move to the city and be a part of my world would be too much.

And if I pushed her into that, if I forced her into a life she didn't want, I knew it'd be over before it even began.

I finished my dinner, tossed the plate on the coffee table, and leaned back, my mind still racing. The game droned on in the background, but all I could think about was Mia. The way she smiled, the way she made me laugh, the way she didn't give a damn about my money or my name.

I dropped my phone back onto the table, running a hand through my hair in frustration. The whole situation with Mia was a tangled mess I couldn't seem to unravel. She wanted time and space—things I wasn't great at giving, but I knew I had to. If I pushed too hard, I'd lose her, and that was a risk I wasn't willing to take.

Sinking down onto the couch, I stared up at the ceiling, thoughts swirling in a chaotic blur. The missing check, the unlocked door, the mess at Edgewater—none of it mattered as much as figuring things out with Mia. She had a way of getting under my skin, making me want more than just a casual fling or a convenient relationship. I wanted something real, but I wasn't sure how to give her that without dragging her into my world.

Closing my eyes, exhaustion finally pulled at me. The noise in my head dulled, but the thought of Mia lingered, her smile, her stubbornness, her warmth. I had to find a way to make this work, to make her see we could have a future together. But before I could figure out the answer, sleep finally took over.