Love, Utley (Love Letters #1)

Tension rolls through my body, and I have to remind myself I’m at a place of work.

But it’s my place of work.

I stare down at her for a long second, trying to decide what words to use, when hurried steps sound outside the door.

Dana, my CEO, appears in the doorway. “Maddox, I just heard.”

I slowly turn to her, then back to Brenda. “She”— I point to the CEO— “just heard. I”— I point to myself— “just heard. And you”— I point to Brenda— “better start talking.”

She hesitates.

“Maddox.” Dana tries to intervene.

“Now,” I snap out.

Brenda wipes the coffee off her hands onto her lap. “I— our hands were tied. We were given evidence of fraternization, and the policy clearly states…”

She trails off when I take a step closer to the desk.

“Your hands were tied,” I repeat back to her. “Do you plan to fire me too? From my own fucking company.”

“No. No, we wouldn’t—”

I cut her off, knowing anything she says will just piss me off more. “You got evidence. When?”

“W-Wednesday.”

“What sort of evidence?” Dana asks, now standing at my side.

Brenda fumbles with her mouse as she clicks on something on her screen. “Pictures.”

I storm around her desk so I can see her computer. “You got pictures on Wednesday and fired Hannah Friday without ever coming to me or Dana?”

Dana is usually very levelheaded, but even she has her hands fisted at her sides. “That’s not how we do things here.”

“You were both gone!” Brenda’s voice has gone shrill.

“So you decided to take unilateral action?” Dana asks, incredulous.

“Hannah’s manager agreed. She was the one to actually say it.” Brenda throws the other woman under the bus.

Hannah was fired on Friday.

She was confronted by this woman and her boss over her relationship with me when she was alone.

I clench my jaw.

Brenda opens a folder on her desktop, then slides her chair back.

I crowd into the space.

It’s a folder of photographs.

I click on the first one.

And the second.

And the next and the next and the next.