Page 9 of Shame

“I burned a note.”

He gives me a weird look, because that’s a weird fucking thing to do. “Cameron paged me.”

“He mentioned you were in the building. This is a nice surprise.”

He shrugs. “I was looking for Sam.”

Alex and I go back to business school. He was my friend first, but he’s closer to my brother now. Just like Grace, just like everyone. “He’s not here. He’s working at his girlfriend’s house outside the city this week.”

“Hazel’s great, isn’t she?” There’s a challenge in Alex’s eyes.

I nod. Is she? I should know that. Grace probably likes her. I don’t think we’ve exchanged five words. “You looking for Sam, was that business or something personal?”

“Somewhere in between.” He doesn’t elaborate. They’ve cut me out of a lot of things over the past two years.

I haven’t been pleasant to be around.

He stretches his arms wide, his blazer falling open to reveal aHeadstonesband t-shirt. “What did you want?”

“I’m taking a leave of absence. Quietly. Sam doesn’t know.”

Alex’s eyebrows hit the roof. “Everything okay?”

No. “Yeah. I just need a break. I’m wondering if you might be able to field the venture capitalist meetings for a week or two.”

When we graduated business school, we both came to Bay Street. I started as a trader at my father’s firm. Alex went into consulting, rising rapidly through the ranks because he had a knack for efficiency and delivering bad news with a smile.

When Sam was arrested, he left consulting and came on board as a trustee here. It was supposed to be for a year, until I could prove to the regulators we were on the up and up. And then he surprised the shit out of us by wanting to stay on, part time, because the fucker had gone and written a kids’ book.

He’s now an author most of the time, who sometimes roams the halls here and makes brilliant investments in companies he likes.

“I can clear my calendar,” he says easily. “Can I use your assistant while you’re away?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I snap. “I’ll be at home. It’s a ten-minute drive.”

He gives me a bland,your bark doesn’t scare melook. “So that’s a yes, Cameron is mine while you decompress?”

“Sure.”

“Is this about Grace’s show?”

I frown.

Alex groans. “It’s in two weeks, Luke, don’t tell me you don’t know about it. She’s really excited.”

I know about it. A new wave of sick feelings twist inside me. “It’s not about her show,” I grind out.

His neutral expression drops, revealing an uncharacteristic slice of raw anger. “Good. Because Sam told me you weren’t happy about it.”

5

Grace

Six weeks earlier

I wentfrom elated to deflated in the span of a short phone call with my husband, so I’m going to Sam’s to share my news with someone who actually cares about my career.

He’s on the phone with his girlfriend Hazel when I arrive and he waves me in.

---