Right. We aren’t exactly on the best of terms. I clear my throat and use my tough-guy voice. “You have a lot of guts showing up here.” I stare at her, but then I can’t help but smile because it’s so good to see her again and my heart is about to burst.
“You’re smiling. Does that mean you’re not going to call the police on me?”
“I’m not going to call the police on you,” I promise. “Come on inside.” I’ve missed her so much. Her belly has grown bigger, and she’s so adorable I could just squeeze her. “How could I call the police on a pregnant woman, anyway? Wouldn’t that just be messed up?”
“You said you thought I stole from you,” I say. “You’d have a reason to report me. Not that it’s true.”
“I don’t think you stole from me,” I say.
“You don’t?” She stares at me, stunned.
“No. You wouldn’t believe who I met that vouched for you.” I open the door wider, and she comes inside.
“Who?”
“Your ex, Markus. He showed up at my office unexpectedly for a business meeting.”
“How did you know it was him? You’ve never met Markus before, have you?”
My cheeks heat up, and I rub the back of my neck as I stand in the entryway. “I, uh… Well, you see…”
She crosses her arms and stares at me. “What?”
“Well, I might have stalked you on social media and saw his picture there.” The words come out in a rush like it will somehow be less embarrassing that way.
Her brow lifts, and a small smile plays on her lips. “You looked me up, huh? Did you miss me?”
“Maybe a little,” I admit. Okay, it’s a lot, but I don’t tell her that part. I’ve been practically dying without her. My new assistant is horrible at her job, and I’m about to fire her for messing up a deal for me. “But my point is, Markus vouched for you. I figured he had no reason to do that, and it must be true.”
“Did you ever find the real thief?” she asks.
I sigh. “I’m pretty sure it was Martha.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asks.
“Skipper ran out of her room with my watch in his mouth.”
“Again? Well, he’s just a little detective dog, isn’t he?” Callie says.
“The little stinker.”
“So just because he came from Martha’s room, you think she’s the one who stole?” Callie has her hands on her hips and a thoughtful expression on her face like she’s trying to figure something out.
“Well, yeah. Obviously. Why else would the watch be in Martha’s room?”
“Well, that ring was in my purse, and I know I didn’t put it there. I bet you anything Martha didn’t put that watch in her room either. Didn’t you say she’s been with you for years?”
“Yes, but I know her son’s going through some financial hard times, and she’s desperate to help him. She has plenty of motive to steal.”
“Why don’t you check the security footage to be sure? That way you can catch the thief red-handed.”
“Well, I would, but I never bothered to get my cameras fixed.”
“I got them fixed for you,” Callie says. “Remember? You gave me that list of stuff to do. It was on the list.”
“You did? You never told me that. If you knew the cameras were fixed all this time, then why didn’t you say something before when I fired you?”
Callie’s cheeks turn pink. “This may sound dumb, but I let my pride get in the way. I figured if you didn’t believe me, I didn’t want to work for you, anyway.”