Heather POV"Fired? Really? Do you know what happened?""I just know what the email said. CFO Vincent Dillon has been fired from Sullivan Solutions. Effective immediately.""The guy worked for the company for 40 years and suddenly gets thrown out with no notice. Something big must have happened."Heather can hear the whole office is losing their collective minds since they got the email at 9:32 this morning. Heather has stayed in her office with the door closed to try to avoid the chaos. She is guessing Liam Sullivan found out about the embezzlement and cut Vincent loose. However, Heather won't be sharing that information with anybody. She just wishes Casey would contact her to tell her what is going on.Almost as if he heard her thoughts, Heather's phone rings and it is Casey calling."Hello. Heather Winters speaking. How can I help you?""Heather, you know it's me. There is no need for a professional greeting," Casey says while laughing."I am trying to not seem too familiar with yo
Casey's POV"That's what you are wearing on your date! Really?" Aidan cackles from the doorway."Please do not say the word date within earshot of our mother. I don't need the trouble. Besides, I am going to a basketball game with a friend. It is not a date."Tonight is just a chance for them to spend some time together and make his father think that he assigned Heather to work for him because he is interested in her. Which he is. But this is not the beginning of a beautiful love story despite his feelings."You are spending the evening with the woman you are crazy about. How is that not a date?" Aidan asks."We are just friends who both love basketball. There is nothing weird about two friends going to a game together. Plus she has never sat courtside before," Casey responds, trying to convince himself and Aidan."Why are you making such an effort with a woman if you have no plans to act on your feelings? What is really going on, Casey?" Aidan asks, trying to get his brother to open
Heather's POV"Heather, I don't have PTSD. I'm fine." Casey says sharply.Heather suddenly feels like she is walking in a minefield. She is not an expert, but she is pretty sure Casey had a panic attack. She knows he spent years in the military, so it would not be surprising that he is dealing with the after-effects. "Casey, I am not trying to pry or overstep... I'm just worried about you," Heather keeps her voice soft as she speaks to him."I appreciate that. But I have a handle on it. You don't need to worry," Casey's voice is still harsh as he replies."Casey, I care about you. Of course, I am going to worry." Heather says, her voice full of affection for the man struggling beside her.She cannot stand to see Casey in such pain. However, Heather is not sure what she can do to help him. She decides to push for a bit more information and hopes Casey won't completely shut down on her. "Casey, don't you have anyone you can talk to about all of this? A professional?"Casey lets out a
Casey's POV"What are you doing in the CFO's office, Meredith?"Casey had gotten into the office later than usual this morning. He hadn't slept well the past few nights, plagued by nightmares since the basketball game. He had finally drifted off at 4 AM but had slept through his alarm. Showing up to work late has him feeling out of sorts and the last thing he needed was to run into his ex-girlfriend."I am packing up my father's things after he was abruptly fired from the company he had worked at for more than 40 years. What are you doing here, Casey?" Meredith snipes back.Meredith is a stunning woman: a statuesque beauty with long, dark brown hair. She is wearing a figure-hugging red dress that shows off her curves without being inappropriate for the office. Casey has always known that Meredith is beautiful and used to be very affected by her body, but now he feels nothing for her. She is simply an annoyance in his day."I am here to gather any hard copies Vincent had here as I am t
Heather POV"So you must be the accountant Casey is so fond of."Heather jolts up from her computer and sees a stunningly beautiful woman standing in the doorway. Heather wishes she did not know who the woman was, but Lucy had insisted on looking into Casey's past in the tabloids and had seen plenty of pictures of him with this woman: his ex-girlfriend Meredith Dillon. "I am an accountant and I work for Casey. You can call me Heather. May I help you with something?" Heather responds, hoping this encounter will be over quickly. "I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Meredith Dillon and I am your new boss. Casey and I are sharing the CFO duties. So we are working together on all projects. That includes your little efficiency review," Meredith introduces herself with an air of superiority. "This is a nice office. Imagine my surprise when I heard that Casey had moved you up to the executive floor to an office that is adjoining his. He must really want to keep you close. You should be t
Casey's POV"Who is ready to face the torture that is a Sullivan Family Dinner!" Molly says as she barges into Casey's room.Casey and Aidan were sitting on the couch having a drink to try to relax before dealing with the rest of their family during dinner. "You say the word torture and yet you sound excited. What is going on baby sister?" Aidan asks with trepidation."I am excited because tonight we have a special guest at dinner," Molly says with joy."And who would that be?" Casey asks reluctantly, knowing he won't like the answer. "You don't know Casey? I thought she would have told you. It's Meredith. You know, your future wife. Isn't that great?" Molly says, practically bouncing in anticipation. Casey chokes a bit on his drink hearing that Meredith will be at dinner. He has been doing everything he can to avoid Meredith this week, but now he has to deal with her in his home. He wants nothing more than to skip dinner, but he does not want to deal with upsetting his mother. Cas
Heather's POV"Heather, how is the efficiency review coming along?" Casey asks as he walks into her office."Do we have to speak in code now or can I talk about what I am actually doing?" Heather responds with a sharp tone.Heather has been avoiding Casey ever since her encounter with Meredith. She is just realizing now how easy it has been to avoid him. Like he wasn't seeking her out at all. She was right to think that Meredith was telling the truth about her and Casey. It is probably for the best anyway. Heather knows she needs to stay focused on her investigation. Casey is too much of a distraction."No code needed. I've just gotten used to referring to the investigation that way. Is everything alright? You seem upset," the concern is clear in Casey's voice.Heather hates hearing Casey care. It would be so much easier to get over him if she didn't know what a good man he is. She needs to push him away to protect herself."Well, then the review is going well. I have flagged dozens o
Casey's POV"Heather, are you free for lunch?" Casey asks, hoping for a different answer than he got last time."Why? Is there a meeting you need me for?" Heather asks without looking up from her computer.Heather has been distant for over a week with Casey and he cannot take it anymore. He needs to know what he did to cause her to pull away. He has been wracking his brain trying to figure out what he could have done. But he cannot figure it out. Hopefully, Heather will agree to go to lunch with him so they can talk. Casey hates feeling so disconnected from Heather and will do anything to fix it."No meeting. I just thought it would be nice to have lunch together. I know you have been working so hard lately and it seems like I have barely spoken to you this past week. I wanted the chance to catch up," Casey says as casually as he can manage."I don't think that is a good idea, Casey. I am just so busy. Maybe some other time," Heather responds, still not looking at him.Casey wants to