P.S. You're Intolerable (The Harder They Fall, #3)(42)

“I’m so stupid,” she rasped, letting her face fall heavy on my chest.

“You’re not. You made mistakes, but you’re not even close to stupid. I’m sorry.”

I cupped the back of her head and stroked her long, thick hair. Her cries were weak, barely even whimpers, but her shoulders shook like earthquakes.

“I let him lie to me. Lie for me. Why did I do that?”

“You said it, Catherine. You wanted a family. There’s nothing shameful about that.”

“That isn’t true. My shame is so deep I don’t know where it ends. And now I’m stuck, so stuck, and I never wanted to be in this position.” Her fingers curled into my T-shirt, clutching me like the only thing tethering her from falling under all this heaviness. “I shouldn’t be holding you,” she whispered.

“I’m holding you. There’s nothing wrong with accepting comfort when it’s offered.” I dragged my hand down the length of her spine. “Tell me to let you go and I will. But I can keep holding you for as long as you need to feel okay.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Have you ever known me to do anything I don’t want to?”

“Never.” She knocked her forehead against me. “I need to tell you something else since I’m spilling my guts.”

My muscles tensed, bracing for impact. An instinctive response from long ago when I had to be prepared for my mother’s extreme highs and rock-bottom lows.

That wasn’t what this was, though. Catherine wasn’t Elaine Levy.

I continued my path up her hair, soothing her as much as calming me. “Go ahead.”

She blurted out her confession in a rush. “After my interview with you, Liam told me he’d added a fake company to my résumé so I would look like I had more experience. I chose not to do anything about it, but I truly didn’t believe I’d get the job. Then I did, and I was paranoid that someone was going to uncover my lie. I’m still a contractor because I was too nervous to draw HR’s attention, especially after I overheard them talking about someone else being fired for falsifying references.”

“You weren’t shifted to full time months ago?” She shook her head. “Jesus, Catherine. I put in the request to HR two months after you started working for me. You should be at full salary, full benefits. The contract salary is—”

Someone’s head was going to roll over this. I wasn’t happy with my request being disregarded. Lack of attention to detail was a fireable offense as far as I was concerned, and not following through with the CEO’s directive was a massive oversight.

“Pretty dismal.” She let out a shuddering laugh. “But didn’t you hear the part about the lies on my résumé?”

“I heard, and I was aware. If you think I’d have a background check done on you and not look into your references, you’re mistaken.”

She pulled back, looking up at me with wide eyes. “You knew the reference wasn’t real? Liam said he made a fake email address—”

I scoffed. “He’s an idiot. One search and it was obvious the company never existed. My interest was piqued though, so I reached out to the email address listed. The response—from Liam, I now know—was riddled with typos, and he claimed the business wasn’t searchable outside of Australia.”

Her brow puckered in confusion. “Why in the hell did you hire me if you knew?”

“Your other references were legitimate and glowing. I needed an assistant, and you were the best candidate, despite the fudging on your résumé.”

“That…doesn’t seem like you, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

It wasn’t like me. She had no earthly idea how unlike me it was, and it was better that way.

I cupped her shoulders. “I’m not pleased you accepted less than you should have, Catherine. You should have come to me about your salary.”

“I was scared, Elliot.”

“I understand that, and I’m going to make it right for you immediately. But I need you to know your worth. Don’t you understand how valuable you are to me?”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m only an assistant.”

“No. I’ve had a lot of assistants. None have lasted longer than six months. They either quit or I fire them, and the reasons are numerous. But you have become my teammate, and I refuse to lose you. You’ll be paid what you’re worth, which should always be nonnegotiable.”

Her lips parted, but no words came out. I may have stunned her silent, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore.

“Since we’re laying our cards on the table, what are your plans for the house?” I asked.

Her eyes darted to the side. “I want to sell it. I have to, but…”

“But you can’t afford the work it needs?”

“Right.”

“Would you live there if you could afford it?”

“Yes. I mean, the neighborhood is lovely, and it’s the perfect size for me and Joey, but it’s not going to happen. I have to sell it.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“What? No, that’s too much.” Color rose to her cheeks again, but I sensed this time it was more due to indignation than embarrassment.