As if Madelyn were the gatekeeper, she stood her ground with her hands planted firmly on her hips.

Katelyn studied her with narrowed eyes. "I need to talk to Harry. Alone."

"Why?" Madelyn was not backing down.

"That's none of your damn business. It's not like you're his boss and I have every right to talk to him if I want."

Harry towered behind Madelyn with his hands stuffed in his pockets. His expression was impassive as he rolled from his heels to the balls of his feet and back. It seemed to be in his best interest to let this play out until she either needed his help, or he had to pull her off of Katelyn. The leggy blonde might have looked sturdy, but he was pretty sure Madelyn could take her if she were pissed off enough. Not that he thought she would sink to that level, but the idea was intriguing.

"Harry is my business. I may not be his boss, but I am his partner, in more ways than one. Whether or not you speak to him alone or otherwise, is entirely up to him. But let's make one thing crystal clear. You are not supposed to be here."

"You can't tell me I'm not supposed to be here," Katelyn cut in. "You're not my boss either!"

Looking over her shoulder at Harry, Madelyn lifted her brows and tipped her chin in question. His response was a nod in the affirmative.

Filling her lungs and standing tall, Madelyn took a step forward, forcing the younger woman back. She extended her index finger and spoke as if to a belligerent child.

"Actually, Katelyn, I can tell you not to be here because I am your boss."

As if she had been punched beneath the jaw, Katelyn threw her head up and sucked the air she had expelled back into her lungs. Her eyes flew to Harry's in question. He dipped his head in acknowledgment and his decision to remain silent faltered before Madelyn quickly continued.

"I'll explain this simply for you. Harry and I are together, we love each other and I invested in the restaurants as a partial owner. That means I am in fact, your boss and you will respect me accordingly."

Feeling Harry's hand on the small of her back, Madelyn stepped back into the calming warmth.

"I'll leave the two of you to speak alone, after which, Katelyn, you will leave Next and not return. If you want to keep your job, you'll work your shifts at Etta's and not cross me again."

She didn't wait for a response before pulling Harry down and planting a territorial kiss on his mouth and gliding off to inspect the progress that had been made in the restaurant.

*****

He stood far enough behind her that Madelyn had yet to sense his presence. Or that was what he hoped. Harry had ushered Katelyn out the back door after listening to her say her piece. Now his brain was rolling over the things she had said. He puzzled through all the information they had, trying to fit it together and see the whole picture.

"I'm sorry," Madelyn quietly interrupted his thoughts.

He closed the distance between them and folded her into his arms.

"Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong."

She settled her hands at his waist. "I over-stepped with that twit. I let a petty little girl get me riled up and I was borderline unprofessional. I could have handled it better."

"Stop," he held her away so he could make eye contact. "First, she was massively out of line. Whether you're her employer or not, I am. She was the one that was unprofessional and she had no call to speak to you that way. Second, she IS a twit and a thick-skulled one at that. Subtle is not in her vocabulary. I doubt she would have backed down if you hadn't laid things out the way you did."

"So you're not upset that I spilled about being a partial owner now?"

Harry rubbed his palms up and down her upper arms reassuringly.

"Not in the least. Besides, the core staff already know and it's just a matter of time before word gets out to everyone else on the payroll. Frankly, I prefer that they are all aware."

"Thank you," she pecked his cheek. "So what was Miss Congeniality all fired up about anyway?"

Releasing his beautiful, and official, girlfriend, he aggressively scrubbed his hands over his face.

"You may want to sit down for this," Harry led her out of the main dining area and into the study lounge, pulling out a chair at one of the long tables.

They sat facing each other. When he held his hands out, Madelyn placed hers within them and he closed his fingers, holding tight. Not wanting to draw this out, he offered the information quickly.

"It seems the police are questioning everyone who was working at Etta's the night your car was sabotaged. Katelyn thinks they are targeting her."

Madelyn pulled her hands back, causing him to tighten his grasp.

"We're in this together, remember? Don't pull away from me."

She was getting better at this togetherness business every day, but sometimes the habit of engaging her invisible shield resurfaced.

Harry continued, "They told her they want to rule out suspects as they have evidence possibly implicating someone on staff; she was asked to provide a DNA sample."

"Oh God, Harry," Madelyn closed her eyes as her breathing increased.

"Yeah. The police didn't tell her what the evidence was, just that they were going to receive lab results very shortly and it was in the best interest of everyone to cooperate before they named suspects and compelled them to provide DNA samples."

"Wait a minute. Don't they have to have some kind of motive or additional evidence to make people give samples?" She was trying to tamp down on her emotions and think this through rationally.

"This isn't exactly my area of expertise. I think the police can ask for DNA to rule out or confirm a suspect, but they can't force someone to comply without a court order. I could be wrong, but I don't think this kind of thing happens unless they think they will come up with a match to whatever evidence they already have."

"Dammit."

"Yeah."

"Harry, do you believe that Katelyn could be involved in this mess? I know she sees me as competition for your attention and was not happy that I called her out, but it isn't as if she had any previous claim to you... is it?"

"Well..." This time when Madelyn pulled her hands away, he released them, placing his own flat on the table.

"Harry?"

The atmosphere was heavy with question. Becca had said she thought Katelyn's interest in Harry wasn't reciprocated and he hadn't appeared to be affected by her in any way. Now Madelyn was wondering if she had missed something entirely. Harry was attractive and had been unattached. She wasn't naive enough to believe that he was short on female attention. He was accomplished in bed and that didn't happen by sitting home alone at night. The question was; had he acquired any of that skill by practicing with Katelyn?

"Answer me. Did you sleep with that bit... woman?"

At last, he found his voice, "NO! I never went to bed with her. But..."

"But what? I am giving you the benefit of the doubt here. We had no claim on one another in the past; however, whether or not you had a relationship with her, impacts me."

"Madelyn, I swear I never had sex with Katelyn, but it wasn't for her lack of trying. I'm not dense, I am aware that she was pursuing me. The first time she needed a ride home from work because her car battery died, I was happy to help. She kissed me when I dropped her off, and yes, I responded. I knew it was a terrible idea as soon as it happened. By the third time, I knew it was a ploy."

Harry was aggressively raking his hands through his waves. Discussing this was beyond uncomfortable. He should have taken Katelyn's advances more seriously, and put an emphatic end to them. Instead, he offered to buy her a new battery. Of course, she declined, claiming she couldn't bear to accept his money. It didn't escape his notice that she tugged her tops lower when she approached him, or that she required more from the bar than any other server. And if there had been any lingering doubt in his mind, it was dispelled the previous week when Katelyn showed up at the door of his old apartment above Etta's.

Madelyn had gone home early after her last doctor's appointment to nurse her lingering headache. Harry stayed in town to clean the empty apartment after moving his belongings into Next. After closing, some of the staff stuck around to socialize and have a few drinks. Even with the stereo on full crank, Harry couldn't miss the pounding on his door. When he answered, he was greeted by a very tipsy Katelyn.

Scrub brush in hand, he tried to send her away, claiming he was nearly finished and heading out soon. It was then, that his unwelcome company slapped a hand over her mouth, pleading for the bathroom. Harry couldn't very well let her be sick in the doorway. Taking her elbow he maneuvered her to the toilet and closed the door, leaving her to it.

Fifteen minutes later, she emerged with zero indication of having been ill, and quite naked. Harry balled up the towel in his hand, throwing it on the counter in his small kitchen. What followed was not pretty. It ended in pleas and tears with Harry stomping down the stairs to wait at the bottom, while Katelyn was left to re-dress. When she came out, Harry glared sternly. His eyes were cold; his inked arms were crossed. Until today, he hadn't spoken to her since.

"Please try to understand why I didn't want to tell you all of this," Harry implored after recounting the events to Madelyn.

"Everything you've asked of me, I've given you. You wanted a chance, even though we have this age difference and a relationship with you could compromise me professionally. You insisted on being exclusive from the beginning. You wanted to know the details of my relationship with Jack, and for me to accept your presence in very private parts of my life. I gave you all of that, Harry. What did you do in return? You withheld information, essentially lying to me by omission about interactions with another woman that affect me."

She was standing, pacing a short line.

"Please, baby, understand. I didn't want to upset you. There is so much going on already, I didn't want to complicate things."

Harry rose and in two steps, his long legs closed the distance between them. Expecting to enfold her in his arms, he was dismayed at her rebuff.

"I need to go," She swiped at a single tear, praying the floodgates held until she was alone.

"Madelyn, I am so sorry, don't leave."

Glad that she had brought her purse downstairs, she walked through the main dining room, avoiding the curious glances of Noah and another man she didn't recognize. In her haste to escape Harry and the ache she felt knowing that his mouth had been on Katelyn's, his eyes had seen her naked, Madelyn didn't bother retrieving her coat from upstairs. Instead, she walked straight out the back door and got into her rental car.

Alone and miserable, Harry watched Madelyn slam the steering wheel with the palms of her hands before she pulled out of the parking lot and drove away.

***

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I have lots to share with you and plan to write a longer message soon. In the meantime, please leave a comment and vote if you're enjoying this story. It helps DELIVERY gain visibility and generally makes my day. Thank you all!

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