“Well, congrats!” Liz said, evading the one question she really wanted to ask. What the f**k are you doing here?
“Thanks. I just thought I’d stop by, since I’m in the area doing some research,” Calleigh said.
She paused as if she were waiting for Liz to say something. So Liz didn’t. She just stared at Calleigh blankly.
“I’ve been through the registrar records and it seems, as I suspected, that no one by the name of Sandy Carmichael ever actually went to UNC during the time we wrote about in the article.”
“You did say that it was a fake name or something, right? I wouldn’t think you would waste your time looking, or at the very least that you would have checked it over before writing the article,” Liz said snippily.
Calleigh laughed softly and nodded. “I just thought I’d double- and triple-check. Cover my bases. But it looks like, as Hayden said, she doesn’t exist. And he won’t tell me who told him.”
Liz stood frozen, not wanting to move or shift or even blink. Calleigh didn’t need any kind of indicators from Liz as to how Hayden got his information.
“Well, I’d assume that if he wanted to tell you, then he would have,” she said simply.
“Hayden seems to be withholding the information for a specific reason. I mean, he wouldn’t have told me if the person told him about it off the record. That’s breaking ethical boundaries . . .”
Liz gasped lightly. “Oh my God, are you afraid of getting sued for libel? Careers have been ended for less, Calleigh.”
Color drained slowly out of her face and she shook her head. “No. I’m not . . . I’m not concerned about that.”
Liz seemed to have thrown her off her rhythm, at least for a moment. The wheels were clearly working in Calleigh’s mind. She hoped that Calleigh thought that Hayden had lied to her about how he had acquired the information, or even that there was the potential for the Maxwell family to come back and destroy them. Good-bye, reporting career.
“Has he told you?” Calleigh finally blurted out.
“Told me what?” Liz asked, tilting her head and looking at Calleigh innocently.
“Who Sandy Carmichael is? Has he told you who he spoke with? Y’all have been dating over a year, I would think a strong, stable relationship like that,” Calleigh said with a gleam of mischief in her eye, “you would tell each other everything.”
Liz just smiled sweetly. “Oh, we do. We tell each other everything.”
Calleigh’s eyes enlarged slightly and then returned to their normal size. “So then . . . you know?”
“Know what?” Liz prompted. “About Sandy Carmichael or about you and Hayden?”
“Um . . .” Calleigh said, her mouth dropping open. Then she shook her head as she recovered. “I was simply asking about Sandy Carmichael.”
“Well, I’m asking about Hayden. Is there anything going on between y’all? Because he told me it was over since he dumped you after you graduated and that he’s been happy to fend you off since he moved to Charlotte.”
“You can believe that if you want,” she said, sticking her nose in the air.
Liz laughed, trying to remain casual. “It’s okay, Calleigh.”
“What’s okay?” she snapped.
“I believe him,” Liz said with a smile. “I believe that Hayden wanted nothing to do with you because of me. Because you stood no chance.”
“What the f**k?” Calleigh muttered.
“Your threat that day that he interviewed for the job was kind of cute actually. To think that he would go near you. He was appalled that I was even irritated with what you had said.”
Misdirection. That was the name of the game. Maybe she could get the other woman frustrated enough to just leave, and then Liz wouldn’t have to deal with anything else Calleigh was alluding to. She figured Calleigh was grasping at straws and had just shown up at Liz’s door on a whim.
“Wow. Someone is in a bitch mood,” Calleigh growled, losing her cool.
“You did wake me up from a nap,” Liz said with a shrug. “Which I’d actually really like to get back to. So if you want to just . . . head out.” Liz gestured toward the door.
Calleigh shook her head and then started to leave. Liz held her breath. She just wanted her gone.
“I guess this was pointless,” Calleigh said.
“Pretty much.”
“Are you applying to Charlotte Times to be closer to Hayden? I hadn’t heard anything about your application.”
Liz smiled brightly. At last, one question that she could answer truthfully. “Actually I just accepted a job at the New York Times. So I’ll be moving to New York after graduation.”
“What?” Calleigh asked, stunned.
“Yeah. I’ve been interning with them all year and I just accepted a position.”
“Well, congratulations,” Calleigh said through gritted teeth. “How is that going to work with you and Hayden?”
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” Liz said. She couldn’t keep the self-satisfied smirk off her face.
“Great. That sounds wonderful. I guess I’ll see you in Charlotte sometime,” Calleigh said, opening the door.
“Sure,” Liz said. No chance in hell.
Calleigh walked through the door without a backward glance and then she was gone. Liz shut the door heavily and then nearly collapsed back against it. Holy shit! That had been so f**king close.
Chapter 30
HIGH STRESS
Liz had her phone out of her pocket in a matter of seconds. She skipped responding to Brady’s text message and just called him. She couldn’t handle the amount of stress she was dealing with right now, and she needed his reassuring voice to calm her down. Brady would make everything all right.
Liz was just proud that she had been able to redirect Calleigh. If she had realized how close she was to learning who Sandy Carmichael was then Liz was sure that she wouldn’t have left so easily. Luckily, Liz had been able to use Hayden to her advantage. Sure, Calleigh might find out tomorrow that they had broken up, but Liz didn’t give a shit. That bought her a day to talk to Brady and figure out what they were going to do.
She just needed a day.
“Liz, I’ve been waiting for your call. What happened?” Brady asked after answering on the first ring.
“Sorry. So sorry. Stressful day. Hayden left a while ago, but I passed out and only woke up a couple minutes ago,” Liz told him. Her voice was shaking. She had lost the calmness that she had before her conversation with Calleigh. At least she was able to be herself with Brady.