“Nothing.” He shook his head. “There’s just some . . . Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

She thought that might have been the lamest no big deal shrug she’d ever seen. “What is it?”

He fidgeted on the stool. Shifted until he looked ready to squirm out of his skin. “Would you believe me if I said nothing?”

“Not even a little.”

It took him a few minutes to spit out the words. “There’s a money issue.”

“Oh, that.” She picked up her cup and took a long sip, trying to fortify herself with caffeine. “I have this house. Baines referred to it as the ‘tiny bungalow in Glen Echo,’ but it was a good investment. The location right outside DC makes it worth more than it should be. I can sell and move farther out, discover the Maryland countryside, if I need to.”

“Gabby—”

“I also invested some of the money I got in the divorce, and I still get the quarterly payout from the business, which I trust you to run. All of that will keep me going until I can find a job. It’s been years, but I’d like to think . . . That’s not what you’re talking about.” She could tell by the way the tension pulled around his mouth. “Tell me.”

“There are some discrepancies in the business accounting.”

She recognized the empty words as having a big meaning. “Are you saying money is missing from the office accounts?”

Liam got off the stool and started pacing. After a few steps, he stopped and stared at her. “Did you know?”

“How would I know? I’m still not even sure what you’re saying.”

“Right.” Liam shook his head. “Of course . . . it’s just . . . I don’t understand what Baines was doing.”

Dizziness overtook her. She had to breathe in through her nose to keep from getting sick. “Back up. You’re saying Baines, my millionaire, account-for-every-penny ex, was taking money from the family business? As in stealing money?”

“I . . . maybe? I don’t know yet. I just hired an outside firm to perform an audit.” Liam’s shoulders fell as he let out a long breath. “Did he say anything to you about money being tight?”

He blamed her for everything, but he’d never mentioned this issue—though it wouldn’t reflect well on him, so he would have hidden it. “We hadn’t had a civil conversation since I left him.”

Liam started to talk then stopped.

Silence drummed through the room. She could hear it thumping in her head. “What?”

“It looks bad, Gab.”