My heart cracked wide open.
"Is Daddy making pancakes?"
"Not today, baby," I said softly, and kissed her curls.
I got up before I could fall apart again. I worked through breakfast, lunchboxes, missing socks, and a missing shoe that somehow made two kids grumpy.
I was pouring milk a few hours later when my phone rang.
Mark, Cole's coworker, the one my kids trusted enough to climb on like a jungle gym.
I pressed the phone to my ear. "Mark, I can't —"
"Paige," he cut in. His voice was sharp and controlled, but underneath, there was panic. "You need to come. Now."
"Mark, I can't—"
"Where?" I stopped pouring. "What's going on?"
"I'm at the office," he said. "Cole's in a glass conference room. HR is here. Darren's here too."
"What did Cole do?"
Mark hesitated for a moment. "The company card. It got flagged."
I gripped the edge of the counter. "Flagged for what? I didn't even know he had access to it."
