Talia pressed her lips together. Fear flickered across her features. She backed away but did not flee. That told Calvin more than any excuse. She thought she still had leverage.
Reese trembled in Calvin’s embrace. “I am sorry,” he whispered. “I tried to be good. I really did.”
Calvin’s throat closed. His grip tightened. “You are good. You are good every second of every day. Nothing that happened to you is your fault. I believe you. I believe everything you say.”
Talia’s face twisted with indignation. “You are making a mistake. If you fire me, nobody will take this job. They all quit. You remember that. It is too much for anyone to handle.”
Calvin turned then. His stare was ice. “Get out. Collect nothing. Leave this house within the next five minutes, or I will call law enforcement with evidence. And there will be evidence.”
Talia faltered. She glanced once at Reese. Her mouth curled in something like a smirk. “You think you know the whole story. You do not. Ask Fiona. Ask your dear sister. She knows more than you think.”
Then she left. The gate clicked shut. The world exhaled.