Page 18 of The Relationship Clause

Okay, fine, she has a point there.

“Yes, you’ll only be signing a contract for three months, but there’s nothing that says you can’t do your best and extend that contract past three months. Give yourself a new goal. Work for Owen for a year instead of at Pete’s.” She pushes another one down. “Working at a company like Em3rge will look way better on a resume than working at a coffee shop.” Push. “Mom boxed you guys in, but in all honesty, that’s probably a huge selling point for Owen.” Push. “You are more than qualified for this, so don’t sell yourself short.” Push. “And, last but not least, who cares if you have a crush on him? You said the money was good.”

“More than good. It’s too good.”

Again with the eye rolling. “Ugh, not this again. Junie, you are worth it. You’re worth all that money and more. Now quit looking a gift-boss in the mouth and accept the job already.”

I set my chicken down and start digging into the fried rice.

“Plus,” she says, winking at me, “if you accept the job, you’ll get the added benefit of seeing me every day! And isn’t that worth more than anything else?”

“Okay, but what about my crush?”

“Didn’t we already cover that?”

“We did, but…” I pause, feeling vulnerable. “I mean, it’ll be hard to work with him if I like him, won’t it?”

Kiera doesn’t answer for a minute. “It might not be as hard as you think.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kiera sighs. “Look, I don’t want to be one of those girls who tries to persuade or threaten her best friend away from her brother. Owen is great, really. He’s got a lot of positive traits. Plus, who wouldn’t want their best friend getting together with their brother? The thing about Owen is…you sort of have to dig deep to find those positive traits, and he’s not one of those guys willing to let anyone get close enough to let them dig. At least, he isn’t at the current moment.”

I sit back against the low, squashy, petal-pink couch, digesting this. “Oh.”

“Yeah. I mean, I love him, but the situation with our parents has done a number on him. You know how things like that can be.” She gives me a meaningful look, but I drop her gaze immediately.

She’s doing that thing. That thing where she tries to get me to open up and talk about my past and my issues by talking about other people’s pasts and issues first.

But that’s not going to work on me. Yes, I have my own parental baggage, but I’ve dealt with it. I’ve faced my demons, and they have no hold on my life.

I could talk about the fact that my mom left my dad and me when I was little. I could go on about how he chose to protect his heart by putting up walls, moving us from town to town, job to job, and how I’ve sort of fallen into the same pattern. But Dad was happier that way. I’m happier this way.

So there’s nothing to talk about.

“Anyway,” Kiera says once she realizes I won’t be adding to the conversation the way she wants, “I’m not saying you should stay away from him altogether. I just don’t want you to get hurt the way my parent’s weird dynamics have hurt me and Owen.” That’s when Kiera’s eyes get misty and a small sob escapes her lips.

Chinese food forgotten, I scooch around the coffee table and wrap one arm around her. Kiera is so strong and independent, so uniquely herself, I sometimes forget that deep inside, she’s as much a human as the rest of us. She doesn’t often share what she’s feeling when it comes to her rocky relationship with her mom or her strained relationship with her dad, but I hate seeing her hurt like this.

I rest my head on her shoulder, and she leans against me. It’s more physical touch than I normally like, but Kiera always somehow manages to get away with more.

“Hey, you’re pretty awesome. You know that, right? Like, if Chris Hemsworth asked me to ditch you and go on a date with him, I’d hesitate for a whole sixty seconds before saying yes. That’s how much I love you.”

Kiera chuckles. “Chris is happily married with children.”

“Liam then. Or the other one.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She sighs and goes back to her food. “How have you been feeling, by the way? Any pain still?”

She’s trying to change the subject, and I let her because I know she doesn’t want to talk about the other stuff anymore, and neither do I.

“A little pain, but it’s not bad if I stay on top of my medicine. Every day’s a little better. You know what we should do?” I say. “I’m in the mood for a movie.”

Kiera sniffs and grabs the remote, handing it to me. “Me too. Nothing romantic.”

“Ten-four.” I do some scrolling then type Mission Impossible into the search bar. I have some research to do after all.

“Oooh, I haven’t watched any of these in a while. Good choice.”

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