Page 48 of Business or Pleasure

I usually hated that word and would’ve decked any asshole that used it, but there were always exceptions to that rule. One, in particular, was when I myself had been acting like a bitch.

Like I was with Baylen earlier today.

He just wanted to be nice and bring me lunch. Just a fucking nice guy who wanted to bring me lunch.

And I was a bitch to him, all because Mr. Kettle had made some snide, condescending remarks about scoring Baylen’s account on my first day.

Now, I continued to sit here, staring at the bag Baylen had left on my desk forty-five minutes ago. I looked inside to make sure nothing in it would spoil and make my office smell the way Sunshine’s had when she forgot about the tuna and pickle sandwich she threw into her trashcan after a client left it in her office. Once I saw that I wasn’t in danger of stinking up my office, I considered throwing it away. But that would’ve been a waste. And I didn’t like waste.

I hadn’t been able to eat it, though. If my stomach wasn’t twisted into knots, I would’ve been hungry, but right now, I’d throw up if I tried to eat anything.

Most of it was guilt. Mr. Kettle pissed me off and I took it out on Baylen. I deserved to feel guilty.

But there was a not-so-small part of what I was feeling that wasn’t guilt. It was…grief. Well, maybe not something as intense as grief, but it was definitely sadness.

I knew that Baylen would be going back to Scotland. It wasn’t a surprise. We didn’t talk about it, sure, but I wasn’t an idiot…even if my current behavior said otherwise.

If someone had asked me flat-out if I expected Baylen to stay in America for me, I would’ve laughed. In no reality would I have been so self-centered to think that a couple weeks of fun and good sex – all right, great sex – meant he’d completely uproot his entire life and move to a different country to see if this was anything real.

Not that I even wanted that. Because I didn’t. I wasn’t looking for a relationship, and definitely not a serious one. And even if I was, Baylen and I weren’t a good match. What I said about the two of us coming from different worlds had been true.

This wasn’t some Cinderella story where the poor little working girl was whisked away by the rich white knight. But it wasn’t some tragedy either. I didn’t need rescuing. Sure, I didn’t have the sort of money the McFann family did, but I didn’t need it. I liked the life I had, even more now that I had a job I loved.

I didn’t need Baylen McFann for anything.

But I shouldn’t have been so rude.

But I didn’t need him. And everything I said was true.

I could’ve been nicer, though.

By the time I got home, I was exhausted. My head was pounding, I was hungry, but nothing sounded appealing. After realizing that I wouldn't be able to keep my lunch down, I gave it to Melinda Gleeson. At least it hadn't gone to waste, but it meant that I hadn't eaten anything since the toast I had with my morning coffee. Which probably explained the headache.

I stood in front of the fridge for nearly two minutes, staring at the contents and waiting for something to strike me. When I closed it with a sigh, I opened the freezer.

“Emergency fudge ripple it is,” I said as I reached for the carton.

Ice cream and a new rom-com starring Tatiana Maslany sounded like a good idea. Then a hot shower and bed. A good night’s sleep would have me ready for an uneventful day of work tomorrow. The standard for how my life will go from now on.

Twenty-Three

Baylen

I smiled at Evanne as she hurried off to the kitchen to check on the blueberry pie she helped Lumen make. She’d been so excited that it was the first thing she told me when I arrived. It was exactly what I needed too. She made me smile, and that hadn’t been happening very often lately.

“She’s going to be a terrifying teenager,” Alec observed.

“You may need to invest in deadbolts.” I chuckled.

“No good.” He smiled at me. “She knows how to pick a lock.”

“Soleil?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Brody.”

“Ah.” That seemed about right based on what he told me about his younger brother.

“I meant to ask earlier if Brigh felt uncomfortable coming to dinner this evening,” Alec said. “I ken she’s your assistant, but she was more than welcome to come.”

---