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“You heard me.” I step closer to her. Her lavender scent catches my senses. I’m surprised at how much I like it.

“I need to use it. I can’t if you have it,” she protests.

Something is seriously wrong with me because I can’t seem to focus on anything but her eyes.Fuck. Have they always been so beautiful or is it just today?

“Did you send the packages?” It’s strange how I was thinking about it at midnight.

Hope gets puzzled by the change of topic, but nods. “Yes. I didn’t make much money, but it’s just the beginning.”

“You need to look at some trends and figure out what’s selling.” The advice spills out of me quickly. I don’t hold back because I genuinely want her to succeed. And to see her smile.

For fuck’s sake.

Shock flashes through her eyes. “I’ll s-see what I can do.”

“You can come—”

Her face turns serious. “No. I don’t want to. And please give me back the account. I told Marie and she’s eager to help me without reminding me about my social status.” Her voice gets quiet toward the end. I feel like a prick for letting her believe that.

An apology is sitting on the tip of my tongue. I can’t get it past my fucking lips.

When did speaking become so difficult?

Sorry. It’s one fucking word.

Taking out my keys, I unlock my car and get inside. Rolling down the window I say, “I told you, I’m not giving it back.”

She glares—or she tries to, but it’s definitely not a glare—at me. “It’s my account.”

“ThatImade.”

She shuts up and eyes the passenger seat, then straightens in stubbornness.

“I’ll make a new one then,” she announces, surprising the fuck out of me.

I clench my jaw. I didn’t expect her to stand her ground and make me feel ten times worse than I already do.

Pretty girl might be bad for my health.

Turning on her feet she walks away and leaves me in a fucking foul mood.

17

Hope

Heath is a big ogre who’s rude and mean.

Okay, that’s not true.

Just because I’m mad at him doesn’t mean I should compare him to that ugly thing.

I can’t believe he’s withholding my account just because I refuse to work with him when he’s the one who insulted me. He doesn’t even have the decency to apologize to me. If anything, he’s full of pride, arrogance, and other bad things.

I shouldn’t have accepted his help in the first place. Why did I?

You were desperate.I was. I am. I made six bucks minus the delivery charges. It’s not much, but it’s something. However, at this rate, it’ll take long before I can earn hundreds.

Standing outside the huge, black metal gates I search for the doorbell but don’t find it.

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