Page 21 of Knot a Good Idea

She scrunches her face up. “You know what? Fuck you.”

I blink. “Excuse me?”

“Admirable.Refreshing. You have no idea what my life is like,” she snaps, fire in her eyes. “You could buy up a thousand of our cafes and it wouldn’t even be a blip in your budget. You would never have to fire someone that’s helped you through?—”

She catches herself and sucks in a breath . “I amsosorry,” she whispers, her eyes wide. “I don’t think…” She places her napkin on the table. “I can transfer you the money for dinner, and I’ll get a ride home. I’m sorry I ruined…” She starts to stand, and something in me snaps.

“Sit down,” I say quietly. “You haven’t ruined anything.”

Her outburst mixed with the spicy scent of her anger is hypnotizing.

She can’t leave.

I fuckingneedher.

She stays standing and pulls out her phone. “This was a mistake?—”

“Sit. Down.”

The command in my voice makes her pause. Her scent has slightly soured, but she sits in her chair with her eyes full of regret.

“I’m sorry,” she repeats, her voice laced with shame. “I’ve been known to have a temper recently.”

But I don’t want an apology, especially now that I know what I can do to get her to agree with me.

“You were right,” I say, my voice low. “About tonight.”

She frowns. “What?”

“There is something I want from you.”

The waiter comes to clear our bowls, and I wait until he’s left us.

I lean closer to her, lacing my hands together and placing my forearms on the table.

Here goes nothing.

“I have a proposition for you.”

6

APRIL

Well,at least my hunch was correct.

I knew this was too good to be true.

“Yeah,” I mutter. “I’m not interested in any proposition.”

Why he still wants me here, I don’t know. I lashed out at him earlier just because he had the nerve to be more successful than me.

It’s not his fault I have to fire Devyn.

But aproposition?

So much for trying to go out and have a normal experience for once.

“You haven’t heard what it is.” Donovan looks at me curiously, his head slightly cocked. “Or what I’m offering in exchange.”

---