Page 39 of From You to Me

He laughed, glee filling in his eyes. “More like annoyed by your presence. But do tell? How did a maid get upgraded to be my assistant? I think Aimee’s pregnancy brain got muddled there for a second because I don’t think she was in her right mind when she hired you. You can’t speak to strangers, you can’t decide what you want to eat for lunch, you can’t tell left fromright, you fall every five seconds, and you can’t make decisions even if it hit you in the face.” He waved a hand. “Is there anything more to add? Because you are the worst person to hire as my assistant.”

I flushed, red with embarrassment. I forgot that this man knew me inside and out. “Well, I’m not the same girl. You don’t even know me now.”

“I doubt that. Leave before you embarrass yourself.”

The pain rose up my throat. Fuck, I had to think of something fast. “No, I won’t leave. You don’t understand, but I really do need this job.”

He sighed. “Look, Evelyn, if this is a part of your grand scheme for us to get back together, it’s not happening. We are over. Done for good. There’s no going back there.”

“I know that, Jay,” I gritted out. “Look, I know that this may not mean much to you, but for me, an opportunity like this is so hard to come by. And I can’t let it go to waste.”

“I know the last thing you want to do is be my assistant, Evelyn. So tell me, what’s the real reason?”

I sighed. Might as well tell him the truth. “It’s the money, okay? I need it. I can’t get pay like this anywhere else. Especially when I have zero qualifications,” I admitted.

His eyes narrowed. “What happened to Yale?”

“It didn’t work out.”

He nodded. “Fine, if it’s the money you want, I’ll write you a check. You don’t have to bother being my assistant.”

A sudden wave of anger crashed through me. “I don’t want your pity handouts, Jay. I want to work hard for my money,” I snapped, my grip tightening on his wrist.

A few long seconds went by while he stared at me with a blank look on his face, almost as if he was deep in thought. And in the blink of an eye, he closed in on me so fast that it knocked the breath out of me.

He was so close that my entire body was pressed against his. I could feel every inch of his hardness touching mine. It felt warm and fuzzy at the same time as electric and terrifying.

“Are you trying to drive me crazy, Evelyn?”

“No,” I croaked out, lost in his blues.

He ran a finger along my cheek, leaving behind strokes of smoldering flame that lit me up in a deeper shade of red. His nose touched mine, his lips barely kissing me. “Fine, be my assistant,” he said, and in an instant, he let me go, walking away as if he didn’t just make my entire body tingle with his touch.

I spent the next hour packing his stuff from the long list Aimee had given me. Thankfully, everything that he needed was already delivered or set aside. I just needed to sort it out and make sure everything he needed flew with us.

“Figured I’d find you here.”

“Hey, Lily,” I mumbled while I tried to pick between a black shirt with gray buttons and a black shirt with black buttons. Jay was absolutely right when he said I wasn’t cut out for this job. I was currently situated on the floor of his closet while I packed his clothes for his personal use.

“Do you need any help?”

“No, I’m fine,” I muttered as I picked the one with the gray buttons.You are a grown fucking woman, Evy. It’s time you made decisions.

I let Lily pull me up from the floor and walked out to place the last bag on the hallway that was filled with mountains of luggage. How many things did one need for a two-month tour? And it wasn’t even the half of it.

I drew my eyes to the gigantic trunk among Jay's bags. It looked like it could have a body inside it. To say it sparked my curiosity would be an understatement.

“Do you know what’s inside that box?”

Lily lifted a shoulder. “Actually, none of us know. My brother always brings it on tour. And we have never once seen him open it. It gets directly delivered to his room. Trust me, we have tried, but my brother won’t budge. Mikey even tried to break into it once.” She laughed before a far-off look replaced her face.

I couldn’t help but ask, “What happened between you and Mikey? It looks like you guys don’t talk anymore.”

“Nothing,” she said, averting her gaze.

I knew there was more to it than she was telling me, but I didn’t want to dig up her skeletons.

“I’m sorry, Lily.” I rubbed her back. “Well, look on the bright side, we are two single women going to Europe. How about a Luie for you and an Elias for me? I’ve heard that European men are the perfect gentlemen.”

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