Page 93 of Trouble Walked In

He grimaced. “Before. I tried to convince her that we could make it work, but it was like arguing with a fence post. She said she’d built a new life that didn’t include stages and cheating husbands. I said, ‘I love you doesn’t that mean anything,’ and she said, ‘Not enough.’”

“Ouch.” Morgan sat back in her chair and hooked a leg over one of the arms. “Damn. That’s cold.”

Renic nodded. “So it’s a nonfactor as far as this deal is concerned.”

“Wait. That’s it?” Morgan asked. “You’re just going to walk away?”

He busied himself with another stack of papers. “It’s what she wants, Morgan. She said she doesn’t need me, and I don’t need her. And she’s right.”

Morgan kicked the desk hard enough that the stapler leapt off the edge and skidded across the floor. “What a load of crap. It’s not about need.”

He looked down at the contract. A few days ago, it was exactly what he wanted. It was an absolute victory for Self Evident records. He should be thrilled to sign it, but insteadof calling the lawyers in and reaching for the pen, he kept his hands firmly on the arms of the chair. “This is a business decision.”

“Oh, if it were that easy, sweetie, you’d have signed already.”

The knowing lilt in her voice was really irritating. He had a feeling she did it on purpose just to get a rise out of him. “Look, you royal pain in my ass, I started out wanting this deal because it would give me time to spend with Lizzie, but she doesn’t want that. So there’s no point in having that kind of time, which means I’m not sure this is the right move anymore, and I’m not signing this deal until I’m a hundred percent sure that it works for all of us. This is about responsibilities and standards.”

Morgan kicked the desk to set her chair spinning again. “No, it’s not. What a load of donkey turds. This whole thing started out being some kind of grand gesture but now…”

She stopped the chair spin and leaned onto the desk. “I see what this is. It’s two people lucky enough to find each other in the sea of shit out there, and neither one is willing to do the work it takes to be together. That’s just sad. That’s so epically sad I might vomit.”

Renic picked up the contract and waved it at her. “I did the work. I had you draft this thing, and I came back to sign it. I was willing. She wasn’t. End of story.”

Morgan took the papers out of his hand and slapped them down on the desk. “You know what, pretty boy? Saying you’re willing to do something is just empty words. It means nothing. Love is a verb, and if you want it you have to act on it.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means it doesn’t matter what grand gesture you plan if the other person doesn’t know anything about it.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “What do you want me to do? Buy out the inn for a year so she has to put up with me?”

“That’s not a horrible idea, but first things first.” Morgan tapped the contract papers. “Sign this deal, then go back up to the Belhurst and show her exactly how your lives will work out together.”

“What good would that do? She’s made up her mind.”

“You don’t know that.”

“She was pretty damn clear.”

She growled at him. “You know, for a smart man you can be so…so…blind.”

“That’s enough, Morgan.” He turned his back on her.

“Did you ever think that maybe she was scared of what it might mean? She spent years getting her shit together and you came waltzing in and disrupted her well-ordered existence. Did it ever occur to you she might need a few minutes to catch her breath?”

He spun around to face her. “She doesn’t want me.”

“Yes, she does.” Morgan met his gaze with a hot one of her own. “If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have argued with you. She wouldn’t have been so scared that she pushed you away. If you’d stuck around the next morning you’d have seen that, you…you…man.”

He blinked at her. “That makes no sense.”

“Oh, Renic. I swear, it’s a miracle any couple gets together these days.” Morgan let out the long, drawn out sigh she used when dealing with someone she thought was purposefully dense. “Look, I’ll make it really easy for you. She pushed you away because she expects every man to act like the lying, cheating dirtbag she was with before. And instead of sticking around to prove that you’re nothing like him, you did exactly what he did. You ran out in the middle of the night. So nowyou need to get off your ass and prove to her that not only are you not that guy, you areexactlywhat she needs and wants.”

She tapped the papers on his desk. “Love life aside, this is a fantastic deal for us, and for the business. I’ve talked with everybody in the office. We’re with you, either way. Ball’s in your court, and you need to decide if you’re taking the shot or not. It’s not fair to keep everyone hanging like this, including yourself.”

Morgan crossed over to the door then glanced back at him. “The Renic I know would take that shot.”

She left, closing the door softly behind her.

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