Page 33 of A Conflict of Interest

“Oh, now you can get my name right. Yes, I am! I’m mad at everything right now. I’m not mad about the food, though, it smells nice. Thanks. But I’m still mad at you. Give me somespace,dammit. I just want to… cry.”

She put a hand on my back. “But you’ll get her back, right? You two are so wonderful together.”

“Oh my god, you won’t listen. I’m not trying to get her back. That… she’s made it clear she doesn’t want me back and she won’t hear anything else. I need you to hear that too. It hurts when you keep telling me to go patch things up with her because Ican’tand I just…” I looked down, hunching my shoulders. “I want to make things… better for her. At least a little bit.”

She didn’t say anything, just watching me, taking it in. I folded my arms.

“I’ve got a job to do. I’m going to make sure it’s completed under Kelcey’s name. It’s going to keep me busy every minute of the week, but… it’s kinda the least I can do. She deserves that much.”

“Is there anything I can do for you, sweetie?”

I shook my head. “Just… just give me the space to do it.”

She squeezed my shoulder. “Well, I love you, and I’m here for you however I can be. There’s food on the stove so you can help yourself while you work. If you need someone to help out with food or cleaning or anything while you work, I’m here. Or you can come back to the family house… not tonight, though. Matthew and Chelsea are there tonight too, a little hosting.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Gould? Again? They’ve been around like every day lately.”

She smiled warmly. “They’re both wonderful. They complement me and your father beautifully.”

“Mom, is this a swinger’s arrangement?”

Mom looked horrified at me, dropping her hands by her sides. “Veronica! Where did you learn that word?”

I stared at her. “I’m almost thirty years old, Mom. I’vebeenthe unicorn for married couples before. I know these things.”

“You’ve beenwhat?When?”

“Do you want me to list every time?”

Her jaw dropped further. “Oh, god, Veronica. Multiple times?”

“Nah, just once each.”

“Oh my god.”

“The point is, you don’t have to be squeamish about these things.”

She put her chin up. “It’s not aswinger’s arrangement,Veronica. It’s just… a very special bond.”

Yeah, that was code for a swinger’s arrangement. Either that or foursomes, but I absolutely could not see Mom doing that. I could see Matthew Gould doing it, though. Another conflict of interest for the pile. Anna was going to have an aneurysm once she found out. “Well, thanks for the food, Mom. Might come by the family house another time when you’re not all busy with some filthyspecial bondsin it.”

She made a desperate face at me. “Veronica! Don’t say it like that!”

But I managed to escort her from the premises before too much longer, and I sat in front of my laptop, a million feelings crystallized into something I’d never had in my life before: a resolution to get to work.

Guess Kelcey brought out all kinds of things in me. Gayness, feelings,andwork ethic. Hell of a trio.

But if this was the only thing I could do, then I was going to do it.

Chapter 11

Kelcey

Big, full, productive day of… data scrubbing.

I didn’t know why I even bothered looking through the files. I knew I wasn’t actually supposed to be working, and that they were totally fine. But it felt like I was working, and that made me feel a little better as I scrolled through one after another after another doing nothing, and I went to bed that evening a productive and accomplished member of society.

I lay in bed wishing I could cry as I watched the ceiling fan turn slowly and the silky curtains rustle in the breeze, and somewhere between a thousand and a million hours spent thinking horrible thoughts about Veronica that ripped something raw out of my chest, I slipped into dreams where I got to think of her there instead.

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