Page 8 of Persuading Liam

Gus collapses in her chair and shakes her head. “You are impossible. You know that Liam?”

“I’ve been told.”

“Max mentioned he doesn’t remember you having a recent girlfriend. Is there something—”

“Max needs to keep his mouth shut,” I cut her off, regretting it the moment her face falls.

“I’m sorry, you’re right, I overstepped. It’s none of my business.” She pushes herself out of her chair. “Well, I hope it works out soon or that the Alldridges call you back to sort things out. Let me know if you need anything in the meantime. You can always come to our place if you need to escape.”

I smile stiffly because being around my lovey-dovey, extremely handsy brother and fiancé sounds only a tiny bit better than strangling Elliot. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

She gives me a soft smile and then excuses herself to the bar.

The moment my door shuts with a click, I let out a groan and crumple forward on my desk. I don’t know how one conversation with Gus could make me feel every emotion I’m trying to avoid, but I feel like I ran a full marathon in the space of ten minutes.

I know she’ll tell Max and Max will tell Elliot and Elliot will tell everyone on earth and beyond that will listen so I just fucked myself. And still I can’t be irritated with Gus. She means well and she keeps this place running.

Pulling myself together, I straighten, pull up the research I’m working on for our first franchise location in Aspen, and get to work crunching the figures.

Thankfully, it lulls me into to the cold, unfeeling world of numbers and after a few minutes, I’m numb again. Just like I like it.

5

MARLEY

Ifrown as I approach the old turn-of-the-century building that used to house the Paintbrush Post. It’s the first building I’ve seen in town that hasn’t been refreshed or given a facelift and even though it’s one block back from Main Street, it looks like the set of a horror film.

One of the small windows is boarded up. The old Paintbrush Post sign is rusted and sitting at an angle and if I didn’t have the keys and the signed contract for the position, I’d be sure this place was better left for nature to reclaim.

I turn the key in the lock with my heart in my throat. I took this job sight unseen, after two phone calls with, the let’s just say—‘eccentric’—owner, and therefore, am walking into this as blind as a bat.

The door opens only after I apply my ample body weight to the door and with a squeal that gives me goosebumps.

“Oh God,” I breathe as I look around at the disaster that’s in front of me—my eyes water with unexpected tears. Or allergies from the dust, it’s hard to tell.

The large lobby area is covered in inches of dust and piled high with boxes and pieces of equipment that were outdated farbefore I was born. My gut twists as I flip on the nearest light switch to see the horror in technicolor.

The tiles on the floor are warped and breaking, spiders have draped everything in a net of web, and the pervasive smell is an uncomfortable combination of mold, must, and a dead animal caught in the wall somewhere.

I hold in a sob and jump when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I answer the call when I see Mr. Schuster’s name on my screen. “Hello, Marley Green speaking.”

“Miss Green,” he nearly shouts in my ear. “I just wanted you to know I’m running a bit behind. Have you been to the office yet?”

I swallow. “Yeah. I just got here.”

“A real beaut, aint she?” He asks. “My great-grandfather built that building with the last penny he had left. I can’t wait to breathe life back into that place.”

I can feel the fakeness of my smile when I reply. “Yes, it’s a lovely building. I think we need a bit of cleaning though, and maybe a dumpster to move out some of the old equipment.”

“Of course, of course,” he answers as if these are small items to be addressed. “All in due time. Take a look around, settle in, and I’ll be there in about an hour.”

An hour?Fuck me. “Of course,” I answer, “I’ll poke around and see what I can do with the space.”

“Perfect. See you in about ninety minutes.”

Oh my God.“Of course, see you then.”

And with that, the line goes dead and I find myself standing in the middle of a legitimate disaster trying not to cry. I swallow down the anxiety that climbs my esophagus and try to think of a sensible way to approach my reality.

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