Page 47 of Come Home to Me

I realize I’m watching my life come undone. This job, the thing I’ve devoted my life to, it’s falling to pieces in front of me, all because one crazy woman decided to…what? What does Bree think she’s doing here? Am I supposed to come running into her arms? Is this some kind of revenge? What the hell is happening?

Brian leans forward and crosses his arms on his desk, the seams of his jacket straining. “It’s ridiculous that I have to sacrifice a brilliant engineer for a receptionist, but given the fact that this is the third time we’ve run into a situation like this with you and a female employee, I’m afraid we have to let you go. McDougan & Kent can no longer afford to be connected to you.”

“Mr. Kent…” I stand. “Brian…” I shake my head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t know what Bree told you, but that woman is crazy. I love this job and I’m good at this job. Hell, I’m great at this job—”

“That will be all, Mr. Wilde. Please gather your things and vacate the premises. I’ll spare you the embarrassment of being escorted out by security.”

I stand in shocked silence for all of half a second before I spin on my heel and storm out of his office. A weaker man would continue pleading, stating his case over and over.

I am not the kind of man who begs.

Rage propels me straight to Bree. “You got me fired?” I bellow as I come to a stop in front of her.

Color drains from her face as she stares up at me. “What?”

I grip her desk and lean down. “You crazy bitch! You actually got them to fire me? Why? Because I didn’t want to go out with you? What the hell did you think was going to happen?” I push off from her desk, run my hands into my hair, and pace in a tight path. “Are you happy now that you’ve destroyed my life?”

The Wilde boys are fighters and my rage needs a physical outlet, though I’d never dream of hitting a woman. I consider upending her desk. Tossing her stuff to the floor. Punching my fist through the wall.

I pace again, my hands clenched, forcing myself to calm down enough to avoid those mistakes.

Bree sits back in her chair. “I didn’t know they’d fire you.” She shakes her head, looking appalled, her eyes wide with fear and regret.

“Right.” I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. “What is it with you? What did I ever do to you, Bree? What did I do to deserve this?”

“Nothing. You didn’t do anything.” Bree pushes back her chair and holds out her hands. “I thought they’d fire Sarah.”

“Well, they didn’t.” I slam a hand on her desk and curse. The office falls silent. All eyes land on me. I run my hands into my hair and pull. What am I if I don’t have this job? A failed rancher? A failed engineer?

Just a failure?

There isn’t another firm I’d want to work for, besides, who would hire me after this?

My hands ball into fists and I glower at Bree.

All the times I brushed off her crazy behavior as nothing but an irritation…

Each time I laughed that her quirks were a small price to pay for working in such a forward-thinking place…

I could have complained about her a hundred times but didn’t, and this is how she repays me? This?

By getting me fired?

Security guards scurry through the office, their sights set on me, the crazy man screaming at a woman doing nothing more than sitting in her chair. I spin on my heels and stride into my office.

I snort at the thought.

This office isn’t mine anymore.

I pivot, taking in the books on the shelves, the personal items I have on my desk. How am I supposed to get all of this home now?

I grab a few books and tuck them under my arms as Jason arrives in my doorway, blocking the security guards. “Back off, guys,” he says. “Frank deserves better than this.”

Trish arrives with a box. Hands it to Jason without making eye contact. He hands it to me, his gaze full of I told you so and pity.

“Don’t fucking look at me like that,” I say.

“Like what? Like I told you to be careful because I could see this coming a million miles away?”

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