Page 78 of Daddy's Little Matchmaker

Instead of appearing contrite, Tessica put her hands on her hips. “It didn’t seem like the sort of thing that a text would cover. That’s why I waited to tell you in person. Not because I thought you’d disapprove. Quite the opposite, I thought you’d be excited about it, too. Or at the very least, happy for me.”

Frustrated by her lack of guilt or contrition, Connor raised his voice slightly. “Why would I be happy about this? You’re already putting in way too many hours at the two jobs you’re currently working. And now you want to add a third? Speaking of which, how many hours did you work over your ten per day to get all these forms done?”

She gestured to the computer. “Thisisn’t work. I did this forfun.”

Feeling the urge to spank her for her attitude, Connor took a deep breath and reminded himself that they were equals when she wasn’t Little. “Fun? Maybe the rule shouldn’t be about how many hours of work you put in. Maybe it should be about how many hours of sleep you get per night, because I’m positive you stayed up working on this when you should have been sleeping.”

A flash of guilt crossed her face, and she broke eye contact. She snapped her laptop closed and focused back on him. “I don’t agree to a rule about sleep. I’m a full-grown adult and perfectly capable of deciding to stay up a bit late when I’m enjoying myself.”

Clenching his jaw, Connor said, “Fine. That’s a discussion for another time. Right now I want to focus on this.” He pointed tothe closed laptop. “I am not okay with any of this, and if you were thinking rationally, you wouldn’t be okay with it either.”

“Rationally!” she repeated, clearly offended by his comment.

He continued, “You already worktwojobs, Tessica. You don’t have time to start a new venture. Not to mention there’s no time for us. Between the club, your jobs, and my limited time here in Oregon, we already don’t spend that much time together.”

“Good point,” she said, “You’re here maybe two days a week. I’m not going to spend the other five days sitting around pining for you. Now that I’ve got Kelly working here Monday through Friday, I’m going to have plenty of free time for my new ‘venture’ as you put it. And now that I’ve already made the forms, my matchmaking isn’t going to take up that much time.”

“That’s completely naive of you! Of course it’s going to take up a huge chunk of your time, especially if you put up a flyer at Connections.” Connor shook his head. “No.”

“No?”

“That’s right, no. You’re not doing this,” he said with finality.

She scoffed. “That’s not your call.”

The urge to spank her was nearly overwhelming. He had to keep telling himself she wasn’t Little. They were equals. He had no way to force her compliance, and it was beyond frustrating. Usually when he told his partner ‘no’ there were either tears or tantrums, not a scoff and a declaration that he had no right to tell her what to do. Grasping at straws, Connor said, “If you’re not willing to listen to reason, maybe you’ll listen to this. If you continue with your matchmaking plans, I’ll sell this house.”

Her entire body stiffened, and shock crossed her features for a millisecond before her glare returned. She crossed her arms, and her voice became quietly angry. “I cannot believe you just said that to me.”

He knew it was extreme, but he couldn’t think of any other way to get her to listen. “Believe it.”

Tessica shook her head and shrugged, “Fine. Sell it. I own the business, all the equipment, and I’ll get half the money from the sale of the house. I’ll move Fur-Ever Friends somewhere else, and since we won’t be dating any longer, I’ll have plenty of time and energy to put into my new matchmaking business.”

Connor froze. Had she just broken up with him? That was the opposite of what he’d been trying to accomplish. He shook his head. “Are you seriously telling me that you’re breaking up with me overthis?”

“You heard me.” Tessica angrily walked behind the counter, pulled her jacket out, and put it on.

“That’s completely ridiculous!” He tossed his hands in the air in frustration.

“No, Connor. You’re the one being ridiculous, not me.” She grabbed her purse and her laptop, and headed toward the front door.

Her calm tone was infuriating. “You can’t leave, we’re in the middle of a discussion!”

She opened the door and turned back to say, “I’m not sure what else there is to discuss. You gave me two options, and I picked the one that I’m able to live with. Please lock up when you leave.”

Tessica walked out and shut the door behind her. The chilled air left in her wake gave Connor goosebumps. His stomach twisted, and he took one step forward before he stopped himself. The urge to go after her was almost too strong to deny, but he wasn’t sure what he could possibly say to change her mind that he hadn’t already said.

He’d forced her to choose, and she hadn’t chosen him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Tessica got in her car, tossed her laptop and jacket on the passenger seat, and slammed the driver’s door closed. Furious, she jammed the keys into the ignition and started the car with shaky hands. Driving on autopilot, she headed to her apartment. Luckily, it wasn’t very far away and she didn’t have to go on the freeway.

Howdarehe threaten to sell the house in an attempt to force her hand? Bile rose up in her throat as she replayed their conversation.

“It’s better to know now,” she whispered to herself, even though she didn’t believe the words.

She’dconfidedin Connor. Told him the way her husband had forced her compliance with an ultimatum. Never speak about her sexual identity or possibly lose custody of her children. And just like today, she’d chosen the only option she could live with.

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