Page 218 of The Re-Proposal

Joel keeps grinning.

I pretend not to notice and say, “I respect that you’re trying to protect your mom’s cousin, but Winifred is dangerous.”

“He’s really not. I know him.”

“You don’t know what people are willing to do when they’re backed into a corner. Right now, Winifred is running from the lawandhe’s angry with me. That makes him unpredictable. I need to find him before he does anything to hurt someone we both love.”

“Do you really think Uncle Win will go after Clarissa?”

Hell. Just the mention of it is like a punch to the gut.

“I don’t know. But I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

Joel’s tongue darts out to lick his lips. He struggles to sit upright. I move behind him, helping to fluff his pillows.

“That night, Uncle Win called me and told me that you had it out for him. He said you fired him after he stood up to you in a meeting. He said you’d always hated him.”

My eyebrows cinch together. “None of thateverhappened. The day I fired your uncle was the first time we met.”

“He said you hated him and that you only chose me as your fake son because I was related to him and…”

“And what?” I say slowly, sensing that he’s struggling with this next part.

“He said that I shouldn’t get too comfortable. That you were going to throw me away the moment I stopped being useful. He told me that I don’t mean anything to you and that you probably wanted me to die so you could earn sympathy points.”

“And you believed him?”

“What was I supposed to believe?” Joel hisses. “You only hired me for the PR and you never said anything about staying together.” His shoulders slump. “Not that I expected you to. I get that I can be a lot.”

Screw it.I hate seeing him down on himself.

“You’re not the problem, Joel, I am. Apart from my brother and his family, I’ve been alone all this time. It’s easier that way. Everything is under my control when it’s just me. With other people, there are too many variables.”

“Variables?” He snorts. The mask on his face gets cloudy again.

“Too many things that can go wrong. Too many things that I can’t control. I feel that pressure for you. And for Clarissa. I want you to be safe. And if anything happens to you, I take it personally. I want to fix it. I’llobsessuntil I can make it right.”

“Why do you think you have to make it right on your own? You can’t control everything. You can’t even control if it rains or not.”

“I can take an umbrella,” I fire back.

“Or you can share mine,” he answers. “It doesn’t have to be that complicated.”

We were supposed to do this together.

Clarissa’s words echo in my head.

Joel stares at me. “When you’re so obsessed with control, you don’t treat people like family. You treat them like prisoners. I’m not a child. Neither is Clarissa. We’re responsible for ourselves. We control ourselves. You don’t always have to fix it. And even if it needs fixing, you don’t have to fix it alone.”

I sigh as the realization hits. “Share the umbrella.”

Clarissa wanted to share hers, and instead, I took the umbrella and impaled her with it.

“You’re a wise kid.” I eye Joel with a hint of respect.

“I’ve been watching a lot ofDoctor Philre-runs in here.”

I chuckle.

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