Page 94 of Charmed By Destiny

“Was Maribeth shocked to find that a new inspirit has taken up residence in the Marwood guest house?”

For a single heartbeat, Richard didn’t know what Douglas was referring to, then it hit him. Lucas was supposedly living in the guest house while the Marwoods helped him relocate to a quiet home. At least no one had figured out that Lucas shared a bed with Richard.

“Oh no, we kept her in the loop,” Richard said. “She’s eager to befriend Lucas.”

“Luke. He prefers Luke.”

Wondering why it suddenly mattered what Richard called Lucas since he’d used his full name since the day the inspirit had arrived many months ago, he scowled. “He hasn’t corrected me.”

“You’re his boss. Of course not.”

“You know I don’t consider myself a boss to any inspirit.”

“Your last name is Marwood. Your family owns the resort. Whatever your thoughts are about inspirits like me and Luke, how would he know your feelings? To him, you’re the boss and he’s not going to correct you. Be mindful of what other people want, Richard. As your friend, I feel like sometimes you need to be reminded that the world doesn’t revolve around you. With your wealth and privilege, I think it’s easy for you to forget that the rest of us don’t live in a mansion or have our parents to smooth out every wrinkle in life for us.”

Richard swallowed thickly as he gathered his thoughts. The last thing he’d expected was to be scolded by Douglas. Richard understood how lucky he was to have his family and his vast resources, but he considered himself grounded. Was he kidding himself? Lucas had pointed out that Richard was his boss multiple times. Did he prefer to be calledLuke? Were there other things Lucas kept to himself because of a perceived imbalance in their relationship?

“Thank you, I appreciate your honesty,” Richard said, his mind and soul in tumult.

“Your strengths are your confidence, your ability to assert yourself, and your convictions. But sometimes the things that define us most can also be weaknesses. Once you have a belief, it’s difficult or impossible to make you see the other side of the argument.”

Biting his lip to keep his shit together so he wouldn’t cry at work, Richard took a deep cleansing breath. He wanted the people he cared about to be frank with him, but Richard’s office was hardly the nicest spot to discuss his personal issues.

“I appreciate your candor,” Richard stated, ignoring the tremor in his voice. “But it’s getting late, and I have a few things to wrap up before I meet Gabriel and my father.”

“And Luke. He rides home with the Marwoods, doesn’t he?”

It took every ounce of Richard’s self-control not to shout that he’d never forget about his soulmate. Not a moment went by when Lucas wasn’t in his heart. “Yes.”

“Then mention him or it makes it sound like you don’t put the same amount of value on him. Remember that inspirits are people too.”

“Of course you are. Not that I want to get into an argument with you, but I put Gabriel’s name first. If I was trying to minimize the importance of inspirits, I would’ve left his name out too. Last time I checked, he’s an inspirit, just like you.”

“Except that he’s not. Gabe is married to Eric. He’s become a Marwood.”

Irritated, Richard crossed his legs and wiggled his foot to burn off some of the adrenaline building inside him. Douglas was twisting a knife in his chest, and it was pissing Richard off. “Gabriel has been a Marwood since the day my parents met him over three decades ago. What is it you wanted to discuss with me, Douglas?”

“Before I articulate my request, I have every intention of speaking to Clark if you try to impede my plans. While you resurrected me to serve as your partner, that is no longer whatIwant. Conference services remain my passion, but I need space to move on with my life. I’d like to be transferred to another resort—preferably outside of the country. My dedication to you has kept me from traveling, and I want to see Europe. There are plenty of Marwood properties there, and surely one of them can use an inspirit with my experience and abilities.”

The muscles along Richard’s jaw ached. He forced himself to unclench his teeth. There were so many issues with Douglas’s little speech that Richard wasn’t sure where to begin. Pain and fury blended inside Richard, and it was impossible to separate them. They’d been friends for so long, and Richard had tried everything he could think of to protect his feelings—even keeping his genuine relationship with Lucas a secret.

“I resurrected you because I hoped you’d share my interests in conference services, but I didn’t mandate that you act as my partner. All these years, I thought you were my co-director because you enjoyed working with me and I believed we made an excellent team. As for your transfer, that has nothing to do with me. You know that. Every inspirit is aware of how it works. My father handles that. Call him up. You have his number.” Richard rose and brushed the wrinkles from his slacks. “If Clark doesn’t answer, call Gabriel. Or Rhonda. They’ll have you on the next plane to wherever you want to go within hours. Why you think I’d impede what you want to do is a question only you can answer. I demanded nothing from you. In fact, all I’ve done is reject the idea that I’m your soulmate. Suddenly, my desire not to sleep with you has made me your enemy.”

Douglas opened his mouth to say something, but Richard held up a hand to silence him. He marched to his office door and whipped it open.

“We have nothing more to discuss,” Richard stated calmly. “I’ll tell my father and Gabriel that you want to speak to them the moment I see them. Right after that, I’ll ask Lucas about his feelings regarding his damn name so no one thinks I’m devaluing inspirits.”

“Richard—”

“I’m leaving for the day, Douglas. If you decide to transfer immediately, please ensure your assistant can access your files so this office isn’t left in the lurch by your departure.”

Douglas walked through the door but paused just past the threshold. “My resignation letter will state that I’m giving you two weeks’ notice.”

“That should go to human resources, not me, our titles are equal. But if you’d prefer that I send it to them, have it on my desk first thing in the morning.”

Richard was tempted to slam the door, but he closed it gently between him and the inspirit he’d considered his friend for years. Maybe there was something left in the tatters of their relationship, but it was apparent now that space would be a good thing for them both. With a shake of his head, Richard went to his desk to pack up his things for the night.

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