Page 48 of The Manny

“Do you?”

“I do. I know you’re right.”

I eyed him suspiciously. He was saying the right things, but did he really believe them? “I can’t suddenly be the man you think I should be because it would be good for Mia.” I gritted my teeth. “While I’ve actually enjoyed her being here more than I ever thought I would, I’m still the same man I was before.”

He sighed. “Yes. And there’s nothing wrong with the man you are. I’m sorry that I made you feel I didn’t approve of you. I’m a person who likes to fix things. Situations. People. That obviously didn’t go over well with your type of personality.”

“No.”

He gave a weak smile. “Hey, at least we’re communicating now. This is good, right?”

“I suppose it’s good.”

“This proves we can get along when we both try.”

I studied him, trying to figure out if he was being sincere, or simply trying not to get fired. “Do you understand why I was upset with you, Thomas? I mean, you’re saying all the right things, but do you grasp why I was angry?”

He winced. “I do. I overstepped my position. Like I said, I like fixing problems. You’re possibly the most closed-off man I’ve ever met. I thought maybe I could help you open up. But I’ve decided that was presumptuous of me. You were right, I don’t have my life figured out. Things are far from perfect in Thomas Land.”

I gave a surprised laugh and he allowed a grudging smile.

“Who am I to try and fix you?” he said.

“I mean, it’s nice that you care, but…”

“Yeah, I get it.” He sighed. “I’m backing off completely. Mia is my only reason for being here.”

I was pleasantly surprised at how this conversation had gone. “If we can respect each other’s differences, I think we’ll get along better.”

“Yes.” He nodded. “So, anyway, I’ll leave you to enjoy he rest of your evening. Thanks for letting me have Sunday off.”

I sighed. “Don’t thank me. It’s your right. Hopefully Sunday will go well with me and Mia, and you can start having all of your scheduled days off.”

“Fingers crossed.”

“Enjoy your little date with Aiden.”

Why the hell did I say that? I sound jealous. Fuck.

His gaze flickered. “He’s a good guy.”

“That’s great.” I made a point of sounding disinterested. I was disinterested, right?

He cleared his throat. “Anyway, thanks again for being cool about Sunday.”

“Yep.” I turned back to the TV.

“Goodnight, Jack.”

“Night.”

As he left the room, I kept my gaze trained on the television. I wasn’t sure why my stomach churned at the thought of him and Aiden growing closer. I found it perplexing that the two of them even crossed my mind. Perhaps I was overly focused on Thomas’ sex life because I didn’t have one of my own right now.

That was a problem easily solved. The sooner the better.

Chapter Ten

Thomas

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