Page 53 of The Fear of Falling
She’s worried about me paying rent? She clearly has no idea what people in my line of work make, but that also might mean she herself is strapped for cash and thinks everyone else is too. But that wouldn’t make sense. I’ve seen what Rose & Quill brings in, and their numbers aren’t small. It’s why someone like Phillip Rogers would be interested in investing in the first place.
I groan and roll over, folding my pillow in half to make it easier to see my phone.
Benson:
What is your salary, Avery?
Avery:
Huh?
Benson:
How much are you getting paid as CEO and Creative Director?
Avery:
I don’t see how this is relevant.
I try to picture where she is right now, if she’s sitting at her kitchen table eating that cheesecake I wish I hadn’t ignored or if she’s in bed, like I am. “Don’t picture her in bed,” I mutter to myself and type out a text.
Benson:
I can look it up when I get to the office tomorrow, but I’m going to guess it isn’t enough.
Avery:
We’re being cautious with our salaries.
She was cautious in Italy too, which is part of the reason I tried to buy her things whenever she seemed to be silently telling herself she didn’t need something she wanted. Which makes me wonder again why she thinks I might be struggling to pay my bills. She knows what I spent on her in Florence.
Benson:
One, you should be getting paid more, so that’s my first order of business tomorrow. And two, I live in a tenth-floor two-bedroom condo in the middle of Manhattan and have already paid off the mortgage. I’m perfectly fine.
Her response takes longer to come in than I’d like, but I use the time while I wait to see if I can log in to the R&Q spreadsheets on my phone. It’s not the greatest setup on this small of a screen, but I can see enough to confirm Avery isn’t being paid what she should. Thankfully, Eric’s salary is equally pitiful, though I half expected to learn he’s been paying himself more than what he’s giving her.
He may be an idiot sometimes, but he’s not a tool.
When Avery’s text finally comes through, I almost drop my phone in my effort to open it as quickly as I can.
Avery:
Right. I forgot you’re both rich and handsome.
I lift myself up on one elbow, staring at the words on the screen. “Avery Grace, are you flirting with me?” She called me out on my unintentional flirting at the restaurant, but this brazen compliment is new coming from her.
What am I supposed to do with it? Ignore it. That’s what I should do. But my thumb has other ideas.
Benson:
Like I said, I don’t need the Australian job.
That’s not entirely true, given I haven’t found any other international companies with the size and influence I need to expand my business, but I’m not about to tell her that.
Avery:
That sounds like a heist. Like The Italian Job?
