Page 68 of The Arrangement
Chief Executive Officer, Ashbridge Charitable Foundation
Below that was an email address and a phone number.
“I don’t understand,” I stated, lifting my gaze from the card to Rome.
“When I graduated college, I got access to the trust fund my parents and grandparents had set up for me. It was a stupid amount of money. Far more than any twenty-one-year-old had a right to access. I always knew I had zero interest in running the family business.”
“You said Sydney wanted to do that,” I chimed in, mentioning the cousin I barely remembered ever seeing as kids.
“Yep. But I also didn’t want to waste the money, so my first task was hiring an investment team to manage the money. But my dad was the one to sit me down and hand me a card like this. He told me that the best thing I could do for myself was to hire a Shonna.”
“I don’t understand.”
His expression turned a bit embarrassed. “You know me. I’m not the brightest glow stick in the pack. Someone comes up to me with a ‘good cause,’ and I immediately want to hand them money. Half the time, you can’t tell if you’re being scammed until it’s too late. I created a charitable foundation and put more than half of my money into it. Then I hired Shonna to manage it. The biggest part of her job is to say no.”
A giggle escaped me. “You’re shitting me.”
Rome didn’t smile or laugh. “My foundation gives out close to a billion dollars a year to hundreds of charities—big and tiny—but there are still more out there that need help. It’s her job to sift through all of them and divvy up the money. It’s her job to say no because I’m really fucking bad at it. She’s so fucking good at spotting the scams and the ones that are shitty about spreading the money to those who need it. There are too many assholes out there who run charities but keep the bulk of the money for themselves.” He sucked in a deep breath and released it in a rush. “At the first mention of a donation, what I should have done was hand you Shonna’s card. It’s what I do whenever anyone asks for a donation.”
My eyes drifted to the card. I got it now. If he would have handed me the card, I would have passed it along to my boss. She would have contacted Shonna and gone through all the right channels to secure a donation for the department.
Except if Rome had given me the card, would I be sitting here right now? His silly plan had forced us to talk, to work outour past, and eventually opened my eyes to my own repressed sexuality.
“I’m sorry,” Rome whispered. “I didn’t mean to make you go through all this hassle with your job. Definitely never wanted you to quit. Do you want me to talk to your boss? Clear the air?”
“No. I…don’t regret the way things happened because it means we’re friends again, at the very least. The job…I need to think about.”
“Why does it sound like dating is something you need to think about too?”
“Because it’s the smart thing to do. Dating someone like you is a big deal. It comes with extra…things to consider.” I tried to explain while carefully skirting the term “baggage.” Shifting in my seat, I licked my lips, trying to properly organize my thoughts. “You have people trying to scam and use you for money. How are you sure that I’m not using you for money? Fuck, how do I keep from taking you for granted?”
“I trust you. I know you’re not.”
His words warmed me, but I still hesitated. “Rome…it’s been a lot this past month. Figuring out I’m not straight. Finding out what happened between us. Friends. Sex. My job. It’s overwhelming. And even though I’m so happy with you, I’m scared to go rushing into something that could be really fucking big with you.”
“You need space,” Rome mumbled.
“I know. So fucking lame.”
Rome offered me a weak smile. “Not lame. Smart. Way smarter than me. I know you’re the type who needs to sit down and think things out on their own. I’m the type to jump in without a single thought and then make a fucking mess.” He paused, his smile so sad. “But can you promise me something?”
“What?”
“When you walk out of here today, don’t let it be the last time I see you. Promise that if you decide you don’t want to date me, you’ll at least come see me one last time. Tell me to my face. I won’t fight you about it. I just…I don’t think I could take it if you disappear out of my life like the last time.” Rome’s voice cracked at the end, and my heart shattered.
Wrapping my hand around the nape of his neck, I jerked him in close and slammed my mouth over his. The kiss was rough and almost painful, but I didn’t want him hurting like this. It was almost impossible to keep myself from saying fuck it all. This space and time were absolutely necessary for my sanity. I wanted to do what was right for both of us.
“I’ll be back. I swear. No ghosting. No disappearing. I will be back.”
23
ROME ASHBRIDGE
To sayI was pissed was an understatement.
I was pissed at Liam’s boss for putting him in such an awkward position.
But I was even more pissed at myself for not realizing how my stupid stunt was going to blow up in my face.
