Page 74 of The Arrangement
“And Sebastian hasn’t tried to meddle in your love life yet?”
Simon’s smile turned enigmatic. “Oh, not yet. But it’s unnecessary. I already found the person I want to spend my life with. The situation is…complicated.”
I winced. “Married?”
Simon frowned. “No, he’s just a stubborn fucking asshole.”
“Ah.”
He broke a corner off his scone and waved in the air as if it could dismiss our conversation detour. “My problem won’t be resolved over coffee and scones. Maybe yours can. How are you dealing with your new sense of self? Your family giving you static?”
“Being bi hasn’t been the upheaval I thought it would be. Work is accepting. Rome’s friends obviously have no problem with it. I would imagine the first time I have to deal with hate from a homophobe will be hard, but I want to believe that I’ll push through.”
“Having good friends helps with that part a lot.”
I nodded and gazed at my coffee. “I haven’t told my family. My father is dead, and I’m not all that close with my brothers, though I kind of think their reaction is going to be the same as my mother’s, which will be terrible. Truth be told, I’m not too worried about it. I’ll tell them eventually and stop talking to them. My life won’t change all that much.” I paused, and a wicked grin spread across my face. “I am tempted to wait and tell my mother on her deathbed. If I give her a heart attack, no one would notice, right?”
Simon laughed hard and suddenly snorted, which made me giggle like a lunatic. The sounds of talking and the clink of glasses seemed to quiet as half the coffee shop turned to stare at us for a moment, but everyone returned to their business.
I took a deep, cleansing breath, soaking in the scent of coffee, sugar, and yeast. The shop was sprinkled with the glow of Edison bulbs and decorated with dark wood and old iron, giving it a rustic charm. Everything about it felt like a warm hug.
“Okay, so the problem isn’t being bi,” Simon said after clearing his throat. “What’s really got you tied up in knots?”
“You’re going to think it’s stupid.”
“I doubt it, but even if I do, who cares? Who am I? Trust me, I have no room to comment on stupid behavior. Right now, I feel like I might be the king of it.” He broke off another piece of his scone, a bit more violently this time, and shoved it into his mouth. Yeah, definitely a story there, but I was afraid to ask.
My lemon square sat there untouched, looking delicious but sad. The idea of shoving it all into my mouth and returning to the counter for a scone was more tempting than I cared to admit.
Gathering up what little courage I had, I leaned across the table so that I was nearly whispering in Simon’s ear. “I’m having trouble dealing with Rome’s money.”
Simon’s eyebrows shot to his hairline, and he said nothing for several seconds as I dropped back into my chair. “Well…” he began slowly. “Disputes over money are the number one reason most relationships fail.”
“Yeah, but most of the time, the problem is not having enough of it. You and I know that is not an issue for Rome.”
“True.” Simon took a sip of his latte. “Could you be more specific?” He lowered his voice, in case anyone was close enough to overhear us. “Do you have a problem with rich guys?”
“No!” A scoff broke from my throat. “It’s nice to know that he won’t borrow a crap ton of money from me or constantly stiffme on the rent. That sort of stuff. I guess I wasn’t prepared for people to use me to get to Rome and his money. I don’t know how to protect him from people like that. How do I recognize the con artists? Does he ever worry I’m going to use him for his money? I don’t think he does, but what if I take him and his money for granted? And shouldn’t he have, like, a bodyguard or evenbodyguardsto protect him? I’ve been to his place, and as far as I could tell, he didn’t have a cook or a butler or a live-in housekeeper? Dating him feels like I’m taking on a full-time job of trying to protect him—not that I have a problem with protecting him. Absolutely not. It’s that I’m just a freaking paleontologist and a part-time university professor. What do I know about that kind of lifestyle?”
By the time I’d spilled all of my guts, I was panting and frantic. And yet, Simon was staring at me with the biggest grin on his face.
“What?” I snapped. Yep, he thought I was stupid.
“Rome is so lucky to have you.”
“But he doesn’t. I’ve left him hanging out there because I needed some space to figure my shit out. Except I haven’t figured anything out. All I’ve done is panic.”
Simon surprised me by reaching across the table and taking my hands in his. His hands were soft and cool, but his fingertips were surprisingly rough from calluses.
“Liam, I’m going to remind you of a few things you seem to have forgotten. Rome is thirty-five.”
“Thirty-four,” I corrected, making his smile even wider.
“He’s thirty-four, and he comes from a family that has been rich for several generations. He grew up with money, just like his father and grandfather.”
Fuck. He was right. I was the newbie here. Not Rome.
“The only problem I see here is that Rome hasn’t done a good job of showing you all the precautions he has in place to protecthim from bad actors. He also hasn’t taken steps to protect you from those people or taught you how to deal with things. This shit isn’t on your shoulders. It’s on Rome’s.”
