Page 280 of The First Time
"Kat, now. I'm not going to be able to sleep. This doesn't make any sense."
"In the morning. We'll get pancakes and walk around the gardens."
"I got this today." She goes to the kitchen table and picks up an envelope. "A scholarship from your boyfriend's company. Excuse me, your fiancé's company."
"That's great."
"Kat, you know I'll be happy for you. I'll support you in whatever this is, but only if you tell me the truth."
My chest tightens. That's what I want. Only I also want her respect. And I'm not sure I deserve it. "Okay, I promise."
"How the hell did you get me this scholarship?"
"You earned it."
"Bullshit." She slams the paper against the table. The whole thing shakes, and her glasses fall off her nose. The tough look on her face drops. "Okay, so I'm not pulling this off."
"You'd make a great bad cop." I take a seat at the kitchen table. "He suggested it. Said you'd be perfect for it no matter what, since you're a woman in STEM."
She wipes her glasses on her t-shirt. "I mean no offense by this, really, but did he suggest this while you were on your knees?"
"Really?"
"Really? I'm not the one suddenly engaged to a freakin' billionaire."
My sister thinks I'm a whore. Or maybe I am a whore. I'm fucking Blake because I want him. But the rest? He is buying something from me. Something that shouldn't be for sale. "We have an agreement. It has nothing to do with you."
"So he hasn't been your secret boyfriend forever?"
"No."
"You're not in love?"
"No."
"But you are having sex? I mean, I know you are. You keep showing up with a satisfied look on your face."
"We are. But that's not what he's paying for. I know how it sounds—"
"You don't have to explain." She folds the letter. "You deserve a break, Kat. And he's hot. Whatever he's paying for… I don't care. As long as you're happy. And as long as it's for you."
"It's for us."
Her expression gets serious. "Don't do this for me."
"You already have the scholarship. It's done."
"Kat! Will you fucking listen for a minute?"
"I am."
"No, you're not. I know you're obsessed with solving all our problems, and I appreciate that. I really do. But I'm an adult. I can handle things too. I can find a scholarship. Or take a loan. You've already sacrificed a lot for me. I can't take you giving up anything else."
But… this is for us. It needs to be for us or what the hell is the point of it?
"Kat?"
"Just take the scholarship."
