Page 21 of Wild Love
Everything he says sounds so snarky. It immediately gets my hackles up, but I can’t go back to ragging on him until I get this locked down.
“I have an MBA. I wouldn’t corner you into making a poor business decision.”
His dark green eyes are back on me now, assessing. “Okay.”
I blink a few times. “Okay?”
“You told me I couldn’t say no.” A charming dimple pops up on his left cheek, but just a flash. There for a moment and gone.
Standing taller, I step toward him and take a deep breath, eyeing his scuffed boots until I draw my gaze up to meet his forest-green stare. His scent wraps around me. Cedar. No, sandalwood. I’m not sure. Trees. Wood. The scent of the incense I burned during my hippie phase. And something fresher, brighter.
With a shake of my head, I blurt out my plan. “You should hire me.”
He blinks and slowly pulls his sunglasses from his mouth as his eyes bounce between my own. I lift my chin high and stare back at him, refusing to back down.
“I can be your assistant. Or whatever. Something? I’ll clean up the cobwebs. I’m a wizard in Excel. Good—no great—with budgets. Who knows, maybe I can make you into a trillionaire? Or I can help with Cora! Busy frowning and staring at your bank account balance? No problem! I’ll pick her up from school.”
He continues to stare, his features giving nothing away. I should have been nicer about my offer. Maybe. No, definitely. Time stretches, and my tongue darts out over my bottom lip as my confidence wanes and nerves set in.
His gaze follows the tip of my tongue almost in slow motion.
His throat bobs, and he repeats the best word in the world. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
He shrugs and crosses his arms, biceps bulging against the thin fabric of his worn shirt. “Remember the part where youjusttold me I couldn’t say no?”
I nod. “Still expected you to be a dick and do it anyway.”
His lips tip up and he shakes his head as he turns and moves away from me. “Rosalie, when have I ever said no to you?”
And I just stand here, stunned.
I need a ride home from this party. I want to be alone.
I need a job.
Because try as I might, no matter how big of a dick he’s been, I can’t come up with a single instance of Ford ever telling me anything other thanokay.
CHAPTER EIGHT
ROSIE
I leanagainst the side of my car in front of Rose Hill Middle School. It’s not quite warm yet in early spring but leaning against black paint in a direct sunbeam is a fantastic way to fool myself into feeling like it is.
When Ford mentioned pickup time, I immediately offered to head out. That barn fucking stinks, and when I suggested he might want to hire a professional contractor to bring it into this century, he stopped talking to me. Like the sulky boy I remember. Even though he knows I’m right.
That’s why I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Too much tension. A knot in my stomach that’s making me second-guess my qualifications for this position. The memory of how my last job ended—that maybe I wasn’t hired for my capabilities at all. I needed some room to breathe. Away from Ford. Breathing is always harder around him. Which is also why I’m here early.
My phone vibrates in my back pocket, and I pull it out to find Ryan’s name flashing across the screen. With a heavy sigh, I swipe to answer.
Maybe the warm sun will make this conversation feel better.
“Hey.”
“Babe. Hi. How’s the family visit?” he says, sounding totally distracted. I know he’s probably at work right now, scanning emails or reviewing his formal invitation to the Old Boys Club. Something crunches, and he’s clearly chewing. It shouldn’t annoy me—everyone needs to eat—but the sound is like nails on a chalkboard.
Probably because I took off on the heels of something that clearly upset me, and he seems completely nonplussed about the entire thing.
