Page 68 of Butterflies and Hazel Eyes
“I’m not making any sense, am I? My mind is racing, and I can hardly keep up with it,” he said as he rubbed my arms up and down rhythmically. “What I mean is, life is about to get crazy busy around here. I can’t do this job by myself anymore. I need help. Help from someone who can run a computer in her sleep, organize, schedule, print, code, update, and tour the area with me when I go out and give speeches about the product.”
“What are you saying, Gulliver?” I asked, confused. “You want me to be your assistant?”
He shook his head, which made my heart sink instantly. Working at Butterfly Junction might be the only thing that would keep me from taking the job waiting for me in Indiana.
“I want you to be my partner,” he whispered, his hand cupping my cheek. “I want you to be by my side, reaping the same benefits I am. I want you to be the face of Butterfly Junction. I want you, all of you, here with me. I’ve been working on this for a few weeks. I wanted to find you a dream job that was closer to me than Indiana because I can’t stand the thought of being away from you for a day, much less for weeks at a time.”
I threw my arms around his neck, and he lifted me onto his lap. “I was just thinking how Butterfly Junction could be my dream job,” I teased as he squeezed me around the waist. “And I do love it here.”
“You only love Butterfly Junction?” he asked, tickling my ribs.
I giggled and wiggled against his fingers. “No, I mean, I love you, and I love working here with you.” I leaned back from his embrace. “Are you serious about this? You want me to work here? What about Honey?”
Gulliver possessed my lips again and moaned when he slid his tongue alongside mine. When I was desperate for air, he tugged my lower lip through his teeth before releasing me. “Honey will stay,” he said against my lips. “She’s going to be Mathias’s assistant now that he’s going to need more help too.” He dived back in for more sexed-up kisses until we had to break apart to breathe. “I’ll have to hire a new receptionist because Honey won’t have time. They will focus on the financial side of the business, while we focus on the education and promotion side of things.”
“Which makes me your assistant,” I said, nodding. “It might just be better than the job I thought was my dream job,” I said, laughter on my lips. “I get to stay here and keep loving you!” I squealed, hugging him and planting another kiss on him. “God, I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” he whispered, planting kisses down the side of my cheek. “But you won’t be my assistant. You’ll be my partner. I won’t have it any other way. Your salary will reflect the title, and you will have a partner’s share in the business. Do you understand?”
I loosened my hands on his neck and leaned back to hold his gaze. “I don’t know, Gulliver. Making me a partner when I’ve put nothing into it of monetary value doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
“You’re wrong,” a voice said from the doorway.
Surprised, I spun around to see Mathias standing there with Gulliver’s crutches in hand. He sat on the chair opposite us and folded his hands, but the smile on his face was not easily hidden.
“Can you believe this? I can’t stop my heart from pounding,” he said, his head and hands shaking. “We’ve spent years of our life on this, and suddenly we have it,” he said. “Why do we have it? Because Gulliver was smart enough to call someone in with the skills to protect our files and make sure no one stole all the research. The reason you’re wrong about being a partner in this business is for the reason I just mentioned. Money is one thing, but your creative talent is immeasurable to a business like this. I’ve seen the documents you’ve prepared for the site visits and the beautiful books you’ve produced for education. You can’t put a price on creative talent because not everyone has it. What your mind does boggles mine when it comes to writing code, organizing him,” he said, pointing at Gulliver, “and being able to predict what we’ll need to do before we take the next step. It wasn’t on our radar about the education aspect because we were too focused on getting the research done. We need someone like you as part of this business. We’ve already agreed to make you a partner if you want in. You’ve more than earned it. Not to mention, I’ve never seen Gulliver happier than I have the last two months. I didn’t even know he could smile until you strolled through those doors,” he said, pointing out front.
I laughed and laid my head on Gulliver’s shoulder. “Okay, okay, you’ve convinced me. I’m in!”
Gulliver wrapped me in his arms and laughed, his chest rumbling against mine. “Thank God,” he whispered, his lips brushing mine in a kiss that promised a lifetime of love.
CHAPTER 21
I settled back against the seat of Mathias’s SUV while Simon drove me toward the Apple Orchard to meet the rest of the team for dinner. He had taken me back to Myrtle to change my clothes and grab some dog food for Mojo, so Gulliver could finish up a few things at the office.
Since Mojo was happy staying at Gulliver’s apartment, I left him to sleep for the evening while we celebrated. It was nice not to have to worry about finding someone to keep him when I couldn’t take him with me. I guess, in hindsight, Butterfly Junction was what we’d both needed. I didn’t mean the building either. I meant the comfort, understanding, and acceptance of the people who surrounded us here. They were my tribe, and the moment I knew I didn’t have to let them go, my heart settled inside my chest for the first time in my life. Wrapped in Gulliver’s arms, there was no more doubt, fear, or indecision. He wanted me to be part of his life forever. If he didn’t, he would have asked me to be his assistant and not insisted that I become his partner.
Tomorrow I would have to talk to Laverne about Myrtle. I would have to sell her by the end of August, since Gulliver said apartments would start coming open for rent in the fall. I didn’t want to pay to store it over the winter, but more than that, selling her symbolized the end of that life for me.
“It’s kind of creepy out here tonight,” I said from the passenger seat while Simon drove down the road shrouded in dark shadows.
“I agree,” he said. “I think a storm is rolling in. At least it won’t be severe this time.”
A car in the opposite lane flipped its high beams on, and Simon flashed his lights at them. We couldn’t see a thing with the headlights in our eyes, and it was several more seconds before we realized the car wasn’t in the opposite lane. It was barreling toward us in our lane!
“What the hell?” Simon asked, honking the horn. The car didn’t budge. It just continued plowing through the night without hesitation. “What are you doing?” Simon yelled as he swung into the opposite lane without knowing if anyone was coming. The car made the same maneuver, and fear bloomed brightly in my chest. This wasn’t going to end well.
“Damn it!” Simon yelled and then yanked the wheel to the right. I prayed as hard as I ever had when the tires left the road and entered the ditch. The SUV missed several large trees, and he stomped on the brake. I pretended that smacking my head on the window didn’t hurt like hell as the car skidded and slid through the grass until it lodged itself on a large tree stump, wheels still spinning. Shaking my head to clear it, I struggled to get free of my belt when a thud hit the back of the car. Voices ran toward us, and bullets thudded against the SUV.
Simon was out cold in the seat next to me.
“Simon!” I yelled, shaking him, but his head lolled from side to side. I didn’t want to leave him here, but if I stayed, we were both going to die.
I knew I had to get help. I was the only chance Simon had right now. I pushed the door open, crying out with joy when I tumbled into the grass.
I darted into the dark forest, a sudden pain in my ankle making itself known with every step. I had no idea what was wrong with it, but my self-preservation told it to be quiet while I ran for my life. It was more a hobble and hop, but I had to put distance between me and the car before I tried to call someone. Those guys could come after me next.
A thought struck me then. They didn’t want me. We were driving Mathias’s car. They wanted Mathias.
