Page 79 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
“I can’t. It’s the truth. You’re my client. It’s wrong in every professional scenario I can dream up.”
“You’re fired. I haven’t called Rowan once since I’ve been here anyway, so there’s no issue. As far as I’m concerned, I fired you a month ago.”
“You… You can’t fire me. We have a contract.”
“So you’d like me to be your client.”
“Yes. We have a contract.”
“And you’re my girlfriend.”
“I—”
“The only acceptable answer is yes.”
“Gah, Thane. Stop pushing me. What I do, what I want, and when I want it is my decision, not yours.”
What the hell is she talking about?
“You said you were mine.” The words hurt as though they became barbed wire on the way up my throat.
Something has her face softening, though, and I stare at her intently to find out what.
“I did,” she whispers. “It’s just…this is a lot, and fast, and so much to figure out.”
“Agreed. But what happened was not and will never be considered a mistake.”
“Fine. It was a conflict of interest. Is that better?”
I consider that long enough that she rolls her eyes. “Yes,” I concede. “That’s better. I don’t agree with your assessment, but it’s an easy fix. I no longer require your services, so I’ll pay the fee to terminate the contract.”
“It’s like talking in circles.” She flops back against the sofa and covers her face with her arm.
“What’s wrong? Are you about to faint?”
She groans in response, and I cross the room to lift her into my arms.
“Oh my God. Stop trying to carry me everywhere.” She scoots farther down the sofa. “Seriously, you need to chill out. I’m not made of glass. I’m not a shrinking violet. And while you’ve managed to outmaneuver me at every turn, I still have agency over my life, so back off a little.”
I frown. She’s being completely unreasonable.
“Why would I back off when I have solutions?”
“A, this is not your problem to solve. B, I’ve been racking my brain since I received the summons. I know there’s a solution, and I’ll figure it out, but these things take time. C?—”
“No, they don’t. If you’d just let me into your network, I could have easily proved where your company was built. And if you would trust me, I know how to move your company forward so you’ll never have to sell, but you will grow and utilize what you’ve created to the best of its ability.”
“My head hurts. What are you talking about?”
A headache can be solved quickly. I take the stairs two at a time, grab her medication and some Tylenol, then jog back to her.
She accepts the pills and Gatorade bottle with a heavy sigh then motions for me to continue.
I mimic the gesture. She has to take the meds first.
“Annoying,” she mutters.
That makes me grin. I’ve never minded being called annoying—I’ve heard it my entire life, but with her, it warms my soul as if it’s a term of endearment.
