Page 78 of Achievement Unlocked

I sighed. “Is that how we’re going to play this? Do you want something in return? Do I need to bribe you to hire a competent developer? Do you want me to suck your dick?”

“Please. We’re not twenty anymore.”

Even then I never did. “So…?”

“I just wanted to make you beg.” Elliot kicked away from the wall. “Maybe sweat a little. Send me his info and I’ll get him an offer.”

“Asshole. And I didn’t beg.”

“For you, you did. This guy must be—”

“A talented fucking programmer.” I cut him off.

“I’ll say that. But I was also going to sayspecial.”

“He is.” I shouldn’t have said that out loud, but it was true and I couldn’t deny it.

Elliot waved over his shoulder and walked out, and I swore he was hummingAnother One Bites the Dust.

27

megan

Ididn’t like this feeling. Thiswas it my fault Landon leftcombined with guilt for missing him when I had Nigel.

I still wanted Nigel. I always had. I’d be devastated if I lost him.

But… Landon.

I dragged my way through work, trying not to wallow in guilt and confusion. The whispers whenever I walked past my colleagues had died down, though I did hear a few murmurs about how Easton stopped by last night to talk to me.

Funny how that encounter had flown straight to the back of my mind. It didn’t seem significant after the conversation with Landon. Easton really meant that little to me, and that was a strange thing to experience and admit.

I hit a point in my work where I needed information from Betsy, so I walked down the hall to her office. As I drew closer, voices drifted out. Betsy’s and Easton’s.

Everyone else was in class—the halls were empty—and I should either interrupt or turn and walk away.

Either way, I shouldn’t be eavesdropping. Since I wasn’t in the mood for another Easton confrontation, I turned away.

“Meganisn’t family.” Eaton’s snide voice saying my name stopped me in my tracks. “Iam your fucking grandson.”

“You’re a forty-two year old man who still thinks you’re half that age and she was the best thing you’d ever done with your life,” Betsy said.

Ouch. I most certainly didn’t deserve that kind of praise, but Easton could be pretty childish.

Two weeks ago I would’ve hated myself for that thought. I still had it on a regular basis, but I figured it was because I was flawed.

“But you can’t—”

“I can.” Betsy talked over Easton.

His voice was almost whiny. It was certainly meek, and I’d never heard that kind of submission from him before. He must really think he was about to lose something big.

“Because I’m not marrying Megan, you’re going to cut me out of everything?”

Oh.

“All because of that bi—”

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