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“Don’t be upset?Don’t beupset?You went behind my back, gave my sister a job and you expect me to be happy about it?” I’m yelling at the top of my voice. Something I don’t usually do, but which I feel the occasion calls for.
My office door is closed and Rochelle is gone, having fled the moment she spilt the beans as if sensing that crap was about to hit the fan.
There is definitely something sputtering through the room.
And it doesn’t smell that great either.
“Lyra came to me the other night—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Yousawher? And you didn’t tell me about it?”
“It didn’t come up.”
“I call bull, Adam.”
“She was outside your apartment the day we went to the farmhouse. It was a total coincidence.” His tone is level and stern, as if he’d prepared this speech beforehand. “She asked for a job and I couldn’t say no.”
“Why not? You say no to me all the time.”
“Only to things that aren’t good for you.”
“Lyra working at Vision Tech is at the top of the list of things that aren’t good for me!” My ability to be calm seems to have poofed out the window.
I’moutraged.
Mostly because I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.
I can’t believe Adam went behind my back when heknowshow I feel about my sister. We talked about it and everything. I thought the matter was closed.
“She told me about your history,” Adam says.
I start hacking out a laugh that’s better suited for cheesy Disney villains and tuberculosis patients. “Yeah, I’m betting she left a lot of holes in that story.”
“I got the gist. Your sister didn’t make the best decisions and used to get in trouble—”
“Still doesn’t make the best decisions. Present tense. Happening as we speak.”
Adam prowls closer to the desk and I step back because his overly-gorgeous looks and sincere eyes willnotmove me.
“You had no right to go behind my back and hire Lyra,” I insist.
“Why not? I can hire her without it turning into a conflict of interest for you. You get a chance to make amends. Everybody wins.”
“I don’twantto make amends. At least not inside Vision Tech. Business is business. Personal stuff is personal stuff.”
“Why do you always have to draw the line?” Adam frowns.
I throw my hands up. “Why do you always fall for sob stories?”
“It’s not just any story. It’s your story.”
“Oh my gosh.” I roll my eyes to the ceiling.
Adam rounds the desk, standing much too close to my body. “Lyra’s your family whether you like it or not. That makes her my family too. If letting her into Vision Tech can help her out, I’m not against it. We can’t be all business all the time.”
Even when I’m sparking with anger, my body still hums in awareness of Adam’s nearness.
