“Did he tell you I need help?”
“He told me youaskedfor help.”
“Does that sound like me?” I arched a brow and her cheeks reddened before she dropped her gaze to her feet.
“He told me you knew I’d be stopping by today.”
“Oliver can’t keep his damned nose out of my business.” I glanced at Shane who raised an eyebrow.
Lila chewed on her bottom lip. The black clock that hung in the entryway ticked loudly, as if signaling each passing awkward second.
“Sorry, I-I can go—” She finally stuttered.
“Wait!” Shane said. “What are you here to help with?”
“Shane, drop it.” I shot him a look that implied he should mind his own goddamn business.
“Um, well. Oliver mentioned your website was down. I was going to take a look at it.”
“What are your credentials?” Shane asked, his tone more curious than condescending.
“Um, I own a company with my friend. ConnectHer? It’s an app that lets women create meetups and networking events.”
Shane pursed his lips and nodded. “That’s badass.”
The air felt thick with her here; I felt exposed for reasons I didn’t care to dive into. Admitting I needed her help was like rolling onto my stomach and waving a flag that said, “I’m vulnerable, fuck with me however you like.”
“Right. Sorry for the mix-up, but we’re good here,” I said, gesturing to the door behind her. “You can blame Oliver for wasting your time.”
“You should let her help, boss.”
“We’re fine.”
“We arenotfine.” Shane turned toward Lila, like the two were already in some secret club formed only to undermine me. “If I have to watch him peering over that ancient computer in the back, mumbling to himself for one more day, I’m going to lose my mind,” he said with a smile.
“I’ve almost got it,” I bit out.
“She’s already here,” Shane protested. “Stop being so fucking stubborn and let her look.”
Lila shifted from foot to foot, looking like she wished she could teleport straight out of here.
“I already looked at your website. It’ll probably only take a minute,” she said. “Sometimes, when you make changes to a page or update the source, the link can break. Anyway, I’m not sure if that’s exactly what’s going on, but maybe, if I could just take a look, I’d know for sure.”
She was rambling, nervous energy radiating off her. While the entire purpose of my harsh demeanor was to make people nervous, I did feel a small sense of obligation to Oliver to at least attempt to put Lila at ease.
“Fine,” I said, inhaling slowly through my nose. Stubbornness had no place when it came to ensuring mybusiness ran successfully. Even an asshole like me could see that Lila offering to help was more than generous. It was far beyond anything I deserved after the callous way I continued to treat her. “Sorry. Yeah. That would actually be great.”
Lila's lips parted in clear shock. This was the gentlest tone I'd ever used with her, and guilt surged through me at the realization. Pushing people away had become second nature, even when I took it too far. Lila was just collateral damage in the endless internal war I waged with myself.
“It would?” she finally choked out.
She looked so small and unsure of herself, standing there in her overalls and pink shirt... a far cry from the confident, talkative woman she usually was. I had done that. I had bullied her into feeling self-conscious in my space, in my presence. And nothing disgusted me more than a bully.
My shoulders deflated at the thought, and I forced myself to let go of some of the tension I always held.
“The computer is in the back.”
FIVE
