“Well, I can’t do either,” she snapped. Then she caught herself. He was right. She should have told him. This was her mess, she had to fix it. She deliberately brought her voice down. “I’m sorry.”
“Morgan.” He rubbed his face. “Look. Another Deal active in the same geographic area is a big problem, OK? If it’s from my House, then it means one of my coworkers is muscling in on my sales territory, and that’s bad. If it’s not my House, then it’s worse.”
“OK.” She swallowed.
“And your mother? I thought when we didn’t see her again, that she’d forgotten about this. But it turns out she’s been still looking this whole time? And you’rehelpingher?”
“I’m not helping her. I’m—” she stumbled. “Do you have a saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer?”
“Is your mother your enemy?” he asked.
“No. Yes. It’s complicated.” Morgan closed her eyes and tried to sort it out. “I absolutely am trying to protect you from her.”
“But you’re helping her with whoever GreenField is contracted with.”
“You just said it was bad for them to have a Deal,” she pointed out.
“But that’s not why,” he said. “You’re doing it because you want her approval.”
Was she? “She’s never approved of me.”
“But you want her to.”
Morgan turned away. She said in a smaller voice, “Is that really so terrible?”
“I don’t know.” She heard him step closer.
“I know it’s not possible—I’m incompetent at all the things she values or respects.”
“Morgan, you’re not incompetent.” His voice was near her shoulder, softer.
She snorted. “I messed this up pretty bad, didn’t I?”
“Morgan,” he said, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. “You’re not incompetent. I sit next to you all day, remember? I see you.”
“I’m sorry,” she said again as she turned. She felt like shewas spending all her time apologizing these days. She knew it was because she was keeping too many secrets, and yet every secret she kept was to protect someone. “I should have told you, and made sure you understood.”
“Because humans mess up a lot,” he quoted.
Understatement. “Yeah. I understand if you don’t feel like you can trust me now.”
“I trust you.” His eyes were intense. Her breath caught. “And I believe in you. More than you believe in you, I think.”
“What’s going on?” Gisele mumbled from the doorway. “I heard your phone. Is the world ending in tentacles and flames? Did someone die again?”
The moment shattered. Luke stepped back quickly. Morgan pulled herself together. “No. Although my mom thinks I should go get a job at our demon-summoning rival. Get this—by dropping off my resume with the receptionist.”
“Oh lord,” Gisele groaned. “It is too early in the morning for this. Did she use the word gumption?”
“She did,” Morgan confirmed.
“Can we deal with this in the morning, like, the civilized-and-involving-daylight-actual-morning?”
“Yes, please.”
“All in favor of going back to bed?” Gisele raised her hand.
Morgan raised hers. Luke, staring intently at her, slowly raised his as well. Rix yipped in solidarity.
