And I forgot where I was and what I was doing. Then I thought of Chewy and how I’d need to take him for a walk in the rows when this was all done.
He probably felt cramped in my office.
Then my mind drifted… and drifted until?—
“Rory?”
I turned at the sound of Wyatt’s voice.
“Is this about her?”
It was coming from inside Marlon’s office. He had the side door cracked and I couldn’t help myself.
“This ain’t got nothing to do with Aurora.”
I stepped close enough to hear everything.
Wyatt didn’t sound convinced. “Obviously it does. You’ve been acting different with me since she got here. Now this?”
Marlon didn’t raise his voice.
“It’s not her, Wyatt. It’s business. You know your contract is up. It’s time to move on.”
“You didn’t have a problem with me staying on board before, so what’s wrong now?”
Marlon didn’t respond and I didn’t need to see his face to know his expression.
Blank.
“I’m not stupid, Marlon. I made that request to partner with Aurora in this new venture and all of a sudden I gotta leave?”
Partner with me? I don’t know anything about that.
“Like I said,” Marlon sounded ice cold. “The contract is up. And the decision to partner with this new venture lies with me, not Aurora. I have to approve it.”
“It’s her idea,” Wyatt pushed. “Did you even ask Dillon?”
“I don’t have to ask Dillon about shit that happens on my land. That build and the renovations are my responsibility. Aurora is my responsibility and your access to both have been used up with your contract.”
“That’s it?” Wyatt asked. “Just like that?”
“That’s how this works.”
I moved closer to the door without thinking.
My hand brushed against the frame as I leaned in to hear better.
“You brought me here,” Wyatt continued. “You asked me to stay longer than I planned. You said you needed help?—”
“And I got it,” Marlon replied. “I appreciate that. Thank you for your service. Payments will be finalized by the end of the week so if you?—”
A pause.
“What do you need, Ms. Rodriguez?”
Fuck.
Caught slipping.
