Oh, hell no.“EverythingIbuilt, Phillip.Me.Not you. I brought you on board three years ago to be the company’s charming face. To work your magic with the clients. I never expected you’d use it to charm my damn boyfriend into your bed.”
Phillip tried to argue, “It wasn’t just?—”
“I can build another company just like this one,” I reminded him. “Or continue without you. Either way, you and I are done. Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you broke every best-friend rule in the book. Judd, I almost understand. He’s always been a tad weak and selfish, but I was still stupid enough to think he loved me. But you, Phillip? You were my best friend—” I tried to cover the break in my voice but couldn’t quite manage it. “I trusted you enough to sell you half my damn company. We were supposed to be in this together, but right now, I honestly don’t care if it crumbles and we both end up in bankruptcy court.”
Phillip went quiet for a moment, and I could almost see the set in his jaw harden. He hated being reminded that he wasn’t the brains behind what we did, and when he spoke again, all of that whining apology in his voice was gone. “You need me, Thad,” he spat. “That’s the reason you wanted me on board, and I’m not about to walk away simply because you feel awkward about what happened between Judd and me. This ismylife, too, andmyfinancial security on the line. I’ve invested everything I have in this venture, and I won’t let you burn it down simply because you’ve had your feelings hurt. If you decide to stay with the company, you’re going to have to deal with me still beinghere, because I’m not selling my share to you at any price. Don’t forget, you’re the one who hates dealing with people, and we both know you’re shit at it.I’mthe reason we’re as successful as we are, just as much as you. It takes more than just technical expertise for a company to succeed, and you damn well know it. You’d still be in the minor leagues if it wasn’t for me.”
There was more truth to that than I would’ve liked. “I can learn,” I shot back, somewhat unconvincingly. “Or I can—” I paused at the sound of voices in the distance. Two men talking. But Ryder said he lived on his own.
“Thad!” Phillip demanded. “Are you even paying attention? Jesus. This is exactly what I’m talking about,” he complained. “You live in your own world. In your head or on some bloody computer screen. You need a damn minder. You needme.”
Once, I’d have laughed at his words because, in essence, Phillip was right. But now, my hackles rose, and the injustice of it all burned anew in my belly. “Trust me, I can find someone else to take your role. You’re far from indispensable, Phillip. Charmers like you are a dime a dozen.” Not quite true, but fuck him. “Don’t forget, you’d have nothing to sell if I didn’t do all the damned work behind it. I can find another pretty face with a honey tongue, but you’ll have a lot more trouble finding someone to replace me.”
“Then I guess I should start looking, since I’m not goinganywhere. You’re not indispensable, either. Nobody is.” Phillip paused, then added in a grinding tone, “This is so like you. Things get tough and you high-tail it out of town. It’s what you’ve always done, ever since we were kids. But this isourcompany, Thad. I own half of it, and it’s been a fucking goldmine. Are you seriously telling me that you’re prepared to blow the whole thing up simply because I fucked Judd?”
His words shocked the hell out of me. That Phillip could even think our company would carry on as usual was beyond me. Thiswas a Phillip I didn’t know. A virtual stranger, and I wasn’t sure how I’d missed seeing this side of him for over two decades. Maybe I just hadn’t wanted to.
“I’m done talking,” I said, struggling to keep my voice even. “Give Rosburg some excuse and cancel the meeting until I have time to think.”
“You have to fulfil the contract, Thad,” Phillip pointed out. “If you don’t meet the deadline, both our names will be mud, and the company will tank. It won’t be any good to either of us.”
“I know. I know,” I agreed because, unfortunately, he was right. The world of industrial software development in New Zealand was relatively small, and walls had ears. “I’ll finish what’s needed and send it to you, along with updates on the other contracts we have pending.”
“What about the Elosand bid?” Phillip demanded. “They want a mock of the technical software specs by the end of the month, before they make a decision on who to go with.”
“I’m well aware,” I said evenly. “I’m still working on it.”
The line went silent, then, “See that you do. I won’t be left holding the bag on this, Thad. Our partnership is very clear on your responsibilities in that regard.”
“I know. I fucking wrote it, remember?” I pulled a face and counted to five, hating the way he could wind me up like a clock. “My lawyer will call yours, isn’t that how it goes? I’m not asking for much, Phillip. Just hold the fort and leave me the fuck alone for a bit so I can process how momentously you two have fucked me over. I think even you can manage that. I’ll call when I’m good and ready. In the meantime, if you need to get hold of me for any work-related stuff, email will do just fine.”
I hung up before he could respond and thought about calling my mother for all of two seconds before shoving the phone in my pocket. I needed some food in my stomach before crossing that particular line into the unknown.
“Breakfast in five,” Ryder’s voice echoed down the hallway.
My heart gave a little thump of anticipatory pleasure. Whether it was directed toward breakfast or the man serving it was a question I happily ignored.
“Coming in a minute,” I called back, giving myself a stern look in the mirror at the double entendre. “Get your fucking shit together, Thaddeus Grey. You’re going to have breakfast with the nicestraightman, then you’ll thank him and leave. What you willnotdo is drool, flirt, or in any way crush on him. He’s off limits and far too big to piss off.”
That decided, I frowned at my reflection and set about tidying my scruff and moustache before I headed to the kitchen. Not because of Ryder, though. Nope. That would’ve been ridiculous. I’d just picked up the trimmer when the man in question called out a second time. “Would you like sausage with your eggs and bacon?”
I groaned and rolled my eyes to the ceiling, whispering, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
CHAPTER FOUR
RYDER
On our returnto the cottage, the scrambled eggs were a watery mess in the pan, and the overcooked bacon had definitely seen better days. I directed Thaddeus to the bathroom, changed into my work clothes, and set about cooking a fresh lot of everything. I was almost done when I heard the sound of the front door closing and Tap’s less-than-dainty footsteps heading for the kitchen along the polished floorboards.
I groaned and turned toward the open door. I’d somehow forgotten he was coming early to load the van for the Cumberland job.
“The gear is all in the ute.” My best friend and employee wandered into the kitchen, sniffing the air, his tight black curls still damp from his morning shower.
A larger-than-life figure, Tap and I had been friends for longer than I cared to remember. We’d first met in the Sunday school of the church that both sets of parents attended, and we’d been glued to each other’s sides ever since. Tap came from a large Fijian whanau, big on family, and even bigger on food. I’dbeen welcomed into their ranks like a long-lost cousin and found myself a second home.
A bit lost at school, Tap was completely at home in any garden you dropped him in, his green fingers coming from his grandmother, who encouraged him to help with her sprawling garden. When I launched my own landscaping business years later, asking Tap to work with me was a slam dunk. I’d even offered him a partnership a few times, but Tap had always insisted he wasn’t that guy. He liked the work but not the business side of things, and so that’s how we’d always rolled.
Tap approached the breakfast bar, licking his lips. “Damn, is that bacon?”
