I press the bag into his hands and follow Clive out into the hall. I make sure to shut the door to the lab. Maybe if one of these geniuses had thought to do that, I wouldn’t be struggling to keep my temper.
Out in the hall, I walk all the way down to the elevators, because I want to make sure that Max doesn’t hear this.
Clive follows. When I reach the bank of elevators—which is far enough away from any of the rooms anyone might be working in on a Saturday—I turn to face Clive. He’s got his hands tucked into his pants pockets and his head ducked.
Before I can say anything, he speaks. “Look, I know you’re mad.”
I tip my head to the side and quirk an eyebrow. “Do you?”
“Yes.” He gestures in the general direction of my face. “You get really still when you’re mad.”
“How observant of you.”
“And you smile too much.”
“I appreciate the feedback.”
“And—”
“Do you want some kind of sticker as a reward for knowing me so well, or are you going to apologize for acting like a colossal jack apple by meddling in something that isn’t any of your business?”
His hand slips back into his pocket and his head bobs down, giving every appearance of being suitably cowed. I don’t buy it.
“I get it,” I tell him, my tone sharpening. “You think you know what’s best for me. You think you’re so smart that you know—”
His head snaps up. “That’s not it. Not at all.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s just . . .” He shakes his head.
“It’s okay. If you use small enough words, I’m sure I’ll understand.”
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop acting like that. Like I think you’re not smart enough.”
“Why? Isn’t that what’s going on here? You think I’m not smart enough to make decisions about my own life? That I’m still that ignorant girl from Georgia that you plucked out of obscurity? That you think you still need to help me along? To guide me? To sculpt me into the best version of myself?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“Holly, I—” He meets my gaze, and for once the arrogance he wears like a shield is completely absent. “I know I was a shitty husband. I know you put up with crap from me that you shouldn’t have had to put up with. And I know how hard you tried to make it work. Do you really think I want to watch you go through that again? That I want to stand by and watch while one more arrogant asshole makes you miserable? Because if you thought I was hard to live with, I promise you that he will be much worse.”
Yeah. That hurts.
I try not to show it though. Instead I just shake my head. “Fine. That’s your opinion. And it still doesn’t matter. Because you’re not my husband. You’re not even my boss. You don’t get any say in what I do with my life.” To drive my point home, I punch the call button on the elevator. When the door slides open, I gesture him inside. “And don’t ever show up at my house unannounced again. It upsets the dogs.”
I don’t wait for him to answer. I don’t even wait to see if he gets on the elevator and leaves. Because I am so over him right now.
Instead I march back into Max’s lab.
When the door opens, Max looks up, clearly surprised. “How—”
I waggle my faculty key card. “I had maintenance grant me access to your lab. It’s how I stole the samples to begin with.”
