My eyes snap to Rowan’s.Focus. You need to tell him about Brett.“It’s been a long day.”
He tilts his head. “You okay?”
“I need a drink.” Or two. Or three. By now, I’ve learned the difference between a bad mood I can fix with self-talk versus one that requires a liquid cure, and this is definitely the latter.
Rowan tucks his keys in the back pocket of his jeans. “What happened?”
“It’s Brett. He took me off the schedule for the next two weeks. And he wrote a note.Take some time off, B. It’ll give you an opportunity to reflect on your choices.That prick. I mean, who does he think he is? Yes, he’s my boss, but this is obviously him retaliating because I didn’t want to go stay with him. Isn't that illegal? Of course, he knows that even if he is breaking some kind of employment law, there’s not much I can do about it. I just want to— Ugh! If you knew the kind of violent fantasies playing out in my head right now, you’d be terrified of me.”
Rowan’s lips twitch. “I’m quite curious about these violent fantasies, actually.”
“They involve male genitalia and a hot branding iron.” I stand up. Pain shoots through my back, but I manage not to wince.
“Well then, I suppose I should be glad your anger is directed toward Brett and not me.” His eyes drag over my black tank top.
Shit, I’m not wearing a bra. I rarely do when I’m at home, but now that I’ve got a roommate, I’m going to have to start. I don’t need Rowan to know that one lingering look from him is enough to tighten my nipples into points.
He’s managed to get under my skin with that kiss. I need to stop thinking of him that way. Now. Otherwise this fake dating thing has a high chance of goingveryoff the rails.
The last thing I need right now is to have my little romantic heart get attached to him. It might take a little while longer now, but I still intend on leaving Darkwater Hollow.
“Yeah, well, lucky for you, you're not the one screwing me over." Reaching down, I grab a plate off the coffee table I left from a sandwich I ate earlier and take it to the kitchen.
Rowan follows behind me. He leans against the kitchen counter, watching me rinse the plate. “This might be a good thing.”
“How?”
“If you’re off work for the next two weeks, we’ll be able to move quickly with the repairs. If we have questions, you’ll be on hand to answer them, which speeds things along. Sam’s going to swing by tomorrow or the day after, by the way.”
I shoot him a timid glance while I scrub at the plate. I still can’t believe he’s doing this for me. While Brett insists on making life as difficult as possible, Rowan is going out of his way to help me.
“That sounds great. How was your day? Hopefully better than mine.”
“Got stopped by a cop. One of Brett’s friends.”
I nearly drop the plate I’m holding.“What?”
Rowan shrugs. “He wanted to scare me a bit. It didn’t work.”
A fresh wave of anger rolls through me. I turn off the tap and grab a towel to dry the plate. “That’s it. I’m going to call him and tell him he can’t do shit like that.”
“You don’t need to do anything, Sunshine. I’ll handle it.”
He doesn’t sound at all worried. Doesn’t he understand the problems Brett can create for him and his business? The Lewises are the most powerful family in Darkwater Hollow. If they wanted to, they could find a way to run Rowan out of town.
It’s a big deal. If Brett’s willing to go this far because I’m staying with Rowan, what is he going to do once he hears we’re supposedly dating?
I blow out a breath. “I don’t understand why he cares so much about what I do with my life. Yeah, we dated for a long time, but it’s not like I’m a big catch.”
Rowan shrugs. “I get it.”
“Huh?”
Warmth bleeds into his gaze. “Don’t sell yourself short.”
Del said the same thing to me earlier, but hearing it from her didn’t make my pulse suddenly race.
I move to the cupboard to put the plate away, pretending like his comment didn’t hit me right in the chest. Ugh. The shelf is just…a…bit…too…high.
