Me:It is. At best, he’sstill myboss.
Eliza:So what? You’ve already boned him. What’s onemore?
Me:That was a mistake. Anyway, I signed anNDA.
Yes. The best sex of my life had been a mistake. A one-off. Never to be repeated. Because it happened under false pretenses, before I knew who he was. Before anything got real.
Eliza:The NDA didn’t say youcouldn’tget it on. Just that you didn’thave to. Obviously.
She sent an eye roll.
Damn her.
Eliza:The guy’s clearly crazy about you, Andy. You don’t find that everyday.
Crazy about me? Right. I was just ordinary old Andrea Jones. Not rich, not privileged, not connected. The human equivalent of a supermarket own-brand digestive biscuit.
And even if he was—it didn’t change anything. “It’s just business” wasn’t an excuse to trample on people’s lives. At least, it shouldn’t have been.
No matter what it was distracting him from.
Me:We’re toodifferent.
That was the reality. I sold pharmaceuticals for a living, and he was a billionaire.
I was too old to fall for a fantasy. It wasn’t how life worked.
Eliza:Yeah, you’re probably right. You’re better off running maintenance onRudy.
Me:Hilarious.
She did have a point, though. Liam was nothing like Rudy. You couldn’t even compare.
Eliza:Whatever, Andy. We accept the love we think wedeserve.
Me:Are you quoting pop culture English teachers atme?
Eliza:Yes. Bill. Stilltrue.
I stared at the phone.
I didn’t think I deserved nothing, but I just didn’t trust what wanting more could cost me.
The wedding vows from earlier surfaced again, irritatingly persistent.
The choice to stop carrying everything alone. To let ourselves besupported.
I thought of Liam catching my elbow on the walk, holding me in bed, in the rain.
I’ve gotyou.
No one had ever said that to me before. He made me feel… safe.
How had Miranda known that I was holding back? If he really was agood man, like she said, what was he hiding?
And if hewasn’tthe man I’d decided he was, what did that say about the story I kept telling myself?
I inhaled deeply, the cool night air filling my lungs. Behind me, the area around the stables was coming to life. Music was starting up, the volume higher, carrying across the grounds.
