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We just stare at each other for a few seconds. I’m not sure what is happening.
“Are you saying…” she begins, then her voice trails off. “No. Just tell me. What are you saying?”
She’s confused, but I’m confused too. I’m not sure what the subtext is, but something tells me I have to be very careful here.
“The Isaac Nelson commission?” I begin slowly. “Your half? They can’t cut you a check until tomorrow morning because I have to give this one back to them first. Some kind of accounting rule.”
She shakes her head in disbelief. “You’re returning a commission check? To accounting?”
I am starting to feel like I am not in on the joke, especially when she starts grinning at me, one hand fluttering upward to cover her mouth.
“Am I missing something?” I ask carefully. “You’re laughing at me?”
“No!” she objects, now smiling in earnest. “I’m just… really surprised, I guess? Because… I wasn’t listed on the contracts at all.”
“You sold him that property,” I remind her.
“And you signed the contracts with just your name on them,” she reminds me pointedly.
It only takes a moment for me to really realize my mistake. That means she’s been carrying this information around with her for the last couple of weeks. She thought she made this great sale, and I had just taken both the credit and the cash, just like that.
Man, was Greg like that?
“Clarissa, it was a mistake. I didn’t mean for it to work out like that. Really. It was an oversight. I wouldn’t do that on purpose.”
“No, that’s great!” she grins back at me. “I mean… I accept your apology and everything. But it’s great. Thank you. I appreciate that.”
The way she’s smiling at me, I can tell that she truly is surprised. She had accepted the idea that I was going to take that from under her without even saying anything. I feel like an absolute heel.
But, weirdly, it’s nice to see her smile. It’s nice to know I made that happen.
“Okay, so are we good?” she continues, her body language changing drastically.
She swishes her hips to the opposite side, flexing her h
eel to raise the shiny toe of her shoe in the air. It seems strangely at ease, like I haven’t seen her quite this relaxed before. I’m afraid to ruin the moment by doing anything.
“We’re good,” I confirm.
“Great. Then good night!”
She pivots and strides from the room, her hair streaming behind her in waves. It takes me a moment to catch my breath, and I have to wonder what I just witnessed.
Chapter 6
Clarissa
Saturday morning, I wake up with just enough time to get packed. It’s just two days, but I can’t even remember the last time I went anywhere for two days. It’s been so long that it takes me a good fifteen minutes to even find my overnight bag.
I’m already running out of time, and that makes it half impossible to really plan. What are we going to do? Swimming? Hiking? A cocktail party? Not only do I have to make sure I have outfits flexible enough for any event, I have to bring shoes. The shoes are a major complication in packing.
Landry comes in as I’m muttering in front of my closet, a pair of hiking boots in one hand and a pair of tennis shoes in the other. Not that I play tennis, but I do like the outfits.
“Going somewhere?” she asks, the smile plain in her voice as she sits on one corner of my bed, tucking her ankle underneath her.
“Actually, yes,” I answer distractedly and put both pairs of shoes back in their respective cubbies, opting for a pair of sensible, slip-on sneakers and a pair of dark blue ballet flats.
“Oh, seriously?” she quips. “I was just joking. You never go anywhere. I just thought you were taking your luggage out for a walk. You know. So it doesn’t feel neglected.”
