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What the hell?
Framed beside him, a woman leaned against his desk, smiling at him, and not just any woman, but Miss Soft Voice.
I turned my gaze back to Vander and met his eyes. I sucked in a deep breath.
The smile dropped from his face immediately. He twisted his wide shoulders and knifed through the group, barreling towards me, holding my furious gaze. He reminded me of someone in that moment, but I was too enraged to dwell on it.
I rose to my feet. I’d buy another day timer. I was leaving.
Next thing I knew, I found myself in a conference room with Vander, and not the same one I was in with Dylan, so I still couldn’t get my damn book back.
I slammed my purse down on the table. “What is going on? Is this your company?”
He stood looking down with his hands deep in his pockets. He pressed his lips together, then took off his glasses and scrubbed his hand over his face. He sighed, then met my eyes.
“Yes.”
“Unbelievable!” I paced back and forth then stopped and glared at him. “I told you I didn’t want to go with you!” I hissed.
He pressed his lips together, his eyes following me as I paced. “I know.”
“What the fuck, Vander? This is crazy!”
He relaxed back into his heels and settled in. “I told you. I’m going to be there for you even if you don’t want me to.”
“You can’t just,” I sputtered, “steamroll over me!”
He held up his hand. “Hang on, Ruby. That’s not what happened. You narrowed it down to three companies, including mine. You could have gone with the other company.”
“Really? Really, Vander?” I took a step towards him. “Isn’t it a bit convenient that you set up the meeting with them?”
He flushed.
My mouth fell open. “Oh, my God! You sabotaged it!”
He winced. “Just a bit. Not totally. He didn’t tell you anything that was untrue, except for the fact that he probably had a consultant that would have been able to start sooner than six months from now.”
“He lied to me?”
“He owed me a favor… this is not going well,” he muttered looking down at his shoes. His eyes beseeched me. “I am trying to be there for you. I am trying to give you all of me. I am trying to give us a chance, ease your way in life, look after you, love you!” Vander’s voice rose steadily as his anger sparked. “You’re not letting me in! You’re going to throw away our chance, our only fuckin’ chance, at happiness! Do you expect me to stand by and let that happen?”
“Maybe you should! Maybe if it’s this difficult, it’s not meant to be. Maybe we’re fooling ourselves!” I retorted.
He stepped back and turned away with his hands on his hips, his chin tipped down. I watched as his back heaved with his deep inhale.
My head lifted off my body, as if I’d slipped off a curb, leaving my head suspended above me. A cold, sick feeling crawled up my throat. Alarms rang in my brain, and fear ricocheted down my limbs.
Turn around.
He turned to face me, calmer now.
“I know you’re pissed, but don’t take it too far, Ruby-mine.”
Relief flooded my system, making me feel almost faint. Instead of calming me, it angered me further.
I pointed at my chest, incredulous. “I’m taking it too far? Me?”
“Okay,” he soothed. “This might have been an error in judgement. I concede that. But can you at least admit that no one would be more invested than me in guiding you through this process?”
