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He quietly accepts that truth.
“Have you looked into this company? Checked out their financials?” he asks. “Do you know their values?”
I nod but remain silent.
“What are you not telling me?”
Clearly there’s no concealing the truth. I let go of him, untangling from his hold to break the news. “The gym is owned by Lotus Leaf.”
His expression is lethal. “Not Brandon.”
“Not directly.”
“Goddammit, Talia. We did not walk out of there for you to crawl back, especially when you don’t have to.”
“I’m not crawling,” I snap. “I’m taking a good-paying job for my company.”
“I offered you more work here.”
“I don’t need you to make up something for me to do. I want to earn my way, on my own merit. I can’t depend on you to keep my business afloat.” I wade farther away, warm water lapping at my shoulders. “I don’t mean I can’t—you’re very dependable. What I’m trying to say is…”
“You don’t want me to help.”
“Right.”
“Why the hell not?”
Because nothing lasts forever. Because when this ultimately ends, I’ll be on my own. Using him or his money as a safety net will do nothing but cripple me in the future.
“I have to stay focused on what’s important,” I say instead. “I’m responsible for my own income now. I can’t stay here and play house.” I realize the moment I say it that I made a mistake. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. This is coming out wrong.”
He lets me off the hook and reminds me gently, “So set some boundaries. But consider staying, flying back and forth on weekends.”
I laugh, the sound echoing off the walls. “Boundaries? I’ve set almost zero boundaries when it comes to you.”
His face pinches briefly, like my remark hurt his feelings. I lift my dripping hand to my forehead. Water trickles down my cheek. “I knew you’d be upset about my working with Lotus Leaf. That’s why I wasn’t going to tell you.”
His face is hard, but he looks more hurt than angry. “You don’t have to choose between me and your family, Talia.”
“I don’t have a good track record with balancing both, Archer,” I whisper.
He turns his head on that fantastically sexy neck of his and watches the rain outside for a beat. A more volatile storm ripples over his features with each passing second. “It’s late. We should go back.”
He wades to the zero entry and walks out, grabbing a towel and his clothes. Then he walks down the connecting hall to the private changing rooms, leaving me in the pool alone.
I handled that wrong, but I doubt the news of my taking a job with Lotus Leaf over Archer ever would have settled well. With a sigh, I climb out of the warm water. I towel off and collect my cell phone from my purse. Needing to ground myself with the reminder of why I’m making the hard decision rather than the convenient one, I dial Papa’s number. After the second ring, he answers, sounding tired and harried.
“How are you feeling?” I ask. I listen while he tells me about what he’s been up to lately, fortified by my decision.
I’m doing the right thing.
