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“The solution is she dates me. I’m not her direct boss,” Owen said.
“I saw her first.” Realizing he sounded like a petulant child, Jude quickly added, “We hit it off first. You came later.”
I stood up and put my hands on my hips. “You two are arguing as if I’m not here. I get a say in this too.”
They both turned to me. “Do you have a solution?” Jude asked. “Or an opinion on who you would rather date?”
“No,” I replied meekly.
The two of them turned back to each other and resumed arguing over me, like I was a video game they wanted to play.
“There’s another wrinkle,” I said. It was best to rip the Band-Aid off now.
Owen guessed it first. “It’s Furio, isn’t it?”
I grimaced in response.
“Did he meet you at the airport and profess his love for you with a bouquet of roses?” Owen asked.
“No,” I said. “But as the week went on, we…”
Both of them groaned.
“Let me get this straight,” Jude said. “I have to compete with both OwenandFurio? The man who invested in our company?”
“Yes,” I replied. “I mean, no. I don’t know! This isn’t something I’ve ever done before. I’m just as confused as you guys.”
Nancy appeared at the door to my office. She took one look inside, then quickly ran back down the stairs.
“They’re going to think the Italy trip went poorly,” Jude said.
“It did go poorly,” Owen said. “The woman we’re both sleeping with got seduced by an Italian billionaire!”
“It wasn’t like that,” I said. “Furio took me to the town where my great-uncle was a priest. He showed me where my family came from before immigrating to America.”
Jude sighed. “We’re never going to be able to compete with him.”
“Speak for yourself.” Owen looked at me again. “Can you at least tell us who you like the most?”
“I like all three of you,” I admitted. “I can’t choose.”
“This isn’t like selecting what entrée you want from a menu,” Owen said. “This is serious.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I snapped, with enough ferocity to make both of them shut their jaws tightly. “You haveno ideahow torn I’ve been over the past few months. I like both of youdesperately. And the whole time, you’ve both insisted that we cannot get into a long-term relationship. How am I supposed to deal with that every day? While reviewing code with you, Jude. And discussing workloads with you, Owen. It has been amazing, it truly has, but it has also nearly driven me crazy!”
My voice echoed in the office, and then a silence stretched. Both of them looked at me, and I stared back defiantly. They shared a look, and I got the impression that the two men were communicating as old friends rather than business partners.
“What if we gave you more time?” Owen finally suggested.
Jude nodded. “Continue the way things were until you figure out who you like the most.”
I blinked in surprise. “Really? You think we can do that?”
“Nothing has changed,” Owen said. “Except for the fact that now weknow.”
“Won’t that be… I don’t know. Weird?”
“Quite so,” Jude said, adjusting his glasses. At a look from Owen, he added, “I don’t see how itwouldn’tbe weird. But it is better than neither of us getting her.”
