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He was asking pointed questions that I didn’t like answering because he was being so goddamned reasonable. I wasn’t used to arguing with a sensible partner who didn’t raise his voice, so neither did I.
“My job is a lot, baby. I’m sorry, but it just is,” I defended.
“Good enough, Hayes. I think I hear you loud and clear. Thank you for that,” he stated, giving me an icy gaze.
I slapped my hands on the bedspread and groaned. “I have so much on my plate, Bo,” I said flustered at him for pointing out my deficiencies as a mate.
“What about when it’s time to live at my place, Hayes? We said we’d alternate homes, remember that promise?”
“I’m trying, Bo. Give me a few more weeks and once I have my companies under control, I’ll hire a team to run my holdings,” I pleaded. “You’ll see. I’ll have more time and then we can find things to do that we both enjoy.”
“You can hire a team in a month or two?” he asked, clearly doubting that I could.
“Yes,” I stated. “I can for sure.”
“And as a result you’ll have more free time that will include spending alternating months in Beaufort?” he asked. “We agreed to that, Hayes.”
“Yes, of course,” I agreed.
“Okay then,” he said, leaning in for a kiss and rolling over, obviously not the start I was looking for.
The next morning I was awake and in my office by six. Bo was gently snoring when I got out of bed and made my way to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and make toast. Bo was correct about my one piece of toast, and to make matters worse, I liked Wonder Bread. Was Wonder Bread even real bread? I glanced at my cell and saw seven missed calls and several one-word texts from my father.“HELLO?”in all caps the texts read. The first one was at two AM and had come once an hour since. “Screw you,” I muttered.
At nine Bo stuck his head in my office and smiled. “I love you,” he mouthed. I was on the phone of course and could only blow him a kiss before he closed my door. I heard his footsteps as he went down the hall in search of breakfast. I noticed he had gym shorts with running shoes on. No shirt, which got my blood going because apparently he was going for a run.
The blender ran for one minute as he mixed a protein shake with frozen blueberries, his favorite. The first two days we were here I’d joined him on morning runs. That had lasted too briefly and he was right, I hadn’t been out in daylight in more than two weeks.
I needed a hug so I made an excuse to hang up on the manager I was speaking with and headed for the kitchen. No sooner than I opened the office door, I heard the front door open and close. Too late. Once again, he was right. We were two ships passing in the night. He was keeping a good attitude though and trusting that things would be back to normal so we could spend time together as a couple. I checked my watch and frowned. When would that be?
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: Bo
The time was nearly eleven AM when I returned from my run and noticed two expensive cars parked in front of Hayes’ loft next to his BMW. With Hayes’ bimmer, the Mercedes, and the Tesla there was probably a quarter-million dollars’ worth of overpriced metal sitting in his parking stalls.
I jogged up the front steps and opened the door quietly in case his guests were business associates, carefully closing it and keeping my existence undetected. In hindsight, a nice slammed door would have been appropriate under the circumstances. The yelling was so loud they were oblivious to my return.
“Get out of my house, Phillip,” Hayes shouted. “And Daddy, you can follow on his cheating heels.”
“Your father and I need additional funding on the island project, Hayes. And according to your CFO, you’ve cut us off,” Phillip stated. “You’re being petty and revengeful, and that is not how you run a business.”
“You should have thought of that before you and Daddy tried to have me committed to a psyche ward!” Hayes yelled.
“You’re being ridiculous, Hayes,” his father replied. “I fear you may have damaged your cognitive ability when you attempted suicide, son.”
“You fucking wish, Daddy,” he replied. “You and this cheating,suddenfriend of yours hoped I was dead so you could make a money grab. The both of you are gross.”
“I was worried about you,” Phillip said. “I couldn’t eat or sleep when I thought you were dead, Hayes.”
“Yeah? You were worried? Well maybe Michael should have consoled you, Phillip. How is your boyfriend by the way,” he snapped. “I’m sure he’s just as devastated that I’m alive as the two of you are.”
“Come on now, Hayes,” Phillip began. “You are out of your league trying to run a billion dollar organization without us two. Let us help you.”
“Phillip is exactly right, son. You’re overtaxed and your mental state is deteriorating fast,” his father said. “And frankly shareholders are concerned.”
I heard something crash against the wall so I made my way to the office and stepped inside. Hayes was as white as a sheet and his lips trembled. He looked like a cat backed into a corner by a pack of wolves. Phillip and Hayes’ father stood over a pile of debris from a coffee mug.
“See?” his father said, completely ignoring me and pointing at the shards of ceramic. “You’ve lost your goddamned mind.”
“Wait a minute, sir. That will be enough from you,” I declared, stepping in front of Hayes’ desk and standing between them. “If Hayes asked you to leave, then I suggest you go.”
