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“Why?”
“I decided to follow my original plan and use the charity work I’m doing as experience for a job later.”
“You told me that a year ago. You said you’d only need a year’s experience. That time is up.”
Holy wow, the forceful energy vibrating from him right now is a lot. I want to stampmeeting deniedall over me and run away.
I push my shoulders back like I’m going in hard to defend a choice he actually has a say in. “I didn’t know for sure how much time it would take to gain that experience, Bradford.”
Still giving off those hardcoreI’m rightvibes, he says, “I can assure you that you’ve gained all the experience you need.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
“How?”
“I know what you studied. I know you were top of your class. I know the experience you have. And since I’m well-versed in human resource requirements for a company, I know you’re ready.”
“You might know all of that, butIknow me, and I’m not ready.”
“I know you too, Kristen. Don’t think I don’t.”
“Oh my God, you’re being overbearing tonight. I’m not a fan.”
“You’re not a fan because I’m calling you out on your bullshit.”
My eyes widen. “No, I’m okay with you doing that. I am not okay with the arrogant way you’re going about it.”
He doesn’t even bother to argue with me on that. He just keeps looking down at me with that intensity I wish would disappear. “You’re trapped under your fear. I’m being the friend you need right now and telling you what I’m seeing.”
“It doesn’t feel like you’re being the friend I need.”
“That’s because you prefer everything in its order and smooth. Underneath all that, there’s a whole lot of truth you’re not facing. I don’t like watching you lessen yourself for your father. Or for Lyle, for that matter.”
There’s a whole lot I hate in what he just said, but the last bit stands out. “What does Lyle have to do with this?”
“I just watched the way he spoke to you. He doesn’t treat you well.”
I’m running on a lot of self-doubt from this conversation, and when my insecurities take over, I don’t make good choices in the moment. Add in the anger he’s causing, and we’ve got a recipe for disaster. “Right, so you’re the supreme master of knowing what I should do for work, and how experienced I am, and how I should run my relationships, are you? Please feel free to continue enlightening me. I’ll be sure to take all your suggestions and action them.”
He works his jaw as frustration radiates from him. “I wish you would take all my suggestions and action them, but since that’s not about to happen, promise me you’ll think about this after you calm down.”
When a man tells me to calm down, you can be sure I will do the complete opposite. Those two words being uttered by a man rank as high on my list of hatred as two other words I hear a lot: good girl.
“Don’t ever tell me to calm down, Bradford. I will think about what you’ve said because I respect you enough to do that, but let the record show I don’t want a repeat of this kind of conversation with you again. And by that, I mean a conversation that involves your arrogance.” I take a deep breath. “Also, let the record show that I am far from calm because when a man says that to a woman, it’s fucking condescending and not calm inducing. Just something foryouto think about.”
I leave him, stalking out of the ballroom with all thatnot calmnessraging through me. I never imagined the day he would upset me but here it is. I think it may be a little while before I feel like speaking to him again.
9
Kristen
Six Months Later
“Darling,” Mom says over lunch late in June, “Don’t forget we’ve got the Hardwick Benefit Ball coming up. It’s on that weekend you just mentioned and I’ve already found you three dress options.”
I try to ignore the annoyance coming from my boyfriend who is sitting next to me as Mom says this. He wants us to go away with friends the weekend she’s talking about. It was his mention of it that caused her to remind me of the ball. Without even looking at Lyle, I know the expression that is now on his face and the thoughts in his head. He hangs off every word my father says, but he’s dismissive of my mother.Does she have anything in her head besides who she can impress, Kristen?We’ve had more than one argument about the time I spend doing charity work with her, and how often it drags me away from him.
