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“It was part of the deal,” I say quickly. “It’s only for five months, and I have access to money now. I’m going to take the bare minimum, get the business going—”
“Youmarriedhim?” Her voice is trembling with shock. Her expression is a mix of rage and disgust. Her stare feels like claws raking my throat. “You wouldn’t take a dime from Ash, but you married Nolan Crowley?”
“Jams, I know it’s weird, but—”
“How could you do this?” she bursts out, glaring at me now. “You realize what you did, right? You’re his now. They own you.”
I lean back, surprised by her rage. “He doesn’t own me,” I say, not sure how to respond. “It’s just a deal. The marriage—”
“This is what they do.” Her scorn is palpable and I don’t understand it. She didn’t react this way when Ash got involved with Carson—but then again, that situation was different, and Jamila’s relationship with Ash is different from her relationship with me.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” I say, trying to keep myself calm. “It’s only for five months. At the end of it, I can divorce him, keep the business, keep everything.”
“You’ll never get away. Even if you manage to divorce him, the Crowley family is never going to let you leave. Do you really think Nolan’s going to invest all this time and money into you, only to let you run away? Think about it, Keely.”
My hands turn numb. She can’t be right. But she’s making sense. “We talked. We have a contract.”
“Written by his lawyer, I bet.”
“Yes, but—”
“God, Keely, how could you be so stupid?”
Anger floats in my stomach. “I’m not… I’m not stupid, Jams. I’m just desperate. We got into a fight, and—”
“You must be stupidanddesperate if you married Nolan Crowley.” She gets to her feet. “Forget about my money. Actually, forget about me,Mrs. Crowley. I’m fine, okay? I’m just fine.”
“Wait, Jamila.” My head’s spinning. I feel like I’ve been slapped across the face and I don’t know why. “Hold on. Why are you so upset?”
“Because you’re burning your life to the ground without realizing it, and I can’t sit around and watch you melt down. Good luck, Keels.”
She turns and storms off. I watch her go, drumming my fingers on the table, not sure what the hell just happened. I feel empty, betrayed, left all over again. I thought we were going to make up, and instead it’s like she’s even further away.
All because I married him.
I want to write this conversation off. Except some of what she said wormed its way into my brain. Like why would Nolan let me go, really, after offering me so much money? The Crowleys are rich, but nobody’s wealth is unlimited.
But no, we have an agreement, and I have to believe he’ll honor it.
Five months.
Maybe shorter than that, if I’m willing to walk away from the money.
I want to go after her. I want to explain that this is about more than the shop, more than just me. It’s about the baby. It’s about a future.
But she doesn’t know I’m pregnant, and I don’t want to tell her. Not now, not after that.
I hunch over the bar, feeling more alone than I ever have in my life.
Chapter22
Keely
Roger shows up at Bottle of Smoke after closing. I hug Ash goodbye, ignoring the look she gives me, and wave as Fulco and Bernie stick behind to close shop.
“Need a ride?” Roger asks, grinning as I get in the back.
“I guess he sent you.”
