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“Good morning, Ms. Carson.”
I spring to my feet as he sweeps down the hall on his way from the executive lounge. “Mr. Oryolov! Good morning. Your schedule is on your desk.”
He nods. “And the meeting with the Santino people?”
“Confirmed for 3:00 P.M. this afternoon.” He surveys the messy heap of papers on my desk and I cringe. “Um, I was just gonna clean—”
“How’s Josh?”
The stern professionalism in his voice drops for a moment. This is his “after hours” voice. The one he uses when I’m “Emma,” not “Ms. Carson.”
“He’s fine.” It’s an automatic answer and one that Ruslan sees through immediately. He cocks an eyebrow at me. “Okay, maybe not ‘fine,’” I concede. “He’s struggling.”
“I talked to him last night when you were putting the girls to bed. I want to help.”
“You want towhat?”
“The boy is going through a lot and the fact that he’s holding everything in is exactly why he’s prone to angry outbursts.” He fixes me with that unblinking amber gaze. “I’m guessing this is not the first time he’s thrown a tantrum like that.”
I squirm where I stand.Would it be a betrayal of Josh to cop to that?No, I can trust Ruslan.
“No, it’s not. Far from it.”
Ruslan nods. “He needs an outlet for his anger. He needs someone to help him channel it.”
“Andyouwant to help with that.”
“I’m uniquely qualified to.”
I raise my eyebrows. “How do you figure that?”
“Because I’ve been where he is.”
I try to keep my expression stoic, but I’m pretty sure the surprise shows in my eyes. This is possibly the first time he’s allowed me a glimpse into his past. And the fact that he’s letting his guard down for my nephew—it means a lot.
“What do you say?”
WhatdoI say?Excellent question. Because the truth is, what I want to do and what Ihaveto do are two totally different things. “He really looks up to you, you know.”
“I know.”
“And… he’s getting attached fast.” I swallow back my doubt. “Which is why I have to say no. I’m sorry, I really do appreciate the offer, but I can’t keep exposing Josh to another person he stands a chance of losing.”
I hold my breath, waiting for some pushback. It’s gotta be coming, in a particularly angry fashion, in three, two, one…
“I understand.”
Um—what?
He doesn’t even look annoyed. Just shrugs calmly. “I can respect that. Just know that if you change your mind, the offer still stands.”
With that, he brushes past me and walks into his office. The door snaps shut. And—that’s it.
I plonk myself down behind my desk and try to rein in the rollercoaster of emotions that’s hurtling through me.
I’m surprised by how easily he accepted my decision.
