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He winces. “I know how to love you.”
I push my hair off my shoulders as I gather my things.
“You just didn’t give me a chance.”
“Because the chance wasn’t yours. It was Dart’s.” His eyes burn with frustration as I sit down, crossing my legs and putting my hands in my lap. “I have no issue working with you if you can let me do my job and not manage me like you’re my boss and not my colleague.”
“I asked you many times for us to live together here, and you told me no. But then you move in with him?”
I look up at him, unfazed. “Because I didn’t want to live with you.”
“But you want to live with him? Someone you don’t know.”
“My living arrangements are none of your concern.”
“Do your parents know? Because they sure never seemed welcoming to me.”
I snort, shaking my head. “My parents were very kind to you when Lord knows you didn’t deserve it, and yes, they do know and support us. They love him.”
“You let them meet him?”
“Yes, showed him off like the prized stallion he is.” I’m being petty, but I refuse to let him tear down my choice. I am happy, and that’s all that matters. “Now, if you’re done, can we get this meeting over with? I’m sure Dart will be finished soon, and I don’t want him waiting on me.”
“Don’t we have his scans to do?” he asks incredulously, and my lips turn up in the most devilish of grins I can muster. My level of petty is at an all-time high.
“Dart and I already went over his scans in our home, thoroughly.”
Troy scoffs, looking away, annoyed. “We could have had a great life.”
“No. We’d have a mediocre life,” I say to him, my shoulders back and the confidence flowing off me in waves. Confidence Dart has helped cultivate in me. “With Dart, I’ll have a great life. A strong, well-loved, protected, and satisfying life.”
“You’re delusional. He’ll end up—”
“Before you say anything out of line about my boyfriend, remember he is not the only one who can break your nose. I’d hate to mess up my manicure, but you will not speak ill of the man I love.”
“You’ve changed.”
“No. I stepped out of the shadows and found myself.”
His tablet on the table rings, and I’m thankful for the interruption. I know for a fact that if Dart were to come by and see the look on Troy’s face and mine, he’d be in the room faster than he could put a puck in the back of an empty net. Troy huffs as he moves to the side of the table and answers the call on the tablet. It’s his uncle, for our meeting that I have no desire to deal with at this moment. My crossed leg bounces as I open my phone to see that I have no messages from Dart, which is odd. He always texts me, and I expected him to be done before me. I glance at the clock, and as I assumed, he should be done. I text him quickly.
Me: I’ve got another twenty minutes probably.
Dart: I’ll be in the truck.
I purse my lips at his response, and something doesn’t feel right.
Me: You good?
When he doesn’t answer right away, my stomach feels sour. I set my phone down when I hear my name from the tablet, and I look up to see Mr. Richardson, Troy’s uncle. “Good to see you, Tennessee. How are you?”
“I am well, thank you.”
“Wonderful. Let’s jump right in. Were you not happy with the apartment? When I got the email that you no longer needed it, I meant to get ahold of you right away. But you know how it goes sometimes.”
“Absolutely. And the apartment was fine, but I had the opportunity to move in with my boyfriend, and I took it.”
He makes a face, almost a confused but also rehearsed one, that I don’t trust for shit. “Okay, so it’s none of my business, but you didn’t move in with Troy when you moved to South Carolina. So, of course, you can understand my confusion.”
I only smile. “Yes, it is none of your business.” His gaze is displeased, but I hold my ground. “As much as I appreciated the living arrangements, per my email, I will no longer be in need of them.”
I can feel Troy’s eyes on me as Mr. Richardson says, “Okay, moving on.” He threads his fingers together and puts them on the desk as he holds my gaze. I am thankful for the computer because this man is scary. But I refuse to be bullied into giving him information he wants. “We’d like to buy your program.”
“It’s not for sale,” I say without hesitation.
He doesn’t like that one bit. “But when you were hired, we discussed it as an option to further your position in the company. So, you can be a shareholder.”
