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"I'm making a list of rules for myself while Charlie's here," I tell him.
"Like what?" he smiles as he sits on the edge of his desk.
He looks so good my heart throbs.
"Like don't be late again and try to be invisible in meetings," I hitch my shoulder.
"I don't want you to be invisible," Brady tilts his head to the side. "I like that you spoke up."
I hug my notebook tighter, wondering why he wanted to speak with me. "Is everything OK?"
"Yeah," he swings his leg back and forth as he watches me closely. "I wanted to talk about the earrings."
Subconsciously, I touch my ear. "Oh."
"I read your text messages," Brady reveals.
"I saw," I admit, mortified.
"I bought those earrings ten years ago. I had them in my pocket when I showed up in San Diego," he admits. "I should have given them to you then."
"It's probably better you didn't," I say quietly. "I wouldn't have accepted them."
"Why did you accept them now?"
Ah, the real reason we're in here. He wants to know why I told him I don't want to be his charity case, but I accepted the expensive diamond earrings.
"At first, I was annoyed, Brady. I don't want you to spend money on me or feel like you have to make up for anything that's happened in the past. But then, I stared at them for an hour last night, and I wondered how I would feel if I wanted to give you something and you wouldn't accept it."
"I see."
"I will pay you back for everything," I declare. "But from here on out, you have to let me take care of myself."
"I will try."
"I mean it, Brady. I see how hard you've worked to get here. I don't want to be someone else who shows up and asks you to invest in me. You've done enough already."
"I don't see you that way," he pushes off his desk and moves closer. "I'll always invest in you, Iz."
"You won't get much of a return on your investment," I warn.
"Good thing I'm not looking for one," he says quietly before shoving his hands into the pockets of his navy dress pants.
There's a sharp knock on his office door, interrupting the moment. I jump, startled, but Brady exhales heavily. "Come in."
Angie dramatically throws the door open. "We're not giving her a dime, Brady."
Brady walks over to his desk. "Her dad gave us the money to start this business, Ang."
"I don't care," she angrily taps her foot on the floor. "We paid him backwith interest. We don't owe the Byrd family anything."
He runs a tired hand over his face. "Let's just hear her out."
"I'm tired of hearing her out," Angie grumbles. "We both know she's only here to get in your pants and as soon as she does, she'll be on her way. So, take one for the team and give her what she wants."
"Angie," Brady groans.
"We both know it's true," Angie counters with a huff.
