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“Alison.” Her mother’s tone was like a slap. “This is my house, and you’ll treat my guests with respect.”
“Yes, mother.” Alison literally bit her tongue to keep from saying—Yeah, your house that’s falling down and wouldn’t be livable if it hadn’t been for her money fixing the plumbing and the electric.
“I’ll have to remember that tone.” Harker walked past her. He must’ve realized how hard it was for her to stay quiet because his half-smirk lifted, making him look like an evil clown. “I can never get her to obey me that easily.”
“And you never will.”
“We’ll see about that.” His confident grin sent a chill down her spine.
“I don’t think we will.” She’d just been challenged by the devil, but she wasn’t backing down now.
“You should come with me.” He motioned for her to proceed him out of the kitchen. “I’m ready to concede your point.” His eyes locked with hers. “Like your aunt said, all deals require negotiations. I’ll meet your demands. We should go to my”—he glanced at her mother—“office so you can look over the rest of the contract.”
“No.” Her stomach dropped to her toes. If he agreed to joint custody, she wasn’t sure she could turn his offer down. Not only was it a lot of money but she’d be co-owner of Angel Face. She’d put her life into that software.
“Are you sure?” His gaze lifted above her head to the corner.
She knew exactly what he was looking at. The roof had leaked and the plaster on the ceiling was starting to crumble. This whole blasted place was falling down around them.
“This deal could help a lot of people.” He glanced at her mother.
“I think you should at least hear him out,” said Mom. “He agreed to your demands, whatever they were.” Her mom hugged her and whispered, “I think you’ll do an excellent job running a team of your own.”
“He told you—”
“I explained that you’d be co-owner and run a team instead of working long hours doing everything yourself.”
Of course, he’d only told her mom the parts that made him look good. It was typical Harker, but she was glad. Her mother would never understand the rest. Having a baby with a man Alison didn’t love for money and career advancement was as foreign to her mother as an alien planet.
“Go with the man and hear what he has to say,” said Mom. “You can always refuse again.”
“It’s not an ideal offer but I’m sure you’ll get worse ones in life,” muttered Aunt Tiff.
“It’s a great offer.” Harker sent her a dirty look.
Aunt Tiff shrugged. “Not terrible but I’ve had better.”
“Better than co-owner of a successful company?” asked Mom. “What offer did you have that was better than that?”
“Marriage.” Aunt Tiff’s gaze darted to Alison and then to Harker.
He frowned but Alison understood the message. Her mom didn’t approve of divorce, but she’d accept it. Having a baby out of wedlock would shame her mother at church. Marriage was the only option Alison had if she agreed to this offer.
“Fine. I’ll go.” This was perfect. Harker would never agree to marriage. His face had paled at the mere mention of the word. She grinned at Aunt Tiff. This decision would soon be out of her hands. “You’re right. You have had better offers.” She glanced at Harker and almost burst out laughing when his frown deepened, displaying his dimples.
“And Alison, be polite,” said Mom.
“Oh, I’ll be polite. I’ll be super-duper sweet.” She couldn’t wait to see the panic in his eyes when she insisted on marriage. Then all she had to do was convince him that even though she wasn’t the right woman to have his baby, she was the perfect woman to run the software engineering team.
CHAPTER 12: Harker
Harker waited at the door to his house for Alison. “I still don’t know why you drove.”
“Because this won’t take long, and I didn’t see any reason for you to have to drive me all the way back home.”
“Stop being obstinate.” The muscle in his cheek ticked from clenching his jaw so much. She was the most stubborn woman he knew. He opened the door and followed her inside.
“I’m not. I’m being practical. I’ve already given you my answer.”
