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“No, I wasn’tcountingon anything. Just hoping. And, after all the rejections and silences and frustration I’ve dealt with during this job hunt, it would have been nice if you’d have torn down that hope as soon as possible so I didn’t spend all this week thinking justmaybe…”
“Really? You’re blaming me for my mother making a stupid, casual offer and then not telling you not to rely on it? If it’s that important to you, I can press my dad—”
“That’s not the point!”
“Then whatisthe point? Brielle, I’m sorry I keep doing everything wrong—”
“I never said that.”
“Then I’m sorry. Okay? I’m just sorry.” He ground his teeth. “I’m sorry for caring too much about you, for coming on too strong or whatever it is you think of me.” His brows lifted. “I’ve never had the luxury of knowing how to act after a girl jumps into bed with you on a whim. Stupid me, I always thought that was the sign of intimacy, but no, I guess it’s all the stuff one does whenclothedthat’s too much for you right now—”
She pushed past him, standing on her toes to squeeze between his chair and the kitchen table.
“Where are you going?”
“Home,” she said, snatching up her purse.
The full realization of what he’d said hit him. Sleeping with him on a whim? That seemed to imply such a thing was a habit with her. Not that there was anything wrong with girls who did that in general, but in the heat of the moment, he’d known what he was saying—howhe was saying it—was hurtful and he’d kind of meant it to be. Because her recoiling just now had hurt him. He ran a hand over his face, then followed her down the hall. “I’m sorry, Brielle.”
“You said that already.” She lifted a foot up and unceremoniously slapped a shoe against it.
“No, I mean, I’m sorry for what I said just now.”
“Noted.” She squeezed her foot into the other shoe.
“I don’t want this to be the end,” he said, more quietly. “I’m not saying you have to marry me, be trapped here, or whatever, but I just feel… I’d hate to have us end like this.”
“There is no ‘us.’” Her lips trembled. “There’s nothing to end.”
“If you really feel that way—”
“I do,” she said, turning on her heel.
Archer watched her go, feeling as if she’d sucked out all the air in his home along with her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nora was out of school. And surprisingly, more than a few of her friends had summer jobs—or, as Nora so sullenly remarked, summer camps—to go to, so she had no one to really hang out with. And she kind of owed their mom a quiet summer of working for Scrubbing Cherubs after the stunt she’d pulled several weeks before.
“If I have to be exposed to a lot of chemicals, my polish is going to wear off.” Nora picked at a chip on one of her pinky fingers as she approached Mrs. Tanaka’s door with her sister. She’d agreed to carry a bucket over her arm full of clean sponges and brushes, but she’d balked when Brielle had told her Mrs. Tanaka bought her own cleaning sprays and scrubs and they wouldn’t need the soap Brielle kept in her trunk for clients who didn’t care so much about what products were used to clean their homes.
Brielle nodded at the yellow elbow-length gloves peeking out from the top of the bucket. “That’s what the rubber gloves are for.”
Running her fingers over the rubber, Nora’s nose wrinkled. “They feel gross.”
“Not as gross as pulling clogs out of sinks and bathtubs will be without it.”
Nora made a gagging sound and reached into her pocket to pull out her phone.
Brielle put a hand on her arm. “No phones while on a job.”
Nora rolled her eyes and shoved it back into her pocket. “Well, we’re not technicallyon the jobyet.”
Before she could even knock, Mrs. Tanaka opened the door, a smile plastered on her face. “Welcome, ladies! Your mother told me she would be sending the new girl to do training. You must be very excited.”
“Yes. Ecstatic,” muttered Nora. “It’s not like I’ve ever cleaned before.” Her gaze roved over the open doorway. “Kitties!” she squealed.
Before she could run out to pet them—not a good idea, since the cats were already twisted sideways with arched backs in an effort to seem scary instead of cute (they failed)—Brielle whacked an arm in front of her chest. “What do we say?”
