Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
“Jordan!” Annie cried.
Jordan shrugged. “Bold of you to come to my house after hurting my sister.”
“She’s the one who walked out,” I said, holding my hands up.
Jordan laughed. “Well, that’s the smartest thing she’s done in a while.”
“Ha-ha,” I said with an eye roll. “Just what I needed—to be kicked when I’m down.”
“I can try harder,” he offered.
“Ignore him,” Annie said. “Why did she leave anyway? What did your dad say?”
“He compared her to Owen.”
Jordan flinched. “Ah. Yeah, she’s not going to be happy about that.”
“She wasn’t, but then my dad and I got into it. And he said I couldn’t work at the company while dating a Wright. So, I quit.”
Annie and Jordan both stared at me in stunned silence. I drained the rest of my glass. Yeah, that was what I’d thought, too. That I’d done the right thing. I wasn’t going to give in to his bullshit. And yet Harley had acted like I was destroying our relationship by making that decision.
“You can’t quit,” Annie said.
“That’s not enforceable,” Jordan said at the same time.
They glanced at each other and laughed.
“Look at Jordan defending you,” Annie muttered.
“I wasn’t defending him,” Jordan said, sliding his arm around her middle. “But I grew up with Owen. I know these sorts of games. He can’t fire you. Not while you’re the public face of the company. The board would have to do it. If you quit, you’re giving him what he wants.”
“No, what he wants is me and Harley not together.”
“And you’re currently not,” Annie pointed out.
I jerked back at those words. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Were we broken up? No, it hadn’t been like that. She wanted to give me some space. Fuck, was it space? I didn’t want space. Not like that. No, she wanted me to figure this out. I’d given her all the space that she needed to make her decision about Harvard. If I was going to make one about the company, then I should probably make it with more thought than rising to my father’s bait.
Fuck, was she right?
“I don’t want to encourage you to right things with my sister,” Jordan said. “She can do better.”
“Thanks,” I grumbled.
“But she’s fucking smart, and Owen trained her up well. She probably saw that you were getting played before you did. If she’s miffed about this shit, then you should probably listen to her.”
“He’s right,” Annie said. She smiled up at her husband, clearly pleased that she’d gotten him on board. “Basically, you’re being a fucking idiot.”
“So glad that’s the general consensus.”
“Just think for a second. Do you still want to work for the company? Can you still work with your father? Do you think things will change once you all calm down?”
“That’s what Harley wanted me to think about.”
Annie nodded. “And she’s right.”
“She thinks I’ll resent her if I quit because of the bullshit with my dad.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
I opened my mouth to deny it. I never could resent or regret her. Not a second. But instead, I let the anger go, and I really thought about it. I loved my job. My father aside, the job was great. It was what I’d always wanted. If I quit because I was with Harley, would I put that back on her? I wanted to say no, but I didn’t know. Hadn’t we spent all of that time apart just so that she could be sure? Didn’t I owe it to her to be sure here too?
“Fuck.”
Annie patted my arm. “Figured it out?”
“I fucked up.”
Jordan shook his head. “You can say that again.”
“What am I going to do?”
“Figure the stuff out with work before you go back to her. I bet she needs the time to collect herself anyway,” Annie said with a sad smile. “I’ve been on the other end of this idiot doing stupid shit without talking to me. You need to get it together.”
“Hey!” Jordan said.
“Yeah,” I said, putting my head in my hands. “Fucking fuck.”
“Just have another drink. Figure it out in the morning.”
She poured more whiskey into my cup.
“If I drink much more, I won’t be able to drive.”
“Crash in the guest room,” she told me.
My eyes lifted to Jordan. I certainly never would have thought that Jordan Wright would welcome me into his home. Not like that.
But he just nodded. “Not going to endanger my sister’s boyfriend.”
Annie snorted. “Right.”
“Well, not any more than I already have.”
“Thanks,” I said and meant it.
“Fuck off,” he said with a smile.
I laughed as Jordan pulled Annie into the kitchen to grab her some dinner. She apparently hadn’t had a break to eat at the hospital. Watching them together made me realize just how much I wanted this with Harley. And how stupid I’d been to jump to conclusions and let my father bait me.
I’d fix this.
I’d fucking fix this.