“King Richard o’clock,” I whispered in return.
“That late, huh?” He yawned.
“Late?” I chuckled incredulously.
“Yes, I’m usually up and working by now.”
“So why aren’t you?”
“I thought that would be obvious.” He pressed a kiss to the sideof my head. “And honestly, I think we both deserve a lie-in after the last few weeks we’ve had.”
“Good point,” I conceded. “But I do think that we should brush our teeth.”
“Well, I’m glad you said something because…” He trailed off, making his expression the perfect imitation of theyikesemoji.
I gasped and pulled the pillow from under my head and smacked him in the chest with it.
“It’s too early in the morning for this level of violence.”
“I haven’t had my coffee yet,” I quipped.
“Well, I’m gonna go shower and I’ll meet you in the kitchen by the coffee maker?” He raised an eyebrow at me before he crawled out of bed. The sheet fell away, exposing Dan’s chiseled back muscles—and the sculpted muscles below his back. The power of speech escaped me again and I could only nod.
“It’s a date.”
“I have to say,” Max said after a sip from her martini, “I am loving this new Emma.” She reached out and grabbed the tip of one of my curls, pulling it straight and watching it spring back into place. “I was skeptical about you living on the farm, but now it makes me consider coming out there for a visit.”
I smiled at her because she was right. Farm life had been good for me. I also had to be careful not to let too many details slip about the true nature of my inheritance.
“It’s definitely a huge change.” I sighed and popped a mini crabcake into my mouth. “But enough about me. Tell me all about Laramie. What’s it been like since I left?”Leftwas an interesting choice of word, since I’d actually been fired.
“Girl.” Max dropped her head to the side and glared at me. “Nina has been insufferable. She doesn’t mess with me too much because she knows my patience for bullshit is too short and my list of connections too long, but your absence is definitely felt.”
This news made my chest warm and softened the lingering blow of my unceremonious firing. The days since leaving Laramie and living on the farm had made me happier and a lot more relaxed, but I still felt the sting of failure.
“She hired three new reps to replace you and has fired one already.” She slapped me on the knee for emphasis. My jaw dropped. “She’s also out of her office and in the field more than usual, which I’m sure pisses her off. It’s her own fault.” Max shrugged. “She even has the nerve to compare people to you.”
“What?” I gasped.
“Yes, girl.” She began a spot-on imitation of our boss: “‘Emma would never do something like this,’ and ‘Emma would have gotten this done twice as quickly!’”
I snorted laughter.
“It takes every ounce of strength I can muster from the ancestors not to say, ‘Bitch, you fired Emma, so shut the fuck up!’”
I chose the wrong time to try to take a sip of my martini because my laugh caused it to shoot up my nose and burn my nostrils, eliciting loud coughs and snorts.
“Gets on my damn nerves,” she finished with a sigh. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I squealed, still laughing. “That sounds crazy.”
“Well, it is. Everyone is thinking it, but no one will point it out to her. What she needs to do is get over her ego and ask you to come back.”
Max’s words made the smile slide off my face. “I’m not sure if I could go back,” I said in a low voice.
“Why the hell not? You’re amazing at your job and Nina knows it. It’s only a matter of time before she comes crawling back. If I were you, I’d make her beg for it. Definitely a raise—but not a bigger office because I need my work wife back. The new little girls they have running around the office are driving me crazy.”
“No, Max.” I sighed. “I mean, I don’t think being a PR rep is what I want anymore.”
