“So.”
“Want to sit?”
“Should I? Will I need the support for whatever you’re about to reveal?”
“I don’t know. It’s pretty simple. First question, was this Wenches meeting anything like a staff meeting at Square Glasses?”
Her chest tightened. “What if it was?”
“They’re the editorial board for a new publishing company called DezAndy Press. It’ll be publishing M.R. Morrison, Oksana Jones and… me. If you’d like to head up that outfit, you have the job.”
She stared at him, her ears buzzing. “What have you done?”
“It’s not just me. Everybody’s excited about it — Lucky, Trent, Mom and Andy?—”
She folded her arms and tried to stop from shaking. “This is Irving Quick’s doing.”
“I’ll admit he planted the seed, but?—”
“Rance, he’s not thinking ofyou. Or your mother! This is all about him eliminating his competition!”
“I don’t give a damn what his motives are. He showed me a way that we could be together and I took it.”
“You gave up your dream!”
“My dream is you! TheTimeslist, books in the front of the store, none of that means anything to me if I can’t have you.”
“I can’t let you do this.”
“Lani, I’ve done it. I’m hoping you’ll see how exciting it would be to build this thing together, to make a life together, to have those babies you?—”
“You’ve let a self-involved idiot with half your talent twist your brain into thinking this is your best option. It’s not.” She clenched her fists, yearning for something or someone to punch.
But not Rance. He’d been talked into sacrificing everything. For her. She knew exactly who she wanted to punch, but this ranch house was a peaceful retreat. And it was Christmas Eve Day. “Please take me home.”
“You won’t even consider it?”
She shook her head. “I won’t be a part of this gigantic mistake.”
“Then I’ll take you home.”
The despair in his voice tore at her heart. “You don’t have to do this. Just because your mom and Oksana want to, you can go ahead with your original plan. It’s not like you’ve signed a contract.”
He took her by the shoulders. “Look at me.”
She lifted her gaze to his.
“Without you, that glittering path you see holds no allure. I don’t want some other editor in some other publishing house. If I can’t work with you, then I’ll work with my family.”
She swallowed. “That’s your choice.”
His grip tightened and his brown eyes blazed. “Come with me, Lani-lou.Come with me.”
“No.”
The light faded from his eyes. “Okay, then.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
