Chapter Twelve
Mia
I was on edge all day, thanks to the nightmare I’d had about Wallace leaving me in the middle of the ocean where I was beaten by wave after wave during a storm.
He’d said once that he was going to drop me off in the middle of the ocean to face my fears. The thought terrified me so much that I refused to go near him or the water for months. He would have left me there and then driven off and kept himself out of reach before picking me back up. He had sworn, it was a joke, but I always believed, if some part of you joked about it, then you could do it.
One of the many asshole-ish things he’d said he’d do. Jerk.
Logan had texted me earlier and told me that I needed to write down things I was afraid of. I’d thought about lying, not wanting him to use that knowledge against me, but I sent him a text with my answers despite that fear in itself.
Snakes.
Open water.
Storms.
Heights.
Snakes just freaked me out. They slithered, they flicked their tongues, and they looked like they wanted to eat you. Some of them totally could, you know. I’d seen the videos online of a snake eating an alligator. Human wasn’t far off.
Open water. Well, thanks to my nightmare, that fear was fresh in my mind, brought up by that memory of Wallace, but also, when I was younger, I had fallen off my father’s boat in a storm. In Florida, my home since I was born, storms seemed to come out of nowhere. I had been wearing my life jacket, but it’d still frightened the shit out of me. So, while I loved the beach, swimming, and water, I was not a fan of being somewhere I couldn’t see land without being on a boat.
My fear of thunderstorms had come from that day, too. The lightning shooting across the ocean, scaring me like I was going to be electrocuted, and the booming thunder echoing over the waves, making my screams for help hard to hear.
I was alive and okay, but I didn’t like being out in the rain. When thunderstorms rolled in, as they frequently did in the evenings of the summer, I’d grab a glass of wine and snuggle in my bed. I needed a thunder buddy, like in that stupid teddy bear movie Wallace had made me watch years ago.
Ugh, Wallace.He’d never held me close during the storms or anything. He’d just told me it was okay and kept on reading.
The more I thought about him lately, the angrier and more resentful I felt.
Something I’d talk to Logan about. Maybe he could exorcise the Wallace demon out of my head, and I’d feel free of him. Next time I saw Logan, it would be on my list—right below asking him why he wanted to know my fears.
Like my fear of heights. I’d jumped out of a tree house when I was sixteen to get a game for my cousins. I’d done the jump many times before then, but this time, I landed on a tree root, and that was all she wrote. I looked at the kid standing in front of me and told him to get help. Then, the pain had erupted, and my screams could be heard for miles. I was a complete pansy when it came to pain, and I used to be on the dramatic side, so of course, the whole experience caused trauma in my head.
Heights were a part of my life, but I was always holding on to a railing or something to keep me grounded. I even pulled aPretty Woman, wanting the best rooms with balconies, but I rarely went out on them.
I shook the memory and tried to focus on my tasks ahead.
Jay had set out my calendar for the month for me to go over, and I was feeling tired already. Two board meetings to talk about our last quarter, which was up by twelve percent from last year. One trip to my hotel in Las Vegas to run over the plans for a new casino wing with the contractor. One charity event, which I had yet to formally accept my invitation. Pep talk with the new recruits this week, as was tradition. One I’d started and been doing once a month since I opened my business. It helped workers, even the ones low on the totem pole, feel a bit more comfortable and see me as a real person. Not some overlord who wanted to fire them if they made one small mistake. I liked my hotels to feel comfortable for workers, and like we were a family.
And, lastly …
“What the hell?” I stared at the calendar and paged Jay.
He walked in with a smile on his face, knowing very well why I’d called him in.
“Care to explain?” I pointed to the day in two weeks where it hadHave sex with Loganin bold font.
My cheeks flushed as I thought about it, which only made my assistant smile wider.Little twit.
“I’m just thinking of you, boss. Not sure what your relationship is with him, but I acted in your best interest. You need to get laid.”
Jay knew I wouldn’t fire him—he was too important to me—but come on, man. This was so inappropriate.
“Thank you for the concern, Jay, but I’ve hired him to be my life coach, not my sex partner.” I rolled my eyes.
While his intention was sweet, I would not be sleeping with Logan in two weeks—or any other weeks.
