“That sounds almost like you’re going to buy me from him,” she says with a laugh that sounds more horrified than amused.
“No, I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant you won’t have to feel obligated to him anymore,” he says.
“I’m not working there because I’m paying off some financial debt. I’m there because that’s my family’s business—it’s our life. Will and Harrison and I have always been there for each other, our entire lives. It’s ourhome. They’re my family. I can’t just abandon them.”
“It’s not abandoning them. It’s starting a new life. Harrison loves you and he wants you to be happy. He said as much on the phone,” I say. Okay, change of tactic. I’ll be cute about it. Nothing else seems to be working… “If this will makeyouhappy, it will makehimhappy. So, really you’d be doing him afavourif you move here.”
“It’s not that simple, Pierce,” she says, shaking her head.
“It is if you want it to be. Your brother will understand and I think you know it.” Crikey. This is not going at all the way I thought it would. “It’s easy enough to find a chef, there are loads of them out of work.”
Her head snaps back. “So, we’re a dime a dozen? Is that what you mean?”
“No, of course not. None with your passion or talent,” I say, starting to feel rather annoyed at the fact that she’s not being more gracious about my gift. “Christ, this really isn’t the reaction I was expecting.”
“Well, I’m afraid your expectations weren’t very realistic if you thought you could just decide my entire life for me without bothering to consult me,” she says, staring at me in a way that makes me not so sure I want her here at all. “What did you think? That after five months of nothing, I’d fall into your arms and say yes to all of this?”
Yes. Yes, I did. “I certainly expected you to be more grateful,” I answer in an icy tone.
“Oh for—” She pauses and takes a deep breath. “I don’t even know what weareto each other. I’m certainly not moving halfway around the world without knowing what this is,” she says, pointing back and forth between us.
“It’s a relationship. It’s me saying that I’ve missed you and I want you here.” I run my hands through my hair in frustration. “I don’t know what will happen, but for the first time in my life, I want to give it a go with someone. With you.”
“Butthisisn’t the way to do it,” Emma says, gesturing wildly in the air. “I’ve heard basically nothing from you formonths, then suddenly you send for me, and expect me to turn my back on my family and move here at the drop of a hat?”
“First of all, the no contact thing was your idea, not mine, so please don’t throw that back in my face. Second, you,of all people, know what kind of pressure I’ve been under with the publisher and the network up my arse. I have done literally nothing but work and attend the odd promotional obligation since I left. And as soon as I could, I came up with a plan for us to be together,” I say, my voice rising. “This is the king of all grand romantic gestures that you women seem to need. I thought you’d be thrilled, yet it sounds like you’d rather make me pay for not ringing you up enough to chat.”
“That isnotwhat I meant and you know it!” she answers, her voice rising to meet mine. “For all I knew, we were over. And then you suddenly decide we should give it a try, so you jump in and make all the decisions for both of us with absolutely no thought of consultingmeon where I’d be spending the rest of my life.”
“To be honest, I didn’t think it would be a tough decision for you.” I tap my chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “Hmm…Let’s see, I could live in a luxurious flat and run the best restaurant in the entire kingdom, or I could spend the rest of my days on a crap houseboat with a three-burner stove and a bar fridge. Tough call. How will you decide?” I say, oozing sarcasm.
She glares at me, her entire face red with fury. “There’s really no need to be a sarcastic arsehole about this.”
“No? I’m offering you everything you’ve ever wanted and you’re not only turning it down, but you’re also implying I’m some controlling bastard for doing it!” Every muscle in my body tenses with anger. I take a deep breath and lower my voice. “I’ve clearly made a mistake. This won’t work.”
“You’re right. This won’t.But not because I’m making a bad choice. It’s because you have no idea what it means to love someone.”
“This coming from the person who’s saying no to a future together?” I scoff.
“If you knew what love was, you’d know it means finding a way to fit intoeach other’slives instead of expecting me to give up mine.”
“And just how are we supposed to do that when we live on opposite sides of the planet?” I ask, throwing my hands up. “One of us has to give up their life and sincemineis far superior, it’s only logical thatyou’dfit intomine.” Oh, now that was just rude, wasn’t it? I should not have said that, no matter how true it may be.
Emma’s shoulders drop and she stares at me for an uncomfortably long moment. When she finally speaks, her voice is quiet. “If you really believe that between the two of us,you’rethe rich one, I feel sorry for you. All you’ve got is money.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head. “Oh please. Spare me the ‘all you need is love’ routine. If that were true, why is the entire world obsessed with the rich and famous? Could itbebecause they desperately want the lifestyle that goes with it?” I ask. I give her a hard look, then nod firmly. “Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s it.”
“Not everyone is like that.”
“Even Mother Teresa was in it for the fame,” I say. “And in case you’ve forgotten,you’rethe one who wants to have your own cooking show, a chain of restaurants, and all the juicy star power that comes with it. Is that because you just want to ‘share your vision with the world?’” I’m doing air quotes now to really drive my point home. “No. It’s because you want to be rich and be admired by the world.”
“Wow. You really are jaded beyond repair, aren’t you?”
“Thanks for the psychoanalysis, Dr. Kubler-Ross. Perhaps you should turn your skills on yourself so you can begin to understand why you’re saying no to the best thing that’s ever happened to you, because I assure you, I’mfine.”
“No, you’re not, Pierce.” She shakes her head slowly. “You’re turning on me because I can’t just drop everything at the snap of your fingers. I’m not the type of person to abandon her family just because someone sends a private jet for me.”
“But youdidget on the jet,” I say. Oh, now I’m just being nasty, but I can’t seem to stop. It’s like my tongue is a runaway train with no brakes. I can see I’m about to crash but I cannot stop it from happening.
