I lift my hand, cutting her off. “I’m tired, Maya. And anything I might say will be hurtful, so you need to leavenow.”
She wipes her hands on her white dress as she steps around the counter and comes to my side, where she leans up and kisses my cheek, and I let her. “I love you, big brother.”
I don’t say anything back. I never do. Yes, I love her. But words of affirmation or sentiment have never been my strong point. Plainly put, I suck at them. Give me a business meeting, and I will crush it, but ask me to talk about my feelings, and I’d rather kill someone instead.
“Take the job, Maya. Don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be.”
“Okay,” she agrees quietly, then heads out.
I want to believe she’ll take the job and do the best she can at it. But a part of me knows she only said that to appease me. She wants something, more than likely money, since I cut off her weekly allowance.
When she’s gone, I head straight to the bathroom and turn the shower on before I remove my clothes and step in. Lathering soap all over my body, all I can think about is Cressida. All I want right now isher. And yet, she seemed more than happy to kick me out.
She interests me in more ways than I care to consider.
But she has a child, and I don’t deal well with children. I never wanted any since I had to practically raise my sister.
That burden alone changed who I am.
So, yes, I’ll stay away from Miss Knight.
At least, that’s the lie I’ll keep telling myself.
TWENTY-ONE
CRESSIDA
Soren took my vibrator.What the actual fuck?I didn’t notice right away, probably because I only managed to get up to shower, pee, and climb straight into bed. I had one of the best sleeps of my life thanks to him. Not that I would ever tell him that. I would never let him know he was responsible for anything positive in my life. He might take that and run with it, and his ego is already big enough without me inflating it.
Oliver is due to arrive home today, and while it’s been a difficult week, I’ve been missing him like crazy. Ever since Noah and I split, we’ve worked out a way to co-parent that serves us both, so neither of us misses anything in his life. I know a lot of divorced parents struggle with that, and I’m happy we don’t.
I’m sitting out front, waiting for them to arrive because they told me they’d be here at a specific time, but it’s already five minutes past, and I’m eager to put my arms around my son.
My phone rings, and when I see the name flash on the screen, I completely ignore it and look down the street. I haven’t spoken to Soren since last night, and I’m still trying to decide whether to take the other job or the one he offered me. I’m pretty sure the position with Soren will pay better, and that’s a big incentive, butthe fact that I have to stop investigating him, even though I’ve been doing so for over a year, stings a little.
My phone dings, indicating an email this time.
I unlock my phone and read the message.
Dear Miss Knight, aka, Hurricane,
I’ve tried to call you with no success.
I would greatly appreciate it if you could attend a meeting with me to discuss your new job, should you choose to accept it. I have attached the position details, including the salary.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Your New Boss
My new boss.That’s bold of him.
When I open the attachment, my mouth falls open, and I sit in complete and utter shock.
Surely, this can’t be real.
Who gets paid this much money for the type of position he is offering?
I read it again and again because it’s more than three times what I earn right now. This amount of money is insane. Maybe it’s normal for someone like him, but it’s certainly not normal for me.
