When I couldn’t respond without acknowledging how right he was, he continued. “I couldn’t stand it anymore. I was able to help, so I did. End of story. There’s no pressure for anything. I don’t even want to talk about it anymore.”
My hands felt shaky, but the pressure in my chest had dissipated at his words. There was a truth and a gentleness radiating from him that spoke peace to my soul.
“Well,” I blew out a breath. “If you’re going to be all cute and annoying, and…really, really sweet…um…” I forced the sting in my eyes to retreat before I broke down in front of him. “I guess I’m not sure where we go from here.”
“I want to date you,” he said calmly. “And that has NOTHING to do with paying your bill. If you tell me no, we’ll still be friends. These are completely separate entities. Alright?”
I should have known Duke wasn’t going to beat around the bush. I wanted to wrap his words around me like a blanket, but my head yelled at me to wait.
“You’re still my boss,” I flung out the very excuse that had always kept a separation between us.
He wrinkled his nose. “Okay, the no dating interns thing was Ryan and Mike’s idea. It was more like a guideline. They told the office we had rules about dating interns because they knew I was interested and wanted to help protect you during the competition.”
“What?”
He laughed. “I’m sorry. I tried my best not to flirt, but it wasreallyhard.”
“Anita’s been threatening to go to HR for the past couple of weeks.”
Duke snorted.“Is that the only thing that you’re worried about? You do know I help make the rules, right?”
I had to be honest. I owed him that. “It’s not just that. I’ve always planned to have a career before getting involved with someone. I keep having thoughts that I’m doing things the same way my mom did. I’m scared that if I get involved in something too soon, I might leave myself vulnerable like she always did.”
He stared at me for a long moment, his arms folded as he leaned against his doorway. “I don’t know what’s going to happen today. It’s out of my hands. Maybe you’ll work here, maybe you won’t. But you’re not your mom. Stop hiding behind her. You’re not scared of not being able to support yourself. You’re already doing that. You’re not scared of dating losers. You don’t even date. You’re scared of relationships. You’re scared of trusting somebody else. You’re scared of me.” He took another step closer, and I could reach out and touch him if I wanted. “But I need you to see me for whoIam. Not who your mom dated.”
I couldn’t speak. All this time, dancing around the nail on the board, he was finally hitting it on the head. And he was just getting started.
“But I think I figured out what the real problem is.”
“What?” My ire was beginning to rise, as it would when somebody was literally spelling out all of the things you feared most about yourself.
“Even if you get this job, I have a feeling that wouldn’t be enough. You’d have another excuse. Then another. Always waiting for all the ducks to be in a row.”
“Duke. IF I get this job, it’s still an entry-level position. I still don’t have my degree yet.”
“See what I mean?” He stepped closer. “You can quote every romantic comedy ever made, but you can’t see the guy who loves you standing in front of your face.” He let his words sink in for a moment before looking at his watch and saying, “I’ve got a meeting.”
He turned to go until I stopped him with words that were more about saving face than dealing with accusations that burned. “What about Rachel?”
He turned back toward me. “What?”
Against all reasoning, my talk with Anita had latched itself into my mind and became something I could hold against him—fling toward him like a snake and watch him squirm. “You dated her for three years. Three. You want me to trust you, but how? For all I know, I was just some rebound. How do I know you won’t toss me aside in a few years when you get bored?”
The air in the room slowed to a stop. A standstill of tension as Duke looked at me in disbelief.
“Just some rebound,” he repeated, slightly in awe. He waited a beat, then to my surprise, he began to laugh—a defeated, breathy sort of laugh. He rubbed a hand over his face.
“Is that funny?” I asked, completely confused.
“Nora—“ He broke off, shaking his head slightly, pinning me with his stare. “You were never the rebound. She was.”
The door shut behind him, and for the second time in a week, I was left standing speechless and alone in Duke’s office.
26
She was the rebound.
The beautiful brunette he had dated for three years was his rebound.
