“You’re fired.”
Aspen swivels her head in my direction. Lola lets out a nervous laugh.
“Aspen, let’s go,” I say, taking her wrist gently but firmly. Her skin’s shockingly warm against mine, and I can feel my palm throb. Or maybe it’s her pulse. But every nerve ending in my body prickles like it’s overcharged. An urge to let go, so I can regain control over myself, overwhelms me. But I don’t.
Aspen doesn’t yank her wrist out of my grip, either. I can feel her gaze on me. She’s probably looking at me like I’m crazy, but I don’t care. My headspace is too jumbled, and I don’t like what I’m feeling right now, because watching some bitch hurt Aspen is making me feel small and pathetic. A bully who picks on somebody defenseless, just because she can.
“I’m sorry? What’s going on?” Lola says.
“Are you too intellectually challenged to understand a simple sentence? You. Are. Fired.”
Her jaw drops. Her chin’s so unnaturally pointed, she looks like a shocked praying mantis.
“But…” Her panicked blue eyes dart in Aspen’s direction. Emmett also uses Lola’s service, but if he hears I fired her—and why—he’ll drop her too, and she knows it. “Grant, I apologize. I didn’t realize she was your new girlfriend. If she’d told me that from the beginning, none of this would’ve happened.”
What the fuck? Did she just victim-blame?
“I told you I was here for Grant Lasker.” Aspen sounds mildly tired.
And Lola didn’t believe her. My expression must’ve spiked Lola’s fear, because she starts babbling. “You usually bring girls who are better dressed than this. If this is a test, obviously I failed, but give me another chance. I can do better. You know that—”
“Stop digging. You’ll never be able to get out of the hole.”
She shuts her mouth so hard and fast, her teeth click.
“I don’t do second chances,” I say. “If you can’t do your job, you’re done.”
“You can’t throw away a decade-long relationship like that!”
“Watch me.”
When we’re out of the boutique, Aspen pulls her wrist out of my grip. I look down at my empty hand, feeling bereft. I flex my fingers.
“Now where are you going to go to buy whatever you needed?” Aspen says as we walk toward the lot.
“There are a bazillion personal shoppers in this city.” I pull out my phone. To be honest, I don’t know any other than Lola. But my brothers should know some.
–Me: I just fired Lola Court. Need a replacement. Any suggestions?
Noah responds instantly.
–Noah: Whoa. What did she do?
–Me: Something worthy of termination. So. Any suggestions?
–Sebastian: Sorry. My shopper’s in Virginia.
–Noah: You should just dress yourself.
–Me: Not all of us enjoy rolling around in the dirt to get a shot of some aardvark.
–Emmett: Is Amy going to be offended when she finds out why?
Given my sister-in-law’s personality…
–Me: Yes.
–Emmett: Then she’s gotta go.
