“No need. I looked at your calendar.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and worked to keep my breathing level. “Thank you, but I need to have some flexibility right now, Brendan. Miri needs my full attention. I’m going to take my files with me and set up an office at her house.”
“I need you here,” he said. And while I wished he meant it in a romantic way, he didn’t. Business first.
“Everything I need to do can be done via video conference. If I must fly to a location, I’ll work those details out later, but for right now I need to work remotely or come into the office twice a week.”
Brendan sighed and leaned back in his chair. He steepled his fingers and pretended to be in deep contemplation. This was his go-to business move, and it was meant to keep his clients on edge, wondering which way he was going to go.
Normally, I agreed with his pensive nature, but right now it pissed me off.
“Here at Caldwell & Crest, we’re not big proponents of work from home. We offer our staff state-of-the-art facilities, a gym, cafeteria, and top-of-the-line computers. I’m not—”
“Stop,” I said forcefully. “Whatever you’re doing, just stop. I don’t need this bullshit right now. If you don’t want me working from home, fine. I won’t.”
He smiled, and it made me want to punch him.
“So, I’ll be taking a sabbatical. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” I turned to leave, to take myself down to human resources to see what needed to be done to make this happen, because I wouldn’t be treated like a low-level employee who didn’t want to come to work every day.
“Antonia, wait.”
I refrained from turning around, giving him my back to speak to.
“If I didn’t do the spiel, someone would complain.”
“Who? The bookshelf? Your bottle of scotch?” I finally turned to face him.
Brendan stood and came toward me, enveloping me in his arms when I was within reach. “I love you, and I’m sorry I had to go into boss mode.”
“You almost went home single,” I told him.
His deep chuckle reverberated against my chest. “That would not be favorable.” Brendan stood tall and cupped my cheeks with his hands. “I’m sorry. I was being unreasonable. The last thing I want is for you to leave, and while I don’t like the idea of you working remotely, I understand it needs to be done until things level out and are under control.”
What in the hell did that even mean? I thought about asking, but frankly, I was too exhausted to care.
Brendan’s hands went to my shoulders, and he started massaging. I rolled my neck and melted into the kneading.
“This feels amazing.”
“I’m sure you’re not sleeping well.”
I shook my head. “‘Well’ doesn’t exist in my vocabulary right now.”
“I’m sorry,” he said as he continued to push his fingers into my flesh. “What can I do?”
As much as I wanted to think he could fix everything, he couldn’t. I couldn’t. “Give me grace,” I said. “I need to be there for Miri and the kids.”
Brendan nodded.
“Come up this weekend? Cutter has a game on Saturday, and he’d like to see you.”
“I have a tee time in Miami on Saturday.”
I stared.
Hard.
And narrowed my eyes at him. Did he really put his stupid golf game in front of being there for a sixteen-year-old boy who was losing his mom?
