“What about it?”
“Are you going to stay home or go to work?”
That was a lot to throw at me, and frankly, I wasn’t all that comfortable with it. Having looked after myself for so many years, I wasn’t used to someone needing to know things like this about me.
“It’s not that hard, baby. You just have to open your mouth and share with me.”
“You first,” I said, refusing to give up the high ground.
Chuckling, he slid his fingers through my hair that I pulled back in a bun. “You sure are demanding. But I concede. I will always concede for you,” he whispered just before pressing his lips to mine.
My knees went weak from his kiss, but that didn’t distract me from the fact that he hadn’t shared the information with me yet.
“Parker,” I whispered.
“Yeah, baby?”
“How much did you get?”
Chuckling, he kissed me again. “A hundred thousand.”
I flinched back in surprise, but not for the reasons he thought. His happy face suddenly turned panicked.
“Oh shit. Did they not give you that much? I just assumed—Blake, I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything! I shouldn’t have?—”
“Would you stop it! I’m not upset!”
“Then why are you yelling at me?”
“Because they gave us two hundred thousand dollars!”
“I can’t believe it!” Parker shouted. “What kind of psychos are they?”
“The very generous kind,” I returned his exasperated yell.
“We should call them and complain.”
“Absolutely. Who do they think they are?”
He scoffed, shaking his head as he pulled out his phone. “We don’t need handouts.”
“Not at all,” I agreed.
“And we definitely don’t need to be seen as charity cases.”
He put it on speakerphone and waited for the ringing to stop and the man of the hour to answer. Which he did in a way too cheerful mood.
“Does this mean you’re coming back to work for me?”
“I’m pissed,” Parker snapped.
“Oh, shit. Did you break up with Blake? Did she shove you through a window again?”
“No, she didn’t shove me—well, she shoved a kid. And the sheriff.”
“She shoved the sheriff through a window?”
Glaring at Parker, I spoke up. “I didn’t mean to! I didn’t realize we were that close!”
