"It's a double cheeseburger," he says. "With pickles. And a shake. Your religious experience."
He walks over to the table and sets it down. He opens the bag. The steam rises.
"Ivy," he says. "Please. Sit down. Eat a burger with me. No strategy talk. No investors. Just... us."
I look at him. He looks hopeful. He's taken off his tie. He's rolled up his sleeves. He's trying to recreate the magic.
But you can’t recreate magic. You can only mourn the loss of it.
“We’re almost done,” I say, checking my watch. “One last public appearance. One last box to tick.”
“I don’t care about appearances,” he says. “We can be done now.”
“We can’t,” I say. “Not yet. If we disappear before the finish line, Aston gets to win.”
"Let him win," Brooks says, shocking me.
He walks around the table. He stops in front of me.
"I don't care about Aston. I don't care about the deal. I care that you haven't looked me in the eye in four weeks."
"I look you in the eye all the time."
"No.You look at me. You don't see me. You look at me like I'm a client you're trying to manage."
"Youarea client I'm trying to manage!" I shout.
The outburst surprises us both. It echoes in the small kitchen.
"I am doing exactly what you blackmailed me to do," I say, my voice trembling. "I am being the asset. I am being the fiancée. I am securing the deal. Why isn't that enough for you?"
"Because I miss you!" he shouts back.
He rakes his hands through his hair.
"I miss the woman who argued with me about HVAC. I miss the woman who stole my shirt. I miss the woman who looked at me in the rain and told me she was mine."
"Shewasyours," I whisper. "And then you threw her away because you were scared of a little emotion."
"I was terrified!" Brooks admits. "Yes! I was terrified! Because you were the first thing in my life that I didn't have a contingency plan for. I knew how to handle my father. I knew how to handle the pressure. I didn't know how to handle the fact that waking up next to you felt like the only thing that mattered."
He steps closer. He reaches for my hands.
"I panicked, Ivy. I put the shields up because I thought you were going to leave me eventually, and I wanted to beat you to the exit. It was stupid. It was cowardly. But I am trying to fix it."
I look at his hands holding mine. The warmth reaches me. The pull is there. I want to forgive him. I want to collapse into him and eat the burger and forget the last month.
But then I remember the waiver. I remember the expiration date.
"You can't fix people, Brooks," I say, pulling my hands away. "You told me that in the hospital. You manage them. And right now? You're managing me."
"I'm not?—"
"We have five days," I say, stepping back. "Two days until the vote. Five days until Labor Day. Let's just... finish the job."
I turn away from him. I walk to the bathroom door.
"Enjoy the burger," I say.
