“Aspen, are you alright?”
I shot him a glare and tried to take another swig from my bottle of Captain, but he took it away from me.
“Are you kidding me right now?” he groaned, unbuckling my seat belt.
He scooped me up in his arms and I snatched up my purse before he shut the door. He started stomping through the snow against my protests.
“Don’t forget the bottle of Captain,” I whined.
“I think you’ve had enough, drunkard.”
“I’m not even drunk.” I smacked him in the chest. “You ruined my party.”
He didn’t say another word as he carried me into his cabin, which I was surprised to find was just around the corner from where I’d crashed.
“I heard you,” Kane answered my unspoken thoughts. “It sounded like you split that tree in two with your damn car. What the hell were you thinking, Aspen?”
“Put me down!” I wiggled around in his arms, glaring up into his beautiful brown eyes.
Kane kicked the door shut behind him, setting me in front of the fire. Then he kneeled down on my level to inspect my face. He looked so concerned that I wanted nothing more than to kiss that worry away. To soothe his fears. But that was the old me. And the new me had accepted that Kane didn’t really care about me. He was just good at pretending he did.
So I tore my gaze away and explained myself.
“You humiliated me at the Christmas party with your little stunt,” I said. “Acting like you can buy me off. What the hell were YOU thinking, Kane?”
He stood up and paced the length of the living room floor. The place was small and cozy, and surprisingly not even remotely luxurious. I had kind of expected it to be, given Kane’s finances.
“I was thinking I don’t want to lose my best employee,” he replied.
I couldn’t hide the disappointment on my face. “No, of course not,” I retorted. “Wouldn’t want to lose your bestemployee. But that’s the thing about employees Kane, they can come and go as they please. It’s a free market out there, and I have more to offer than just being someone’s assistant.”
“You think I don’t know that?” he snapped.
Somehow, I didn’t think we were still talking about work anymore. Silence fell between us, and I didn’t know what else to say. I was angry at him. And I wanted to tell him what I really thought. That’s what I’d driven up here to do. But now that I was here, looking into his eyes, it was a lot easier said than done.
“I came to give you my resignation letter in person. And this.” I reached inside of my purse and retrieved the gift box. “I thought I owed you that much after three years. You didn’t even give me a chance to say goodbye.”
“Because I don’t want to say goodbye.” He shot me a pained look. “I don’t get it, Aspen. Why have you just decided to up and leave? Is it an issue of money? I’ve seen your apartment, I can give you a raise…”
He may as well have slapped me. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, but I couldn’t let him see them. I stood up on shaky legs and shoved the gift into his hands as I gave him a weak smile.
“That’s the problem, Kane. You think everything is about money.”
I walked towards the door, and he followed like a lost puppy. He stared at the box in his hands with sorrow in his eyes. Even though he was generous with his holiday bonuses, I was one of the only employees who ever bought him a gift. It made me sad that he wouldn’t even have that anymore. I swallowed past the pain in my throat and tried to open the door. He wouldn’t let me.
“I want to open my present,” he stated.
“That’s for Christmas,” I protested.
No way could I stand there and watch him open it. I didn’t know how he was going to react. I tried to pull on the door again, but Kane wouldn’t budge.
He tore into the wrapping and opened the lid. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my racing heart. And then I heard his sharp intake of breath.
“Aspen, how did you…” his voice was hoarse, so filled with emotion I thought I might cry.
I blinked open my eyes and saw him trailing his fingers over his father’s cufflinks in awe. “I thought I’d lost them forever,” he said.
“They were in a pawn shop,” I croaked. “It’s not that big of a deal. So would you mind calling me a tow truck? I’ll just wait in my car. I’m sure they won’t be too long.”
