“Leave? You have the audacity to?—”
“Mrs. McMullin,” he interrupted, his tone firm. “Brooke is no longer here. And if you insist on not letting Hope clean your teeth, I must ask you to leave. Hope is our new hygienist, and she will be staying. If you don’t wish to see her, that is your personal decision, and we can remove you from our records. Please return to the front desk now. Shelby will see you out.”
The woman huffed and stormed out into the foyer. I could hear Shelby trying to calm her, but it was futile. Soon, the front office door slammed, and everything went quiet.
“Can I see you in my office, Hope?” Jay asked, his jaw clenched.
Ugh. That was horrible. I barely said a word and let poor Tyler and Jay take the brunt of that woman’s anger.
I was shaking slightly when the door to his office closed behind me.
“Are you all right?” Jay asked.
I wasn’t expecting the sincerity in his voice. His hand came to rest on my shoulder, and he looked down at me with genuine concern in his eyes.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, even though embarrassment burned in my chest. That lady was the one who lost it, not me. Why did I feel embarrassed?
“I’m sorry she said those things to you,” he said, his jaw tightening again. “It’s not how I wanted your first dayto go. I really want you to be comfortable here. We’re kind of a family?—”
“Look,” I said, exhaling sharply. “I really appreciate what you did for me back there, but you don’t have to start in on the ‘we’re family’ stuff, okay?”
I knew I was being harsh, but Melva had hit a nerve, and I didn’t have the patience for placation.
“I don’t want a work family. I don’t need camaraderie and all that. I’ll do my job, you get your production, I get a paycheck, and we both get what we want.”
His jaw hardened, and at first I thought he might be angry. Then I realized I may have actually hurt him. His brow furrowed.
I swallowed, a twinge of guilt settling in my chest.
“I know you said you want to change my mind, to show me you’re different, but…” I hesitated, searching for the right way to phrase it. “I know how these things go. People promise nice things and then they… don’t follow through. So let’s just not get in each other’s way.”
I was pushing him away to protect myself. I recognized self-sabotage, plain and simple. I’d done it a few times in my life. A tiny, traitorous voice inside me whispered,stop,but the louder voice insisted that I protect myself.
I turned back toward the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should get back to work.”
I reached for the door. But before I could open it, Jay spoke again.
“Hope.” His voice stopped me in my tracks. It was firm, commanding, yet somehow gentle.
I stilled, slowly turning to face him.
“You don’t get to decide that I’m pretending,” he said, his intense eyes locking on mine. “You can choose to keep your distance,” he continued. “But don’t put words in mymouth and don’t assume who I am. I meant what I said when I said I want to change your mind. I want this to be a place where you can breathe again. Whether you believe that or not.”
My throat tightened.Woah.I wasn’t expecting that.
He stepped closer.
“You’ve been tensing up all day. Holding your breath when I walk in the room,” he murmured. “I don’t want you to do that here. Not with me.”
I was two seconds from scoffing and saying something likeI’ll breathe however I want, thanks,oryou don’t get to tell me what to do. After everything my father had done to control me, I was more sensitive than ever to anyone trying to dictate how I should live.
But if I were being completely honest with myself, the way Jay said it didn’t feel like my father’s control.
My father demanded obedience. Demanded perfection. He wanted me to bend to his will so he could be satisfied.
But Jay’s intensity didn’t feel like a power grab.
It was something else. Something I hadn’t felt in years.
