“Most people don’t call me out like that.” He said like it genuinely puzzled him. “To my face.”
“Maybe most people want your money.”
He laughed, and I fought a smile.
“You always this direct?”
“You always used to getting your way?” I retorted.
“Usually,” he said. “Look, you needed a place. You got it, and instead of being happy, you come to my office ready to go to war. I’m trying to find the part where I did something wrong.”
“That’s it, though.” I leaned on the island. “You’re thrown off because you’re not used to hearing no. You make a decision, the room agrees, life moves on. Must be nice.”
“It is nice. Is that a bad thing?”
“It’s fine… inyouroffice. With people who workforyou.” I held his eyes. “You don’t get a say over my life, Julian. No title gives you one. You overstepped.”
He went quiet. I could see him actually taking in what I’d said. “You know what’s interesting to me?”
“I have a feeling you’re going to tell me.”
“You've caught me off guard three times now. I don't get caught off guard.”
“Three times?”
“Football field. The wedding. Today.” He counted them on his fingers. “I saw something that I could help with, so I handled it. That's all that was.”
“You tore up my check. I came to pay you back, Julian. To settle it. And you ripped it up like it was nothing.”
“It was nothing.”
“Not to me. I don't take handouts. I don't get carried. I can dig myself out of my own holes. I don’t need you to come along and wave it away like it doesn't cost me anything to be in your debt.”
He tilted his head. “You know… most people would’ve just said thank you.”
“Most people, or mostwomen?” I let that sit. “I imagine that’s the usual story, huh? Woman wants a thing, you’re the man who hands it to her, everybody’s happy.”
His eyebrows went up. “Are you saying I'm used to gold diggers?”
“You said it. I didn't.”
He studied my face. “Is that why you got upset? You think that I think you're a gold digger?”
“No. I’m saying whatever dynamic you are used to with women, this isn'tthat.I'm not looking to get anything off you, and I'm definitely not auditioning for anything.”
Surprise flickered across his face. “I didn't think you were.”
“Good. Then we understand each other.” I let abreath out. “Listen, I am… grateful. I really am. But there's a difference between grateful and indebted, and I needed you to know I know it.”
“Noted.” He pushed off the counter, quieter now. “For the record, there is no debt, Alyssa. I don’t keep a ledger. I saw somebody carrying a lot on their own and I had the means to make one piece of it lighter. That was the beginning and the end of it.”
“That's the part that's hard for me,” I admitted. “The on-my-own part is load-bearing. You start pulling pieces out and then I don't know how I'm standing.”
“Fair enough.” He paused. “My intentions were good. If they came out like something else, that’s on me, and I’m sorry for it. You’re… family now. I don’t want to leave it with you mad and it being tense between us. ”
“I’m not mad at you, Julian. Annoyed, yes. I’ll get over it.”
The fight went out of both of us at the same time. The tension changed temperature, less two people squaring off, more two people who'd caught each other being honest.
