Hired Hottie

“Why?” I ask.

She pauses before shaking her head. “I don’t know. Honestly, he’s seemed off since about halfway through the party on Saturday. I bumped into him when he was looking for you, and he seemed anxious but relatively fine. Then you ran out feeling sick, and he stayed behind. After that, he looked…lost. I was really surprised he declined after witnessing how hard he worked and all the time and effort he put into coming out on top. I can’t believe that he was willing to walk away from it. Do you think you could get him to reconsider?”

The question hangs in the air, weighing heavily on my shoulders. Staring off into the distance, her request runs through my mind over and over again. I just…I can’t understand why he would turn it down.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks, obviously reading the pain written across my face.

With a quiet sniff, I release a deep breath. “Honestly, I don’t think I’d be a great person to talk to Levi right now. We’re,” I choke on the word and try again. “We’re not exactly on good terms right now.”

Her expression softens before her hand grabs my forearm and squeezes gently. “What happened? Are you okay? Can I help?”

My lower lip quivers, my breathing shaky. “I’m not sure if there’s anything that can help this.”

“I had a hunch that something might be going on,” she reveals sympathetically. “You know, I’m a really good listener if you want to talk about it.”

With a dry laugh, I shake my head again. “Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with a lot of good listeners in my life, but none of them have been able to come up with a solution that can make this work.”

“Then let me tell you this. I may or may not have been a listening ear to Levi too before the grand opening. I know for a fact that he cares about you. A lot,” she emphasizes. “He may not have told you this, but I was the one that twisted his arm to come find you on Thursday.”

“Why would you do that?” I don’t mean for the question to come out so sharply, but it does. An image of Levi’s face from that day comes to mind. It’s quickly followed by the way his eyes softened when he asked me on a date. He was so nervous and so not the Levi I grew up with.

“Because,” Alexandra starts, scattering the image and bringing me back to the present. “I could tell from the first moment I saw you two in the same room when I stopped by Get Baked with my daughters that there was a spark between you two. And I wanted to encourage it to ignite. Everyone deserves happiness, Charlie. And I knew he was holding himself back.”

Shaking off the remainder of sadness from the memory, I grab onto my anger. “Well, you must’ve misread the situation because all I am to him is an asset when needed and an obligation when I’m not.” Bonnie tugs on the leash, clearly over this whole chatting thing, but I don’t move an inch as I mutter, “Just a second, Bonnie girl.”

“What do you mean?” Alexandra asks curiously.

“Honestly?” I sigh. “I don’t even know anymore. He used me, Alexandra. He practically sold me to Conner in hopes of getting him to withdraw his application for the job. That’s how much Levi cared about our relationship.” Her face doesn’t show an ounce of surprise. “Did you know?”

Giving me a single nod, she tucks a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “I did know. And I’m so sorry that happened to you. But I will tell you this. You weren’t in his cubicle when he finally realized what was at stake if he didn’t get his head out of his ass. He couldn’t handle seeing you with someone else, and I know for a fact that he regretted bargaining you in the first place. He was jealous as hell, and he was willing to sacrifice his job to get you back. He was an idiot, Charlie. But in the end, he called it off. Doesn’t that count for something? He wanted Conner to leave you alone, and he put the chance at his dream job on the line for you. Hell, if upper management had caught wind of their little agreement, he could’ve easily been fired for it. He was willing to risk that outcome as long as he could ease his conscience. But it looks to me like he lost both of the things he wanted. Talk to him. For him––and for you. Hell, even for Montague Enterprises.” She laughs. “Yes, I’m being a little selfish. We really want him, and we’re trying to figure out how to convince him to take the job. But now that I know what happened between you two, I don’t think I can do it. Not without your help. That being said, if he says no, or if you refuse to help,” she adds, “I completely understand too.”

All the information she divulged hangs in the air, threatening to burst my little bubble of reality that I’d conjured from my perspective until I want to crumble. The silence that follows only proves the ball is in my court, and I need to decide what to do with everything I’ve learned.

I just don’t know where to start.

But one thing is clear. I don’t think I can sum up the effort to keep up anymore small talk, and it’s obvious she’s said everything she came here to say.

Bonnie tugs on the leash again, anxious to continue our run. “I should probably get going. Thank you for telling me, though. And for stopping by. I really appreciate it.”

“Thank you for almost running me over,” she teases. “I was headed into Get Baked to see you, so it really worked out. I guess it was meant to be. But you’re right. I need to get going too. My sister, Bianca, is watching my little girls along with a two-year-old of her own, so I can only imagine the chaos she’s experiencing. I should probably go relieve her.”

Blanching, I cover my mouth at the prospect. “Oh my gosh! I can’t even imagine having to herd that many little kids all at once!”

“I know, huh?” Her tinkling laughter proves that even though parenting is hard, you quickly learn to roll with the punches. “I’ll see you later.”

“You too.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Charlie

Sucking my lips into my mouth, I rock back on my heels and raise my fist into the air for the tenth time in the last thirty seconds. Before I can talk myself out of it––again––I pound on the solid door in front of me.

Then I wait.

And I wait.

And all the while, my heart is racing a million beats a minute while I force my feet not to move an inch from this spot. I know that if I do, I’ll be down the hall before Levi has a chance to answer the door.