"Then I'm sure they'll be glad to have you back on board." I stand and button my suit jacket. "You'll be given a month's severance, Miriam. Your last day officially ends in twenty minutes. Leave your keys with my assistant."
"I'm fired?" She huffs out a humorless laugh. "You're seriously firing me for trying to improve your sales numbers?"
"I'm firing you for chasing away some of the best sales associates we've had."
"Of course you'd think that." She stands and slams her hands on the top of my desk. "Every man in this business thinks with his dick first. I bet you've slept with most of the women who left. Is that what this is about?"
"I'm going to ignore that," I say calmly, although I'm anything but. I keep my hands off the women who work for me. That's a powder keg that I want no part of. "Leave, Miriam."
"Fine." She pulls the store keys from the pocket of her black pants and drops them on my desk. "I'll go work for your father. He offered me a managerial position at one of his sales offices a month ago. I should have known then that he was the only Benton worth answering to."
"Godspeed, Miriam," I quip as she walks out of my office. "You're about to enter the lion's den."
Chapter 16
Adley
Crew said he would be waiting for me outside the clinic at five o'clock. He didn't tell me that he wouldn't be alone. Ellie is next to him with Jonas holding tightly to her hand.
"Hey, Bean." I approach where the three of them are standing. I look down at Jonas. For a five-year-old, the kid has some major height. "What are you two doing in this part of town, kiddo?"
"Aunt Adley, you know why we're here." He rolls his eyes.
I have no idea why they are here. None.
"I thought you'd change before you left the clinic." Ellie scrunches her nose as she looks at my scrubs. "I guess this means you want to stop by your place first?"
I look at Crew for any hint, but he's silent and staring at me. Great.
It's been a long day. I'm cranky and tired. On top of that, I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened between Crew and me last night.
The kiss was exactly what I wanted until we were interrupted. By the time I'd finished with the call from the clinic's answering service, the weight of what we'd done hit me full force. I jeopardized one of the most important friendships I've ever had. It was reckless. It can't happen again, even if my lips still feel tender and the ache for him has only intensified.
"We ran into Crew down the block." Ellie pats him on the back. "I'd invite him to join us, but he has to sit this one out since I only have three tickets."
Three tickets to what?
I scroll through my memories trying to latch onto anything that will clue me in to what the hell I had planned for tonight.
"You're obviously in a good mood," she says sarcastically when Crew doesn't make the expected comment about being left out in the cold. "Did you fire someone or something?"
"I did." He answers without taking his gaze off of me. "Miriam."
"You fired Miriam?" There's no mistaking the shock in Ellie's tone. "Does Nolan know? He loves her."
"He'll get over it."
She shakes her head. "He won't be happy."
He finally turns to look at her. "He will get over it, Ellie."
"So you haven't told him yet?"
Crew folds his arms across his chest. "I'll go to your place now and tell him face-to-face since it seems that my plans for this evening have fallen through."
"Can we go, Mom?" Jonas jumps in place. "I need to use the bathroom."
I jerk a thumb at the clinic. "Use the one in t