Love Game

I stiffened. “Nonsense? How would you know? You give up after a few minutes, just like you do everything else when it’s not going your way.”

His eyes widened. “Right. The Reiki is so effective, and yet it doesn’t seem to work on you.”

I stared, feeling as if he’d slapped me. “You’re a bastard.”

“Why? Because my dead dad is fair game, but your shit is off limits? You know what? Forget it. This was bullshit from the start.”

I sucked in a breath through my nose. “The bullshit is you throwing your entire career away instead of taking the tiniest shred of responsibility for yourself. For your talent. That’s why you don’t have a coach, isn’t it? You can’t stand for anyone to hold you accountable, and you get rid of anyone who tries. Well, guess what? It’s working. You’re going to get banned from tennis. That will show them all, right? Implode your own career, squander your incredible talent. That’ll teach ’em.”

“What the hell do you know about it?” Kai shot back. “You’re just a receptionist.”

I stared, willing my eyes to not betray me. Kai’s own hard expression melted into regret and shame. He shook his head, not meeting my eye, but held up his hand, palm out.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. “I’m sorry I said that, Daisy. But you can’t help me. Go back to Paia. It’s better if you do. For both of us.”

I tilted my chin up. “Fine. If that’s what you want.”

“That’s what I want. You don’t deserve…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”

He walked away, back to the main house. I watched him go, a tsunami of turbulent emotions swirling in me. Anger should’ve burned brightest given how he’d spoken to me. Instead I felt as if I’d lost something that I’d only just found. There were two Kais. The one he wore as a shield to protect himself and the person he truly was.

Doesn’t matter. You don’t need to put up with him being a dick.

My parents—and Jordan—had always called me a big softy. Melanie said my empathy for others is what would make me a good healer. But you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. It’s like answering questions that the person hasn’t asked; just wasted breath.

Kai had his journey and I wasn’t going to be a part of it.

My phone felt like it weighed a hundred pounds as I called Jason and told him I’d been let go.

“What?” Jason muttered something away from the phone that sounded like That hotheaded moron, then came back, his voice firm. “Stay right where you are, Miss Watson.”

“I’m not wanted here, Jason. It doesn’t feel right to stay.”

“I’m telling you it’s right. I’ll cut my work short. I can be there in three days.”

“But—”

“Didn’t you tell me that you subletted your apartment?”

I bit my lip. “I Airbnb’d it.”

“So you’d be homeless if you left. No way. Stay. Make yourself at home. I’ll deal with Kai.”

“Jason…”

“I don’t need to tell you that turnaround for employees on Kai’s team is high. He’s fired Lana a hundred times too. Just ignore him. I’ll be there soon.”

Ignore him?

I wanted to argue more but Jason was a busy man who probab

ly had multi-million-dollar contracts to deal with. I let him go with a muttered thank you and hung up.

“Welp, I guess we’re stuck here, Keanu,” I told my dog who lifted his head at the sound of his name. “Stuck in this beautiful, stunning, Hawaiian paradise house for another week.”

It still felt wrong, but maybe I was overthinking it. Wouldn’t have been the first time. I called up Jordan, who was never shy about giving me her opinion.

“You’re overthinking it,” she said immediately, after I told her the situation. “That agent-guy is the one in charge and if he says stay, stay. Enjoy yourself.”