He looked only minimally better than he had the day he dumped me. His naturally tanned skin was still sallow, and dark circles remained below his green eyes. But I couldn’t let that affect me. Especially not after the call I’d just finished. So I took a deep breath and exhaled. Just as I was about to speak, a trader walked down the hall behind Merrick, so I motioned to the door. “Could you come in and close that? I’d prefer we discuss this in private.”
“Of course.”
He shut the door, but stayed on the other side of the room. Which was just fine with me.
“An alarm company showed up at my house the other day. They said you pre-paid for service and the installation.”
“I did.”
“But you did that after you dumped me. Why?”
Merrick’s face fell. “I told you I would, and I didn’t think you would do it on your own.”
I stood and put my hands on my desk, leaning forward. “You told me you would? Well, why keep that commitment when you didn’t keep the one that convinced me to trust you? You know, the one where you promised you’d never hurt me?”
He had the audacity to look like my comment upset him. Merrick rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, you’re sorry?” I nodded and rolled my eyes before sitting back down. “Thanks for that. It helps a lot.”
Merrick took a step toward my desk, but I put my hand up, stopping him in his tracks. “Don’t,” I said. “I don’t need another apology, and I certainly don’t need you to pay for an alarm system out of some sense of pity or whatever it is. So unless you have something else to say, like maybe explaining the truth of what happened between us, there’s nothing more we need to discuss.”
Merrick finally looked in my eyes. He looked sad, but I didn’t care.
“You know what?” I said. “You once told me my ex was a coward. And you were right, he is. But so are you.” I shook my head. “Just please go before I get upset.”