by Kira Archer
“Why are you sitting there looking like someone just died?” Izzy asked, nudging her. “This is the best day of our lives.”
She gave her friend a faint smile. “It’s a very good day.” But not the best of her life. Not even close. No, her best day featured a powerful, sometimes arrogant, drop-dead-gorgeous jackass with flashing gray eyes and thick hair that her fingers ached to touch again.
Cass gave Izzy a knowing look that made Kiersten cringe. She hated being so obvious.
“So, what are you going to do?” Cass asked.
“With the money?” Kiersten asked.
“No. With Cole.”
Kiersten took a deep breath and slowly released it. “I…have no idea.” She swirled the champagne around in her glass, her gaze focused on the sparkling amber liquid.
“You should at least talk to him,” Izzy said. “I’d say ‘if you want to,’ but it’s obvious you do.”
She looked up, startled. “Is it?”
Cass snorted. “Honey, we just claimed a shit-ton of money. Everything is a possibility for us now. Everything we ever wanted, anywhere we ever wanted to go. Most people would be peeing their pants in excitement. But you’re sitting there staring off into space and playing with champagne from an eight-hundred-dollar bottle instead of drinking it. So, yes, I’d say it’s obvious you’ve got something on your mind.”
Kiersten opened her mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again. She didn’t want to say the words that trembled on her tongue. They were weak, stupid. And she couldn’t help it. “I miss him.”
Instead of rolling their eyes or laughing like she expected, Cass and Izzy each looked at her with expressions of understanding and concern. Which kind of freaked her out.
“You’re not going to tell me I’m an idiot?”
Cass shrugged. “What good would that do? You love him. Whether that is advisable is kind of moot at this point.”
“How can it possibly be moot? Isn’t it the whole point?”
Izzy raised an eyebrow and grabbed a breadstick. “Honey, you have never been one to easily fall in love. You let your head get in the way too much. So if this man weaseled past all your defenses, it doesn’t really matter if it’s a smart decision or not. It’s a done deal.”
“That doesn’t mean it should stay a done deal,” Cass said. “If you want to walk away, walk away.”
Kiersten went back to staring at her drink. “I don’t know if it matters how I feel. He made it obvious how he felt.”
Cass grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “He was upset. I doubt he meant all that.”
Kiersten frowned. “No, he meant it. I can’t even really blame him.”
“Well, I can.”
“You know,” Kiersten said, their fight running through her mind over and over, “I don’t even think I’m upset that he was angry. I nearly destroyed something that meant the world to him, something he’d been working on for years, because I wanted to play some stupid pranks to get revenge for him being a tough boss. Hell, he probably had decent grounds to get me arrested for corporate sabotage or something. But he didn’t even fire me.”
She looked back and forth between her two friends. “That’s odd, right? That he didn’t fire me?”
“I’d have fired you,” Izzy said.
Cass shushed her and Izzy shrugged. “What? I would have.” She turned to Kiersten. “So the fact that he didn’t says a lot to me. Isn’t he the man who fired his assistant for taking time off for her own wedding?”
“She actually quit, but good point.” Kiersten frowned again. “So…what does that mean?”
Izzy laughed. “I’d say it means he’s got it bad for you.”
Cass nodded. “Ditto.”
That made Kiersten’s heart jump. But it didn’t really change much. She sighed again. “Maybe he doesn’t want to get slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit or something. Firing me when I’m still sitting there in nothing but a sheet…”
“Yeah,” Cass said. “That’d be cold.”
Izzy snorted. “Literally.”
“Or maybe he just loves you,” Cass said.
Kiersten shook her head. “We’re too different. I’m not his type.”
Izzy’s eyebrows rose again. “When has that ever stopped anyone? Besides, I’d say being whisked away so you can sex it up medieval style all weekend says otherwise.”
“Shhh,” Kiersten said.
“What?” Izzy said. “I’m not wrong. If he wanted a quick lay, there are faster and cheaper ways of doing it. And faster and cheaper women to do it with.”
“Nice,” Cass said.
“It’s the truth, and you both know it.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Kiersten said. “What I meant was…”
“What?” Izzy asked. “The money?”
“Yeah. He didn’t start talking relationship until after he saw those papers. After he knew I wasn’t some gold digger.”
“I know that’s always been an issue with him, but honestly, I don’t think it matters when it comes to you,” Cass said. “He’s used to being with the rich and famous. He dates models and actresses. But you two have been dancing around each other for months, and even after everything you did, after dumping him in Amish country for crying out loud, he still wanted you. You said you spent an amazing weekend together. Before he knew about the money.”
“Yeah,” Izzy said. “And this might not be what you want to hear, but what difference does it make if it does make him feel better that you have money? I mean, do you blame the guy? You’ve been rich for less than a week and already have people coming out of the woodwork with their hands out. He’s been dealing with that for years. He’s probably never dated anyone who wasn’t after his money. Will you ever be able to trust that a guy is with you for you and not your money again?”
Well, damn. That was a good point. It was going to take a long time to wrap that fact around her brain.
“All this does is put you on equal footing. Now, neither one of you has to worry about being used for your money. Come on, Kiersten. Is that why you’re hesitating? Or are you afraid to take a shot and get turned down?” Izzy asked.
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“Sure. But I’d rather get shot down than wonder about what would have happened for the rest of my life.”
Kiersten sighed. That was an excellent point. Not that she could do anything about it when he wouldn’t answer her calls. She glanced down at her phone. She almost missed hearing it ring.
“Well,” Izzy said, “I guess we can at least notify everyone that no one won the pool. You both held out longer than we all thought.”
“Yeah, unless he finally picks up the damn phone and fires me today. Who has the last day?”
Izzy pulled out her phone. “Umm…huh. Okay, that’s weird.”
“What?” Cass and Kiersten both leaned over to look.
The last day of the month didn’t have a name. Just a phrase. Never, because he can’t live without her.
Kiersten’s stomach flipped. She sat back, stunned. “Who would have put that?”
Cass frowned. “I don’t know, but whoever it was wasted a square. We can’t pay out winnings on never.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Kiersten said. “I’m going to quit.”
Cass took her hand again. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I can’t go back to being his assistant. I’m not going to work for a man I’ve slept with, and I’m sure as hell not going to work for him if we are together. The relationship wouldn’t last a week.”
Izzy shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s lasted so far.”
“We weren’t in a relationship before.”
“You kinda were,” Cass said. “You spent more time with him than you did with us, and you live with us.”
She snorted. “Sure, but I spent most of that time running his errands and making sure his life ran smoothly. If that’s your definition of a relationship, you might need a time machine back to the fift
ies.”
“True,” Izzy agreed. “It’s got to be nice not waiting on him hand and foot. If that’s how he treated you as an assistant, it probably would have been a whole lot worse living with him. You pick out the guy’s clothes for him every day. It’d be like having a large child instead of a boyfriend.”
Kiersten snorted. She’d had that same thought on more than one occasion. But… “I don’t know. Yes, I did some ridiculous things. But this weekend, when we were together, he took care of everything. It would have been easier to fall back into our normal roles, let me handle it all. But he didn’t. He did everything. He even brought me breakfast in bed that he made himself,” she said, smiling at the memory. “Maybe…maybe it wouldn’t be like I always thought it would be.”
She rubbed her head. “This whole last month has been one surprise after another. He never reacted the way I expected. Perhaps I misjudged him.”
“And if you did?” Izzy asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s too late to matter. I did what I could to fix it all. I heard the opening at Piper’s House went perfectly. I still can’t get him to answer my calls. Maybe it’s just over. Too little, too late.”
“Ah, babe,” Cass said. “It’s never too late.” She raised her glass. Kiersten and Izzy joined her.
“To freedom,” she said. Then she looked at Kiersten. “And whatever we choose to do with it.”
Kiersten took a deep breath. That was the question, wasn’t it? What would she do with her newfound freedom?
She looked at her phone again. Still silent. Still no messages.
“All right, that’s it,” she said, shoving away from the table.
“Where are you going?” Izzy asked.
“He might hate me. He might never want to see me again. But there’s no way in hell I’m going to let him just ignore me. If he wants me out of his life, he’s going to have to tell me to my face. After I tell him a few things first.” She downed the rest of her drink and turned to march out the door.
Her friends scrambled to grab their things, Cass throwing enough on the table to cover the tab and tip.
“Wait for us!” they called after her.
They’d better hurry if they wanted to come. She had a wayward boss to track down.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kiersten blazed out of the elevator, Cass and Izzy hot on her heels.
She marched straight through the office, ignoring the whispers and craned necks that followed her. In fact, she was pretty sure she’d picked up a crowd as she headed straight for the conference room where Cole sat with that ass of a man Mr. Daniels.
She didn’t care. About any of them. Her attention zeroed in on Cole.
She pushed open the conference room doors and marched right up to the table, much to the surprise of Cole, who stood, eyes wide and staring, and his guest.
“Kiersten,” Cole said.
“Excuse me, young lady,” Mr. Daniels said, “but you are interrupting a very important meeting. Now—”
“Why are you here?” she said, glaring at him.
He blinked at her, obviously taken aback. Then he straightened up, his chin jutting into the air a bit. “I decided to swallow my pride and follow your advice, for the sake of my company.”
“Congratulations. Now sit down and hush. He’ll get back to you in a minute.”
“Kiersten,” Cole started again, but she turned on him next.
“You sit down and shut up, too.”
His lips twitched but he did as she said, sitting back in his chair and lacing his fingers lightly together while he waited for her to speak.
She pointed to his phone. “Does that work?”
He frowned, obviously confused. “Yes. Why?”
“For months, you have been blowing up my phone. Day, night, in the middle of parties, at dinners, when I’m asleep, or hell, even when I’m in the restroom, and I have never, not once, not answered. Even if you hadn’t been my boss, it’s just common courtesy. At least shoot me a text telling me to get lost, but to completely ignore me for days is inexcusable.”
“I agree, but—”
“I’m not finished yet.”
He held up a hand. “My apologies. Continue.”
“I know things got out of hand. And I’m more sorry than I can say that I almost messed up Piper’s House. I never would have done that on purpose. I hope you believe that. It’s so beautiful, Cole. It really is. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank—”
“But,” she cut him off, “that doesn’t justify the complete freeze-out you’ve been giving me. Especially after everything that’s happened between us. How could you just…”
He held up his phone. “It’s a new phone. I just found out today my backup info didn’t transfer over for some reason, so they had to set me up with a new number. I never got your messages.”
“Oh,” she said, some of her bravado fading a little.
She glanced around, finally noticing that the entire office had gone dead silent. Because they had their faces pressed against the glass of the conference room walls, watching and listening—since she’d flung the doors wide open—to every word she said. The same people who had listened to her bitch and complain about Cole every day for the last two years. Along with Brooks, Harrison, and Chris, who had come in at some point without her noticing and were watching the whole show with avid interest.
All right, then.
She turned back to him.
His eyebrows were raised, that aggravating smile back on his lips. “Was there anything else you wanted to say to me?”
She hadn’t planned on making a total spectacle in front of everyone, but the hell with it. “Yes.” She took a deep breath. “You are the most stubborn, aggravating, pain in the ass I know. And I am totally, unconditionally, head over heels in love with you.”
The collective gasp from their onlookers would have been comical if she hadn’t just declared her love for the boss who might still hate her guts.
“Is that so?” he asked.
Oh, so he was going to make her work for it? Fair enough. She deserved a little torture for everything she’d put him through.
“Yes. That’s so.”
Cole stood. “And what do you think I should do about that?”
He took another step toward her, and her heart tripped a beat or two. “I think you should forgive me so we can get back to dating.”
“Listen to her, son,” Mr. Daniels chimed in. “She seems like a smart lady. You could do a hell of a lot worse.”
That grin of Cole’s twitched again, but he shook his head. Kiersten’s stomach dropped to her toes.
“No.”
“No?” she said, her body somehow flushing hot and running cold at the same time.
“No. It’s not enough.”
She forgot how to breathe. “What do you mean?”
“You are the most infuriating, frustrating woman I have ever met in my life. Marry me.”
This time, the collective gasp was followed by a few hoots, hollers, and a rush of excited whispers.
She looked back at Cole, trying to get a grip long enough to breathe properly. Her hammering heart must have affected her lungs and her hearing because nothing seemed to be working. “Did you just ask me to marry you?”
“Yes.”
“But…what about everything I did?”
He took another step toward her. “I don’t care.”
“What about the money?”
His next step brought him within touching distance. “What about it? I don’t care. We both have some. Great. I loved you before I knew about yours, and I don’t care if you love me because of mine. You can have it all. I don’t want it. I just want you.”
Her heart thundered in her chest. “That’s easy enough to say.”
He smiled. “I’ll sign a prenup.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “I’ve seen your prenup.”
He turned and snagged a legal pad and pen off the confe
rence table and handed them to her. “Write your own. Anything you want. I’ll sign it.”
“Cole,” Chris said, but he ignored him, his gaze fixed on Kiersten’s.
“Anything?”
He nodded.
She stared at him for a moment more, then laid the pad on the table and wrote: Prenup. Anything she says goes.
He didn’t even read it. Just took the pen and leaned over to sign.
“Cole, you can’t just sign—” Chris started again, but Cole had already signed. He tossed it over to Izzy. “Send that down to legal,” he said.
“Cole,” Kiersten said, but he pulled her to him, apparently done talking.
He sighed deeply and rested his forehead against hers for a moment before pulling back enough to meet her gaze again. “I’m sorry for what happened, what I said. I was out of line.”
“No, you weren’t,” she said, reaching up to squeeze his hand. “I’m sorry, too.”
They held each other’s gaze for a second, then spoke at the same time.
“I quit.”
“You’re fired.”
They both laughed, and he pressed her closer. “I love you, Krispin,” he whispered.
She laughed again, her heart nearly bursting with the joy flooding through it. “Krispin Harrington?” She smiled. “I think I like the sound of that.”
“A proper engagement with a massive rock will be forthcoming. I just need to wait to gather my winnings from the Termination Pool.”
“What?” she asked, her heart skipping a beat.
“The last square. It was mine.”
“Well, technically, no one wins. I quit and you fired me at the same time. It kind of cancels each other out.”
“I still think I should collect.”
“On what grounds?”
“Pain and suffering.”
She laughed. “I’ll consider it.” She leaned back so she could look into his eyes. “So you’re the one who wrote never, because he can’t live without her?”
He took her hand and kissed it. “Yes.”
“But…that was filled in weeks ago.”
