She leans back in her seat. “Oh. Well, you can’t be upset about that.”
“A work event that he only asked her to go to because he wants to bed her.”
“What an asshole,” she says. That assumption is acceptable, so I cheers her glass, and we both take a sip. “Did he tell you that?”
“No. I just know.”
“How?”
This is where it gets complicated. “Because it’s something I would do.”
With a shake of her head, she says, “Let me get this straight. Katie wants her boss for years, and then you swoop in. You have a relationship, and then the boss asks her to this event. She says yes, and you don’t know if it’s because she feels obligated because it’s work or because she wants to see if things prosper with the boss?”
I point at her. “Bingo.”
“Did you ask her which one it was?”
“Of course she’s not going to say she’s still interested in him.”
“So, you had a fight and walked away. Interesting …”
I don’t like the way she just said that, as if it’s all coming together. “Why are you doing that?” I ask her.
“Doing what?”
“Analyzing me. I don’t need you to make your assumptions about my life. I know you frown down on my dating life, which is why I never bring anyone around here.”
She sits up straight, her palm facing me. “What do I have to do with any of this?”
“Ever since I broke off the engagement with Cassidy, you stare at me with disdain. And don’t think I didn’t see the way you looked at Katie. She’s too good for your glares and snide comments. I’m the one who deserves it. I never should have taken my relationship with Cassidy that far. That’s why I have the two-week rule. No one gets hurt. Not them and certainly not me.”
I down my drink and then push the glass away. I don’t feel like drinking any more tonight.
Melissa falls back into the seat and sits there for a moment. I can see her shifting in her seat out of the corner of my eye while I stare at the empty glass. Her breath changes, like she’s about to talk and then stops. I place a hand on my head and push my hair back.
“Hunter, I was angry when you broke up with Cassidy. She was my best friend, about to be my sister, and our friendship was annihilated when you ended things. I hadn’t wanted you two to date in the first place for that reason. I still haven’t spoken to her since then, and that kills me.”
I clench my jaw, knowing what an ass I am for that stupid mistake.
“But”—Melissa places a hand on my back—“it doesn’t kill me as much as it would have if you ever married someone you didn’t love. Breaking up with her when you did sucked because of the timing, but it was also brave of you to know in your heart what was right.”
I look over at her and find a very soft, worried expression on her face. “I shouldn’t have proposed. I should have ended the relationship long before that.”
“You weren’t the first person to get caught up in the pressures of a relationship, and you won’t be the last. I had no idea this was something that bothered you.”
“It’s the reason I am who I am. It’s why I—”
“Have your two-week rule,” she says. “Can I take a guess that you and Katie have been together for two weeks?”
I nod my head. “Pretty much.”
She smiles. “I thought you had been together longer. You had such a familiarity between you two.”
“We’ve been friends for two years. She’s been the bright spot of my day ever since we met.”
Melissa is quiet again, her glass slowly emptying. “Do you love Katie?”
I don’t answer right away.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s not a no.”
I throw my head back and let out a sigh of sheer exasperation. “Truth is, I’m scared to because I don’t trust myself. I don’t trust that what I feel is real and not built on expectation. Wanting someone for a long time and finally getting them can be a bit of a high.” I straighten myself and glance down, playing with my hands, the ones that were holding Katie not too long ago. “For the first time, I was willing to go past the two weeks to see if it was real. Even if it meant that one of us could get hurt. Guess I won’t get to know now.”
“Damn. Self-sabotage much?”
“Excuse me?”
She leans an elbow on the island and looks me square in the eye. “You want a two-week rule, but how will you know it’s real if you don’t stay past the first fight? That’s when you know. Loving someone isn’t just about the fun times or taking care of them when they’re down. It’s about hating their guts and yet loving them enough to want to stick around tomorrow.”
I burst out laughing. “Of all the advice I ever thought I’d hear from you, that’s not what I expected.”
“Ask Tyler. He probably wants to toss me out of the house once a week, and I take ridiculously long baths just so I don’t have to hear him go on and on about his mother’s heartburn or whatever her latest ailment is. I mean, take a Tums and move on. But I digress. We have our lows, but the highs, the good times, are what keep us going. When I have a problem, I turn to him. When I have a funny meme on my phone, I show it to him. And when I’m raising my children, I’m doing it with him. He’s my guy.”
I smile. Melissa and Tyler have the spark.
She places her hand on mine. “It’s a great feeling, but you’ll never know it if you run away at the first sign of trouble. You just have to decide if she’s worth seeing what the next page in your story is about.”
Chapter Eighteen
Katie
Twenty-four hours have passed since Hunter walked out my office door. That’s twenty-four hours of me wondering if I should call him or if he’s going to call me. Worst of all, I’ve been sick to my stomach about how we left things.
I look out at the room of shareholders, who are here for my presentation on something way above my pay grade. My palms are sweaty, my neck is coated with goose bumps, and I’m nervous as hell, especially when I see some of the bigwigs staring at me, waiting for me to speak.
I glance over at Branson. He gives me a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile. It calms me slightly, and I take a deep breath.
Lifting my computer clicker, I begin my presentation. The information on the screen helps remind me of the script I wrote for myself and studied so hard. I start off a little shaky, but I navigate the room through the bullet points and charts, giving them my findings on the research I conducted, not just from recent months, but also back seven years where I gathered the data. My analysis on Empire Media programming is thorough, and from the nodding heads, I see I’m resonating with a few.
I must be speaking fast because before I know it, I’m on the last slide and asking the room if there are any questions.
To my surprise, there are many. I field them all with Branson’s help. Together, we’re a good team, strategizing on the spot and working through some of the ideas and concerns. The hour is over quickly. Everyone else stands. Hands are shaken, and kind words are said.