Why did he do it? Why would he go out of his way to make my life so much harder? I opened the first file and got to work. I started to think about what Joss said. Did I really need this job?
The stress was making it difficult to be the best mom for Jace. The workload I was facing meant I was going to be up late every night after he went to bed. Instead of sitting with him to color or watch a movie, I was going to be working.
On a whim, I grabbed my phone and opened my bank app. I checked my savings account and did a little mental math. At some point, I had to decide what was my time really worth? Not just my time but the stress of the situation.
Me and Nash getting along was likely never going to happen. He was a terrible boss, and from personal experience, I knew his character was lacking as well. I put my phone away and dug into the financials of the client. It took me the rest of the day, but I managed to get that one done.
“One down, twenty to go.”
I got up and stretched. When I walked out of my office, the quiet was the first thing I heard. I slowly walked around the cubicles and realized they had all left. Not one of them stopped to say goodbye. That hurt. They were holding me responsible for his actions. I glanced toward his office and could tell the lights were off.
“Snake,” I hissed under my breath. He’d left as well. Nice of him to make sure he went home at a decent hour while I busted my ass.
I wondered if he had to get home to his little woman. She would probably frown on her man working late. They were likely on their way to a swanky restaurant. He’d spend five-hundred bucks on a bottle of wine and tell her all about his day of firing people.
I just didn’t think I could do it. I was ashamed and didn’t want to see him and be reminded of my misdeed.
Chapter 24
Nash
The security guard let me in. He didn’t look happy. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“They say we won’t have water until the end of the day. I had to make the call.”
“I appreciate you doing that for me,” I told him. “I expected they wouldn’t be done.”
“Are you going up?”
“I need to get some work done. The power is on. I’ll go across the street to use the bathroom if necessary. Are the plumbers here?”
He shook his head. “Not yet.”
I checked the time. It was after eight. I didn’t know why I expected them to have their asses in there getting the damn thing fixed before nine. “Let me know when they come in. I’d like to talk to them.”
“Yes, sir.”
I went up to my office. The quiet was exactly what I needed after the turbulent day yesterday. I was still trying to figure out that minefield. Saige had been really mad.
I knew that kind of mad. It was the kind of mad that made you so angry you couldn’t even find the energy to care. You didn’t raise your voice or show any emotion at all because you were just drained. That was where she had been.
I sat down and got to work. I had a lot of balls in the air and the attention that was going to the tax firm was taking away from my other businesses. I was elbow deep in paperwork, signing and stacking for Carly to handle tomorrow, when there was a knock on the door. I was surprised to see Davin standing there.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I thought I’d come up and see what the Ivory Tower looked like.”
“Very funny. Is it all you thought it would be?”
He wrinkled his nose. “It’s kind of dull. I think I like my bar better.”
“Didn’t they call you?” I asked. “Let you know the bar was closed again today?”
“They did. I came in because we had a delivery coming. I didn’t want to reschedule it.”
“Thanks for that,” I said. “Really, that is going above and beyond. I wish all my employees were like you.”
His brows shot up. “Who are you and what have you done with the asshole that usually sits here like Scrooge McDuck?”
I scowled. “Nice. I give you a compliment and you insult me.”
“Sorry, you caught me off guard.” He took a seat. “What’s up? You’re all squinty and scowly. You look constipated.”
“I still can’t figure out why I’m friends with you,” I said. “You’re an insulting prick.”
“Because I’m the only guy who will be friends with you. Everyone else thinks you’re a dick or you’re going to fuck their girlfriends.”
“You don’t think I’ll fuck your girlfriend?” I asked just to piss him off.
“You might, but she wouldn’t fuck you. My girl is faithful.”
“That’s a bold statement.”
“When you figure out how to love someone, you’ll understand.”
“Loyalty is fleeting,” I told him. “Trust me, I learned the hard way. Not even a hundred-thousand-dollar ring on her finger and marriage vows can keep a woman from stepping out.”
“The right woman wouldn’t need either of those things to stay faithful.”
“Talk to me when you have a few million dollars in the bank,” I said. “Let me know how faithful she is then.”
He shrugged. “My girl is faithful. I love her and she loves me. There is no question that either of us would be unfaithful. It just won’t happen. When you love someone, you don’t look at others. You don’t have a wandering eye. I read something a while ago. It was along the lines of people who love you will never cheat on you with someone they never plan to keep. If your wife cheated on you, it was because she never loved you.”
“No shit, Sherlock. I figured that out without your internet wisdom.”
He laughed, still unbothered by my insult. “You know what I mean. I don’t have to worry about cheating because she loves me.”
“Fine. Congrats.”
“You’re extra cranky today. No nookie?”
“I’m extra cranky because the tax firm is falling apart and the assholes that are supposed to be fixing the pipes are charging me over fifty grand.”
“That’s steep.”
“I’m so glad you are here to guide me, Captain Obvious.”
He chuckled. “You’re getting pretty good at those comebacks. I’m proud of you.”
“And that’s exactly what I was going for.”
“Relax, fifty grand isn’t even a drop in the bucket for you. Quit crying. You’re stupid rich.”
“The rich don’t stay rich by overpaying for services,” I told him.
He laughed. “Tight ass.”
“I’ve heard that before and I’m not going to be insulted. It means I budget every penny, and when someone is trying to rob me of my hard-earned money, it really pisses me off.”
“Think they’ll be done today?” he asked.
“If they’re not, they’re fired. I’ll hire someone else to get the job done.”
“Damn, you are cranky,” he said. “What happened with Saige? And don’t say ‘nothing’ because only a woman could get under your skin this bad.”
“I fired one of her people yesterday and now she’s really pissed at me,” I blurted out.