I laugh. “As if that means anything.”
“Maybe not yet but give it time. If there is anyone Declan has a soft spot for, it’s you.”
“You consider this having a soft spot?” I wave a hand over the entire table covered in papers.
“You could quit. Take your ideas and start somewhere fresh.”
“I can’t leave him right now. Our relationship complicates things.”
Cal shakes his head. “No, it doesn’t. Actually, if anything, it makes all the more sense for you to leave. It’s a conflict of interest to work for your husband.”
I sigh. “He needs me.”
“He doesn’t need anyone. He makes it pretty damn clear every time anyone says so.” Cal speaks with a little more of an agitated tone than I’m used to.
“He doesn’t even know how to operate a printer on his own.”
“He doesn’t want to know how.”
“Why?”
“Because what else would you be useful for?” He grins.
I grab a pillow and launch it at Cal’s stupid face.
“For your information, I just caught a mistake on Declan’s quarterly report.” I point at a misspelled word.
“Children with dyslexia around the world are rejoicing at your success story.”
I flip him off with a smile. “I don’t know why I ever admitted the truth to you.”
“Because you needed a shoulder to cry on after Declan ripped you a new one after your unforgivable typo.”
My hands covering my face muffle my groan. “You promised to never bring that up again.” It was my first month as Declan’s assistant and he nearly fired me for one mistake. I could have confessed the truth to him, but admitting my weakness seemed like a betrayal to myself. Like I couldn’t handle the intense work environment because of a learning disorder I spent my whole life trying to fix. So rather than ask Declan for accommodations, I work harder to achieve his standards.
Like reviewing reports on a Sunday.
Why struggle with a work-life balance when I can make my entire life my job?
“You’ve come a long way since then. Declan even respects you enough to let you lead some of his presentations.” Cal’s sincere words warm my heart. “But that doesn’t mean you should give up your dream because you think my brothers are more important.”
My smile falters. “It’s not the right time.”
“There’s never a right time to make a hard choice.”
“How much weed did you smoke this morning?”
“Not enough to be the voice of reason in this conversation.”
I glare at him. “I’m not quitting right now, so drop it.”
“Not quitting what?” Declan’s voice cuts in.
My pulse point flutters at his low, authoritative tone. It takes all my strength to drag my eyes toward Declan’s face.
“Yes, Iris, what exactly are you thinking of quitting?” Cal raises a brow, not bothering to hide his smug expression. “Fancy seeing you back so soon, brother. Forget something?”
Declan doesn’t respond, but the two of them share a look before my fiancé’s eyes lock onto mine.
“Umm…You see…” I scan the room, trying to spark an idea. A silent commercial for an animal shelter plays on the screen.
“She didn’t want to tell you the truth—” Cal starts up.
I jump from the floor and step in front of him. “I’m not quitting until we adopt a dog.”
Oh God. Did you really just say that? You have never considered owning a dog in your entire life!
The expression on Declan’s face tells me indeed I did.
“A dog,” he repeats.
“Oh, yes. Iris loves dogs,” Cal offers, failing to hide the amusement in his voice.
If looks could kill, Cal would be choking on his own tongue now.
“My mom never let me have a pet, so now might be the perfect chance for me to have one.” I mean having a dog might not be the worst thing ever. It could keep me company in this big, empty house.
“You want a dog,” Declan states with a strange expression on his face.
An idea of how to get out of this mess strikes me. “Yes. A big, fluffy dog that follows me around everywhere.”
“No.”
Sell yourself. Don’t make him suspicious by agreeing too easily.
“But I’ll do everything by myself. I know crate training can be annoying, but I doubt you’ll hear them howling over the sound of your snores.”
“There isn’t a chance in hell I’m letting that happen.”
“But think of all the serotonin we could be boosting if we had one.”
“My decision is final.” He turns on his heel and exits the living room.
“‘My decision is final.’ What a pretentious ass.” Cal’s eyes roll.
I drop onto the couch with relief. “You bastard. Why do you do that?”
“You could have told him the truth.”
“Never.”
“Then I guess don’t get angry when you come home one day to a cute puppy in need of a loving home.”
I give his shoulder a shove. “Don’t you dare! He would kill me if you did that.”
“You have to admit that it would be a bit funny for you to adopt a dog when you hate them.”
“I don’t hate dogs! What kind of monster do you take me for?”
“The kind who actually enjoys working for my brother.”
9
IRIS
“Are you sure about this?” I peek over at Declan clutching onto the neck of the wine bottle with a steel grip.
“My answer hasn’t changed since you last asked me three minutes ago.” He looks up at my family’s apartment building with narrowed eyes.
I’ve never been ashamed of the neighborhood I grew up in. It might be a far cry from my father’s lavish lifestyle, but I was lucky to fall asleep knowing my mom and I were safe and happy without him. Growing up on a Chicago art teacher’s salary taught me to be thankful for what I have because there are plenty of kids who have it worse.
“Well, we better get this over with.” I lead Declan past the flickering lights of the entry hallway and toward the stairwell.
“No elevator?”
“Only if you want to wait for the fire department to rescue you.”
Compared to my heavy panting, he doesn’t seem the least bit winded after three flights of stairs.
“Charming place.” He assesses the peeling wallpaper and stained carpet with a critical eye.
“Don’t judge until you see the inside.”
“I’m overcome with anticipation,” he replies in a flat voice.
“Jerk.” I don’t know why his judgment bothers me as much as it does. It’s not like he ever minces his words, but would it kill him to be polite every now and then?
Probably. He couldn’t even spare five minutes before scaring poor Bethany off.
I grab the knocker and slam it against the door a bit harder than usual. We stand side by side, two stiff bodies unaccustomed to each other’s proximity. I swipe my damp palms down the sides of my dress. My nerves seem out of place compared to Declan’s cool indifference.