My door swings open a second later and Ruby bursts in. Her expression tells me she’s bringing more bad news. She doesn’t linger inside my door like she usually does, though, but walks around behind my desk and stops a foot from my chair.
A furious sting like a pissed-off murder hornet bathes my jaw in fire before I can even figure out what the hell is going on.
I just got fucking slapped by my own HR Director.
It’s official. I’ve lost control of this ship and my life.
“Have you lost your damned mind?” I snarl.
“Nope. That was me hitting you with a smart stick. We’ll see if I can undo the hundred stupid sticks you’ve already been whacked with. Someone has to knock some sense into you, and since Brina’s gone, guess who gets the job. What the hell did you do to her, Mag?”
She folds her arms in front of her chest with a pout.
“Nothing!” I spit, her slap resonating through me.
Ruby shakes her head. “Bull. She always got here between five and six most days and usually left around midnight. She hung on your every word. Now she’s asking for time off. So spill it.”
“Give her the vacation time.”
I at least owe her that.
“Oh, I will, but that’s not the real issue.” Ruby puts a hand on her hip. “Is she coming back?”
I hesitate because I don’t fucking know.
And the thought that I’m the colossal asshole who drove her away, who made her quit, who chased her away hits worse than a thousand face-shearing slaps from Miss Hunting.
“What am I, her keeper? You’ll have to ask her.”
I know I certainly can’t. Not after that last blistering text.
Lose my fucking number.
I’ll be damned if I send her a message and make this worse than the nuclear dumpster fire it already is.
“I’ll send an email soon. If she doesn’t answer, should I put an ad out for a new EA?” Ruby asks tightly.
I look down at my desk. “If she comes back, the job’s still hers.”
The thought of replacing her, even just as my EA, makes me fucking sick.
Filled with pure, throbbing loathing for myself.
“I’m going to ask one more time, Mag, and if you won’t answer, that’s fine. But I hope you think about it and figure your shit out. What did you do to that woman?”
I don’t answer.
Ruby’s gaze bores into me like a blade. Her hands fall to my desk, and she leans over me.
“Listen, idiot. She’s the best EA you’ve ever had. I don’t have to tell you that even if I manage to find someone who doesn’t quit on you in two weeks, your life will be harder. Much harder. Because no one else will ever do what Brina does.”
“I hear you,” I grind out. “If you’re done with your rant, please—”
“No.” She shakes her head, her eyes narrowed like an angry cat. “No, Magnus. You think I’m just talking about business? She...she loved you. It’s been obvious to everyone in this office the last few weeks. It’s why she put up with your never-ending fuckery. Not only have you lost our best employee—you fucked things up with the only woman who could ever love you.”
Loved me?
Fuck it.
Another complication I don’t need.
“Admit it,” Ruby whispers. “You know how right I am, and it’s not too late to pull your head out of your—”
“Ass? Yes, you are, Ruby, and I’m done with it.” I tent my hands over my chest and lean back in my chair. “I won’t admit to anything. I’ve also got over a billion reasons in the bank that say I won’t have any trouble hiring cupid whenever I need his services.”
Her whole face sours, bright-red lips twisting like an expired cherry. Then she heads back to the door.
“You’re making it really, really hard not to slap you again. No fortune in the world is worth your attitude. You’re so ridiculous you can’t be honest with yourself. I get it. The crap with Jordan, you’re hurt, and you’re lashing out.” She throws her hands up. “Honestly? I never thought I’d say this, but, Magnus Heron, you need to grow the fuck up. You’re acting like your father. A man women literally hid from when they knew he was in the building.”
“You watch your tongue or Miss Bristol won’t be the only one handing in her resignation,” I bite off, and immediately regret it.
That went too far, but so did she.
Frustrated, I stand, chucking the legal pad on my desk across the room. Ruby doesn’t flinch as it smacks the wall next to her.
I never aimed to hit her. I’m not that insane. I’m just fucking reeling.
“Really?” Ruby glares, folding her arms.
“You don’t get it. I broke things off with Brina specifically because I’m not my shitbag father. It wasn’t any easier for me than it was for her. I can’t be him. I won’t. The incident at the hospital made me realize...” I trail off, the words stuck in my throat. My eyes land on the legal pad on the floor behind her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to throw it.”
She nods slowly.
“Yeah, yeah, you were protecting her. I wish you would’ve just come to me. We could’ve figured something out.” She looks over her shoulder at the paper pad on the floor and back at me. “I’ve never seen you lose it like that before. She really did a number on you, huh?”
My jaw pinches tighter than a drum.
“For what it’s worth, we planned on talking to you about it before Marissa woke up. I didn’t want anyone in the office finding out. I needed Brina free to take care of things here without juvenile rumors.” I suck in a deep, harsh breath. “Becoming a fourteen-year-old’s caretaker is harder than you’d think. I had to look after Jordan first, and I tried, but...”
But fuck-nothing.
“None of it matters now,” I whisper, turning my back, my shoulders dragging me down. “None of this matters.”
Outside, the city looks extra dreary, half the Chicago skyline obscured by thick grey fog choking out the sun.
“We all knew,” Ruby says in a tiny voice. “We knew that dried out lump of coal you call a heart grew several sizes thanks to her. The question is, what do you want to do about it?”
“Nothing. Getting Jordan home remains my top priority. As for me and Miss Bristol, I’ll take the amicable route. Move on with my life, let her move on with hers. If she comes back to work, the job is hers. If she quits, give her a generous severance package.”
But if she comes back to work, will I be able to keep my distance? Will I be my dad?
I don’t have an answer and it makes me want to fling my desk over the second Ruby leaves.
“That’s not a good idea.” Ruby shakes her head. “Severance packages are for when people are forced out due to circumstances beyond their control. I don’t recommend it. It opens you up to liability. It’s like an admission of guilt.”
And? I am fucking guilty.
“I’ll deal with it when the time comes,” I say.
She doesn’t say anything but makes no effort to exit my office.
“Yes?” I ask, glaring at her.
“Can I say something, Mag?” She hesitates.
“It’s not like you’ve ever asked permission before.”