Page 86 of The Grump I Married
“You’re quitting?” he asked.
“Consider this my two weeks’ notice.”
Weston’s eyes narrowed, his jaw tense. Then he nodded slowly. “Does this mean you’re ready to start your sabbatical?”
“No,” I said, biting down hard to keep my jaw from trembling. I crossed my arms against my chest where my heart raced. I didn’t want to feel like I still owed him, like I was indebted to him. I just wanted a clean break. “I’m not going to hold you to your offer. No need for the year of paid leave, no need to cover grad school tuition, no need to guarantee me a job after graduation.”
“But those were the terms we agreed to,” he said immediately.
“I’m changing them,” I said, my words sharper than I meant them to be. I didn’t want to be tied to him anymore. I didn’t think I could handle it. “It’s time for me to move on from Kincaid Energy. It’s…what’s best for both of us.”
His entire demeanor shifted. I could tell he was frustrated by the set of his jaw and the way his shoulders hunched. “I won’t accept that.”
Irritation shot through me. What the hell did he expect? That he could marry me, break up with me, and I’d still be fine traipsing around the Houston office like a docile little employee? Even if I didn’t work directly under him as his assistant anymore, I’d still be working forhim.
“Good thing you don’t have to accept it,” I said. “It’s my choice, and that’s what I’m doing.”
“We made a deal,” he growled. “I gave you my word. I intend to keep it.”
“And I’m letting you out of that deal.”
He gave a sharp jerk of his head. “If you don’t want to work for Kincaid Energy, fine. But Iwillbe giving you a year’s salary and benefits. And if you get into grad school, Iwillbe paying for it.If you don’t want the job afterward, so be it. I’ll see that you’re offered a comparable position at a different company.”
“I don’t need you to swoop in and save me.” I didn’t need his help. I’d been running his life for the better part of seven years; I was more than capable of sorting out my own. “I can find my own job.”
“Those are my terms,” he said, refusing to hear any argument from me.
“Your terms?” I replied, my back going ramrod straight. “You don’t get to dictate the terms of a breakup.”
“No, but I do get to dictate the terms of the divorce. If you want this to be finished, then I’m going to keep to my end of the bargain, and you’re going to keep to yours.”
Anger pulsed through me, pounding in my temple. Screw whatever deal we’d made! “Or you can trust me to know what’s best for me.”
“I think we’ve established how I feel when it comes to you and trust. Besides, you’re clearly not making rational decisions at this moment in time. Because no one in their right mind would be turning down what I’m offering. An offer, by the way, that you jumped at mere months ago. So don’t even pretend it’s not something you want anymore.”
I ground my teeth together. “Screw you, Weston. Stop assuming you know what’s best, forcing your goddamn opinions and assumptions on everyone!”
His nostrils flared. “Do you want your year of leave to start immediately or in two weeks?”
I huffed out a defeated breath. I could see now that he wouldn’t be budged. If I walked away, if I refused him, he’d follow me all the way back to Houston, arguing about this goddamn deal with me. And I didn’t want that.
“Immediately,” I snapped. I couldn’t spend one more second of my life negotiating with him. “Oh, and before I forget.” I yanked the wedding ring off my finger, thrusting it out at him. “I won’t be needing this anymore.”
I brushed by him, marching down the steps without looking back. The farce was over now, and it was time to get back to a reality where I hadn’t fallen in love with my boss.
26
WESTON
The door creaked as I pushed it open, and my heart dropped into my stomach. Standing in the doorway to Grandad’s room shouldn’t have been this hard—it was just stuff, after all. But glancing around at the large, ornate furniture and the delicate tartan throw placed perfectly over the end of the bed made me lose my breath momentarily.
“Are you sure you want to do this today?” Agnes asked, coming up beside me with a massive cardboard box labeled “donation.”
I sucked in a shaky breath, squeezing my fists to get the blood pumping. “I’ve left it too long as it is,” I said to her. Frankly, I’d actively avoided having anything to do with the room since my arrival. I hadn’t been able to stomach the thought of moving his things from this space. But on the other hand, I hadn’t been able to bear the thought of anyone else doing it, either.
“No one would fault you for leaving it until next time. The room will still be here, waiting for you. When you’re ready.”
My stomach turned sour. Would I ever be ready? Part of me knew if I didn’t go through Grandad’s things now, I never would.With each visit, the task would become more daunting, more difficult, more everything. “It has to be now.”
