When I finally walk through the door, I’m almost an hour late. Court looks up from his phone. “I was about to text you,” he says with a smile, then gives me a kiss. “I was wondering if Gavin was making you work overtime.”
“No, he hasn’t asked me to do that yet.” I clear my throat, relieved he’s brought Gavin up first. That way it isn’t too weird when I ask him about his relationship with OWM. Right?
Court starts to lead me toward the couch, but I put a hand on his arm to stop him. I don’t think I can do this seated. There’s too much restlessness inside me. “But if he is doing that, it’s to make you more money,” I say, watching him so closely that I can almost see individual pores on his face.
“Eh.” Shrugging, he rubs the tip of his nose. “He doesn’t have to make you work that hard.”
Dread unfurls. Why isn’t he meeting my eyes? “Why? Did he make you plenty already?” I say, keeping my tone teasing with effort. A huge lid is over the loud words welling in my chest. I promised myself I would trust him—believe him. He could be scratching his nose because it’s itchy, not because he’s trying to hide how much he’s squirming inwardly.
“I don’t know. Doubt it, though. It hasn’t been that long. Besides, statements and invoices and stuff go to my accountant.” He walks toward the couch alone and plops down.
“You don’t check?” I ask, holding onto a glimmer of hope. Maybe he doesn’t manage his money at all. His accountant does everything, and Court has no clue.
“Of course I check, and he lets me know what’s going on, but it isn’t necessary for me to micromanage.”
My hope shatters like a glass rose. Now I have no choice. “Why did you open an account at Gavin’s the day after Hilary called to set up an interview?”
Court’s blue eyes flicker. “He’s everyone’s dream man for that sort of thing.”
“But you didn’t put your money with him until then.”
“It isn’t that much. Only a hundred million.”
The same amount he said he’d put in at SFG to help me get promoted before I found out about Dad and quit. “Did that have anything to do with my getting a job at Omega Wealth Management?”
Thoughts cross his face like lightning. His tongue darts out to wet his lips, and he scratches a spot on his forehead, near his hairline. “Only partially.”
The tremor starts from my chin and lips, then travels to my chest until my heart is aching and my stomach is churning. Even my knees feel weak, and I reach out and grip the back of couch. “You bought me a job there.”
He jumps to his feet. “No! Of course not. Don’t be crazy. I’m not that stupid. Look, I met with Gavin, and he said OWM passed on you for something that you didn’t do. It’s your dad’s fault you were stuck at the entry level for so long. Anyway, I convinced him to spare ten minutes. He countered with five because he’s a difficult bastard, but he said he wasn’t hiring you unless you’re good.” He stretches both arms toward me in a beseeching gesture. “And you are good. You dazzled him, and he had no choice but to give you an offer on the spot. Right? You went in and came out with a shiny new position. A promoted position! Do you think he would’ve done that if he thought you weren’t any good?”
What he’s saying makes sense in a way. My brain tells me it’s very logically laid out. But the feeling of betrayal is still in my heart, and it stabs like a thorn, especially because what I thought I did on my own turned out to be anything but. I would’ve been nothing without him—a man to make the chance happen for me. Just like Dad had the power to help my career ambition…or not. “I wanted to do it on my own, without any special favors greasing the wheels for me. I thought I was good enough to do it, and it was so important for me to prove to myself, and to my dad in particular, that I’m damn good.”
“And you are!”
“No, Court.” I shove my fingers into my hair, feeling pissed off and pathetic. “I only got the job because of what you did.”
He stares at me like I’m insane. “How the hell can you think that?”
“I ran into my dad today. Do you know how I felt when he told me about what you did?”
“You know he’s out to trivialize your career accomplishments. He did that at dinner, remember?”
Of course, but the reminder only makes my heart feel more hollowed. “If what you did is truly innocent, why didn’t you say something before?”
“It just didn’t seem that important.” He spreads his hands in a helpless gesture. “It honestly isn’t that much money.”
“You paid Gavin twenty million per minute to talk to me!” My voice is loud and sharp with frustration and anger. “You keep talking about how little the money is, like that’s enough to undermine the point I’m trying to make and belittle my feelings and aspirations. Maybe my career looks ridiculous to you because I’m making chump change, but it’s super important to me. Much more so now that I need to prove that I’m good, especially to myself.” And to Dad. It’s egotistical and it’s stupid, but I feel what I feel, and there’s nothing I can do to change that.
Most of all, what I fear is what he said in parting—about Court playing me. That he doesn’t see a future with me. That he’s been manipulating me. And him being dismissive about the money only makes me more unnerved, like what Dad said is true.
“But you are good! Gavin would’ve hired you even without my account, if only he’d had a chance to talk to you. And I didn’t give him anything. He has to give everything back when I close the account.”
I wasn’t even going to answer his justification about how he didn’t bribe Gavin, but… “You know, Gavin would’ve never hired me without your money because he wouldn’t have interviewed me. So. You’re wrong about that.”
“He also wouldn’t have hired you if you didn’t impress him. And you did that all on your own.” Court spreads his hands. “I’m not even sure why you’re mad. Are you upset you’re working for Gavin or are you mad because I didn’t tell you?”
I hug myself. That’s a damn good question. “A little bit of both. I just wish I’d known. It’s my life, after all.”