“Bullies?” The orthodontist’s eyes went wild. “How dare you.”
“You are threatening my woman, trying to intimidate her and calling her names. You are not welcome here. Get out now before I throw you out.”
Claire grabbed his arm. “Jason, it’s okay, I got this.”
“No, you don’t have this,” Dr. Maibe said with a sneer. “You made a mistake and made me look like a fool.”
“You’re doing that all on your own,” Jason said calmly as anger whipped through him. “This is your final warning.”
“I’m leaving.” The orthodontist jutted out his chin. “And you can forget about working for me, Claire Miller. I swear, you’re so dumb you couldn’t find your way out of a paper bag.”
Jason saw red as fury erupted inside him. He grabbed the man by his jacket and barely heard Claire’s startled cry. The blood was pounding in his ears as he marched Maibe over to the exit and threw him out.
Jason brushed off his hands and turned away from the door. He saw the customers watching him with gaping mouths and wide eyes. A few had their cell phones out to document what had transpired.
Claire walked briskly toward him. Her face was dark red with embarrassment. He’d wanted to take care of her, but had he just made everything worse?
9
CLAIRE HURRIED INTO Jason’s office and away from curious eyes. He was right behind her. Her face warmed and her muscles shook as emotions clashed inside her. She pressed her hand against her mouth, refusing to speak until they were somewhere private.
She waited until Jason closed the door and then she whirled around to face him. “What is wrong with you, Jason?” Her voice was low and fierce.
“Me?” He motioned at the door with a jerk of his thumb. “You should ask Maibe what got into him. Why does he think he has the right to yell at anyone? Do you let your clients talk to you like that?”
She covered her face with her hands and gave a growl of frustration before she dropped them to her side. “Jason, I had to take care of this myself. How would you like it if I stepped in while you were having an argument with one of your vendors?”
“I wouldn’t let you,” he decided.
Claire wanted to stamp her feet. He just didn’t understand that he hadn’t been helpful. “This has been so embarrassing,” she muttered.
Jason’s eyes widened. “I embarrassed you? I wasn’t the one who caused a scene. I was trying to help. I was protecting you.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she insisted. “It’s my professional reputation on the line, Jason. I needed to talk to Dr. Maibe by myself and prove that I can handle the situation. You stepped in because you didn’t think I could take care of it.”
“You didn’t defend yourself at all,” Jason pointed out softly.
“I was waiting for the right moment.” Her tone had taken a defensive edge. “I could have calmed him down but you interfered.”
“Why shouldn’t I have interfered? He made the argument very public.” A muscle twitched in his jaw as he held his anger in check. “This is my place and you are my woman. I had every right to step in.”
His woman? Claire blinked and stood still as she felt the jolt of surprise. He’d said that to Maibe, too. But she wasn’t his woman. Not really. It was pretend. He was getting caught up in his role and treating her like a real partner. She had been doing the same. It was easy to slip into the fantasy. It was a taste of what it would be like if she shared her life with Jason. But they wanted very different things in their lives, and she had to remember why they’d started this.
Claire watched him carefully. Did Jason truly see her as his woman? “No one would have thought less of you if you had allowed me to handle the argument.”
“Less of me?” His eyebrows dipped as he stared at her with incomprehension. “This has nothing to do with me.”
“I understand that you were protecting what is yours. It was an instinct you followed and you couldn’t help yourself. But Dr. Maibe is my client.”
“Not anymore. He fired you,” Jason said as he crossed his arms. “And good riddance to him.”
“I deserved to be fired,” Claire argued. Her breath hitched in her throat. It hurt to say it but she knew it was true. “I made a mistake. I didn’t deliver what I promised.”