“No, I heard enough of the argument. Everyone did. Ask them who was at fault. He’s blaming you because he didn’t communicate—”
Claire held her hands up to stop him. “Jason, I did mess up—I didn’t respond quickly enough to patient complaints on his social media sites. I thought we’d agreed that his office was going to follow up on those, but he changed his mind without me realizing. Not responding to complaints can turn a PR situation into a nightmare. People’s moods can shift quickly on social media and it becomes a free-for-all. Dr. Maibe is upset because he may have lost potential clients on this, and I am partly responsible for that. I have to make it right.”
Her stomach twisted with guilt as the tension ratcheted up inside her. She was always worried that she might make a costly mistake. There had been times when she’d woken up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because she feared she’d forgotten something. She had several checkpoints to ensure she didn’t make mistakes but her system wasn’t infallible.
“Aren’t you listening to me, Claire?” He tilted his head back and sighed. “It still doesn’t give him the excuse to act that way.”
Claire inhaled deeply as the anger mingled with self-recrimination. She didn’t want to point out all of her mistakes in front of him but he wouldn’t let it go. “Dr. Maibe and I signed an agreement about what I was supposed to do for him, but he made changes at the last minute and I didn’t catch it. I didn’t give his project my full attention and he knows it.”
Jason tilted his head and his eyes narrowed. “What did he say?”
She looked at the ground as she felt the heat resurface in her cheeks. “He said I was too busy fooling around with you.”
“He’s angry that you have a personal life? You aren’t made to work all day. Maibe expects that from you.” His shoulders grew stiff and he slowly shook his head. Jason dragged his hands over his face. “Hell, even I expected that from you. But I won’t do that anymore. We’re cutting our projects down by half.”
“Half?” Claire took a step back. She felt as if someone had pulled the rug out from under her. How long had he been considering this? Jason had constantly praised her work and showed his appreciation and now he was taking projects away from her. “Why? What’s changed?”
“You work too much,” Jason declared. “I thought you enjoyed putting in all the hours but that’s not the case at all.”
Why hadn’t she predicted this outcome? It was as if he’d thought she was an all-powerful wizard and now that she had pulled down the curtain to show she was human, he was backing away. “No one you hire will work harder than me.”
“You don’t have anything to prove.”
He was wrong. It was important to show everyone that she could be independent and successful, to prove to herself that nothing could drag her down.
She curled her fingers into her palms, her nails digging into her flesh. “Is this because of Dr. Maibe’s complaints? Are you worried that I might make a mistake that will cost you money?”
“No,” he said. “Why would I listen to him?”
“What else could it be?” She was trying to keep the hurt and confusion from her voice and she knew she was failing. “Is it because we are having a fling? Are you worried that I might not get the job and it will be too awkward if we continue to work together?”
“We both know you’re getting the job in Los Angeles.”
“Then why are you backing off?” It suddenly occurred to her. Claire clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. “Oh, I see. It’s because I’m not as smart as you thought I was.”
His eyes narrowed into slits as his features grew harsh. It was an intimidating sight. “That’s not true,” he said in a growl.
“I appreciate you defending me, Jason. I’m sorry that I got angry about that. I know your heart was in the right place.” She gave a huff before she continued. “But I made a mistake on Dr. Maibe’s project. And he was right. I got distracted with my personal life this week and that can’t continue.”
“What are you saying?”
“I spent way too much time doing other things. Trying to reinvent myself in a week before Max shows up. Having a temporary fling with you.” She closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her forehead as she tried to maintain her composure. “It’s time for me stop all of it.”