“What? I have enough problems of my own. I don’t need to point yours out.”
“That’s not what I meant. What I mean is…” I took a deep breath at my inability to properly communicate. “Why are you putting the food back?”
“I don’t need dumplings.”
“What do you mean? You’re obsessed with them.”
“Well, I need a break from it.”
I looked into the cart and noticed then that other items had gone missing from it. “Where are my chicken wings?”
“We already have an entire pack of drumsticks.”
“I want chicken wings,” I said.
She straightened to give me a dry look as though she were putting up with a toddler. “It all tastes the same.”
I looked back into the cart. “Where are the baby sausages? And oh my God, the yoghurt flapjacks!”
“I don’t need all of those,” she said.
I searched through the cart then looked back up at her in bewilderment. “Charlotte!”
She sighed. “I’m broke okay? Until things get better, I have to scrimp and cut down on expenses.”
“You’re broke? What do you…” Things fell into place in flash. “Why?”
“I had an unexpected expense and I quit my job,” she said.
My eyes widened. “When? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You had your own stuff to handle. It was when Michele came over.”
“What was it?”
“My boss was a bitch. Nothing I ever did was right. Why is Francine awake this early? Why is she awake this late? Don’t you think that portion is too much for her? Don’t you think these clothes are not flattering on her? You bought the damn freaking clothes, you freak,” she yelled. She took a calming breath. “In the end, I just wanted to poison her stupid ass.”
“Oh, Charlotte. I’m so sorry.”
“I envy you,” she said with a bitter smile. “At least yours is fucking your brains out.”
“There’s not much beyond that to envy. If I fall for him, I’m screwed.”
“What if he falls in love with you too?” she asked.
I stopped. The thought had never even crossed my mind. Not even in my dreams did I ever imagine that possibility.
Her lips slowly stretched into a thin smile. “You didn’t think of that one did you?”
“Impossible,” I muttered under my breath.
“Okay,” she said and pushed the cart ahead of me.
I hurried after her. “No, I’m serious Charlotte. He’s a super successful billionaire. He could have anyone he wants. He would never do that. Haven’t you met him? Men like that are hard and cold.” I paused. “They’re beyond salvation.”
She stopped and turned, eyes widened with concern. “So he’s dead to you?”
I was confused. “What do you mean?”
She eyed me with amusement as she grabbed a bag of potatoes and continued on her way.
The mockery eventually registered. “He’s too dangerous, Charlotte.”
“Okay, then get out of his house.”
“I’ve tried, remember?”
She stopped. “So now you’re his hostage? Do you want me to call the police?”
“This isn’t funny Charlotte.”
She gave me an apologetic smile. “I know, I’m sorry, but it’s high time you let down your walls. You’ve had them forever. I still don’t even know how I was able to find a crack in.”
“I made the crack for you,” I said and threw my arm around her.
She tried to displace it, but eventually just gave up and hugged me back. “Then make one also for him,” she whispered in my ear.
“No,” I said instantly, pulling back. “He’s not asking for one, and I do not need any heartbreaks in my repertoire.”
“Come on. What do you have to lose?”
What did I have to lose? “My sanity.”
“It would be great if you lost that for once. You overthink every goddamn thing. It even took you almost a month to decide to live with me, my God.”
I shifted. “Well, it was a big decision. I was afraid I could be ruining a good thing.”
“And all your fears were unfounded.”
I sighed. “My life is already complicated enough. I don’t need to turn an affair with my boss into a horrible heartbreak.”
“I don’t even understand why the fact that he probably owns half of London is not a matter for consideration,” she said beneath her breath.
I heard her, but wanted her to repeat it. “What was that?”
Her voice went up a couple of notches. “Nothing.”
“Gold digger,’” I spat.
“Self-righteous idiot,” she threw back.
I tugged at her hair. “Enough about Gabriel. You said you had an unexpected expense? What is it?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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