SWNOVELS When He Desires: Chapter 37
The day after Christmas, I walk into Frostbite knowing I’m about to quit, and damn if it doesn’t feel good.
I’m practically floating. I can’t wait to give Brett my resignation and say goodbye to this place. Riverbend Mall was closed for Christmas Day, but it’s open today, so after I’m done with work, Rowan and I are going to go take a look at the space he leased. I’m so excited, I want to break out into a happy dance.
Rowan, Sam, and I spent most of yesterday putting together a rough business plan for the bookstore, and I’m so damn grateful for their help. There’s a never-ending list of things that need to get done before I can open the store to the public. It’s overwhelming, but in the best way.
My lifelong dream is starting to feel real.
I bite down on my smile, remembering Rowan’s reaction two nights ago when I gave him his Christmas gift. After we finished our dinner and Sam left, I changed in the bedroom and walked out in a skimpy light-blue lingerie set I splurged on at the mall.
It made Rowan drop his wineglass. We didn’t get much sleep that night, or the following.
While we lay in bed last night, our limbs tangled together and my cheek pressed against his chest, I felt like I wanted to tell him something.
Something that made me terrified.
I’m falling for you.
I rehearsed saying the words in my head a dozen times, but no matter how I tried, I couldn’t get myself to say them out loud. After Brett, I wasn’t sure I’d ever say them again.
Old fears are holding me back, even if they no longer make any sense given everything that’s happened between Rowan and me.
He asked me to stay with him. He got me a freaking bookstore, for God’s sake. That’s not something a guy who’s only looking for something casual would do.
He’s proving to me time and time again that he’s not the womanizer he was when we first met. He’s changed. And he wants me as much as I want him.
Now I just need to work up my courage to tell him how I feel.
I’ll tell him tonight when we go to see the bookstore.
A grin pulls on my lips as I go to the back to put my purse away. This was without a doubt the best Christmas I’ve ever had.
When I walk by Brett’s office, it’s silent. He’s probably not in yet. That’s okay, I was planning on working all day today anyway. As much as I can’t wait to be out of here, I’m not going to just walk out of this place and leave all the other employees scrambling. I’ll offer to do my two weeks so that Brett can find someone to replace me.
“What’s got you smiling so big?” Frank asks when I come around to say hello.
I lean against the counter, twirling a lock of hair around my finger. ‘Just had a great holiday, I guess.” I’m trying to play it cool, but I’m feeling too giddy inside to succeed.
Frank chuckles and gives me a knowing look. ‘That boy treatin’ ya well?”
“Better than anyone ever has,” I admit. I slide my hands into my pockets and take a deep breath. “I’ve got something to tell you, but it’s a secret, okay? At least for the next few hours.”
Frank turns, giving me his full attention. “I can keep a secret.”
“Rowan leased a space in Riverbend Mall for me. I’m going to open up my own bookstore. Today, I’m giving Brett my two-week notice.” I’ve probably looked at that lease a dozen times since Rowan gave it to me. Who would have thought a legal document could give me so much joy?
Frank’s eyes widen. “You’re kiddin’.”
I bite down on my lip and shake my head.
Slowly, a giant grin spreads over his face, and he scoops me into a hug. “I’m so happy for you, darlin’. Congratulations. That’s fantastic news.”
I hug him back, my cheeks hurting from all the smiling I’ve been doing recently.
As we pull apart, Frank looks at me with fondness in his eyes. “I always knew you were destined for bigger things than this place.”
“I can’t wait,” I admit. “I’m so excited to get to work on it. I haven’t seen the space in person yet, but I’m supposed to go with Rowan after work today.”
“I’ll be your very first customer. Stock some thrillers for me.”
“Give me the names of all your favorite authors, and I’ll make sure I have them.”
When Carly arrives, I share the news with her too. She’s even more enthusiastic about it than Frank, picking me up and spinning me around until I beg her to put me down. The lunch customers give us weird looks before going back to their meals.
All day, I’m bursting with energy. It’s the best day at work I’ve had in a long time, which is ironic given I’m about to quit.
Brett walks in during the late afternoon and gives me a wave as he moves past the bar, but he doesn’t linger. Nerves buzz beneath my skin.
Carly shoots me a look as she loads a few drinks onto her tray. “Does he know already?”
“Not yet.”
“He’s not going to be happy.”
She’s right. Brett’s not going to take me quitting well, but I just have to get it done. It’s the last thing I have to get through before I can throw myself into my new business.
A half hour before my shift wraps up, I walk into Brett’s office.
His eyes snap up to me as I close the door. “Blake.” He pushes aside the papers he’d been poring over.
“Can we talk?” I ask.
“Of course. Have a seat.” His tone is light and friendly. A bit too much so.
The look he gives me makes me uneasy, but I straighten my back and push through. “I’m giving you my two-week notice.”
A second passes. Then another. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t react until a small, barely there smirk appears on his face.
“You know, I finally figured out who Rowan is,” he says quietly.
I blink at him. “Did you hear what I said?”
He opens his desk, pulls out a manila envelope, and slides it toward me. “See if you still want to resign after you take a look at what’s inside.”
Anger creeps through my body. Another envelope. Another lie. “I don’t care what’s inside.”
“Indulge me.”
“Why should I?”
“Because that’s the truth about your boyfriend right there.” He taps his index finger against the envelope. “Are you too afraid to find out what it is?”
“I’m so damn tired of your ridiculous allegations.”
He shakes his head. “No allegations. Just cold, hard facts.” Something flickers inside his gaze that sends a chill down my spine. “If you’re so convinced it’s not real, why not take a look?”
There’s no need for me to sit here for this. I gave him my resignation. I should just stand up and leave.
But something holds me back. Something makes me reach for that envelope.
When I see what’s inside, it feels like the ground has opened up beneath me.
It’s photos of Rowan, Sam, and Brett. Photos taken in this office.
Brett’s back is pressed against the wall.
And Rowan’s holding a gun to his chin.
I blink. This can’t be real. This is photoshopped. How dare Brett?
I throw the photos back down on the desk. “Enough. I’m not interested in seeing your experiments in photo editing.”
Brett scoops up the photos before sliding them back to me. “It’s not photoshopped. They’re screenshots of a video I have. Look again. If you want, I can show you the video too.”
“You really want me to believe Rowan walked in here and threatened you with a gun? Why would he do that?”
“Because of the store in the mall.”
My stomach drops. Brett knows about the bookstore? How? Did he hear me talking to Frank? To Carly?
No, he wasn’t here when I told them.
Then, how…
Brett’s eyes flash with triumph. “My dad’s company owns the leasing firm, and when I heard Miller signed a lease for that store, I told the agent not to give him the keys.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I wanted to see how he’d react.”
I pick up one of the photos. The picture is taken from somewhere slightly above, as if the camera was placed on…
I glance behind me. That shelf. The one that’s right above the photos of Brett’s family. The picture frame with the photo of Brett and me has been moved from where it was to that top shelf.
“I hid the camera just behind the photo of us.” Brett’s voice is soft.
I turn back to face him. The photo in my hands is shaking. “Rowan would never do this.”
“You have no idea who Rowan is.” He gets out of his chair and walks around the desk toward me. “He’s a dangerous man.”
I stand up, and the chair skids against the floor. Panic wraps around my lungs. “Don’t come any closer.”
“I’ll tell you everything about him, Blake. I’ve learned a lot in the past few days. But first, I want you to understand that ultimately, I want to put all of this behind us as quickly as possible. I’m tired of playing games.”
“Why is it so hard for you to accept that I’ve moved on from you?”
His eyes darken. “You should be grateful I’m showing this to you. You should be grateful I still want you back.”
“Why? Why do you still want me?”
“Because I put everything on the line when I started dating you. Do you know how my family warned me against you? What they told me about your father? Your mother? I probably know more about your family’s crimes than you do.”
My vision blurs. “My mother? Leave her out of this.”
“Your mother is not as innocent as you think. She helped your father.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When she was pregnant with you, she’d pretend her car broke down and lure innocent people to help her so that your dad could steal their shit. Your mother was an accomplice. And your father… Well, I won’t even get started on him.”
The office starts to spin. “You’re full of shit,” I choke out.
Brett steps closer. “I’m not. Every word I’ve said is true. My family warned me against you, and I ignored them all because I was in love with you. I liked the way you weren’t like the other girls. How you weren’t impressed with my wealth, even though you didn’t have any money, and how you always had your head screwed on straight. I told my father I want a woman like you as a mother to my children. I still do. I’m going to prove my family wrong about you.”
Hate runs through my veins like fire. “All of this is about preserving your pride? About saving face?”
Anger morphs his expression into something horrible. “What is wrong with you? You’d rather be with a criminal than me?”
“Rowan is not a criminal,” I snap, squeezing my fingers around the photo I’m still holding. “I’m leaving.”
“Don’t you want to hear everything I found out about him?” he calls after me.
But I let the door slam behind me and walk out of Frostbite for what I know is the very last time.