Anger popped through her bloodstream like the butter bubbling in the frying pan. He had no right to pry into her pathetic private life. “I won’t talk about David.”
“Isn’t that part of our problem? I talk. You don’t.” He stared from beneath the taut line of his brow. “If you won’t tell David to back off, you must feel something for him.”
“Yes. I feel angry.” She slapped a steak onto a plate and scooped a heap of onions on top.
“Every time he texts you, he’s getting inside your head. He cheated on you, Jaye. Why does he deserve a second of your time?”
“Because he didn’t cheat on me with just one woman.” She ladled the potatoes onto the plate with a flick of her wrist. Maybe Mitch would back off if she spilled the truth. Question was, would he believe her? “Last time I counted, there were eight. In some way, I could understand if David fooled around with one woman, but eight? I need to figure out how he could profess to love me, yet sleep with so many others.”
Mitch choked out a strangled oath. “That bastard told you he had a sex addiction, didn’t he?”
“Three therapists confirmed his self-diagnosis.” She placed the food in front of Mitch.
He looked up at her, his eyes narrowed into a squint. “How can you go back to work with this guy after what he did to you?”
“Because I have to.” She filled the dirty frying pan with water. “Before David and I broke up, my father made a deal with Cruz Technologies to develop marketing software for small businesses. Dad asked me to run the project.”
“You don’t have to do anything, least of all work with a blockhead who broke your heart.”
Unused to being around anyone who cared about her heart, Jaye wondered what agenda Mitch was trying to push. “I’m not backing out of my obligations just because my feelings are hurt.” If she offered such a lame excuse, she’d give her father good reason to believe she was weak. “Collaborating with David will create many jobs. I have to do what’s right for the people who work for us.”
“Okay, fine. I understand the sacrifices that come with running a family business. Believe me, I do.” He came close, turning off the faucet with one twist of the knob. “Given I’m in a similar situation, why didn’t you tell me your predicament? Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
“Here you go again, talking about the truth.” She wrung out the sponge with a brutal squeeze. “Hasn’t your obsession with the truth ruined most of your relationships? Frankly, I can’t figure out why you keep asking for explanations when you refuse to believe anyone else’s version of events is valid.”
“That’s a helluva generalization.”
The sharp clip in his words fanned her temper. “You wouldn’t even let your mother explain why she left.”
The vein along his temple bulged. “Shouldn’t we talk about us, not her?”
“She’s one reason we’re in this mess. Had she not been wealthy enough to walk away and start over, your mother might’ve been forced to work things out with your father. And you.” Stopping the charade of cleaning, Jaye dried her hands. “When I realized you had good reason to resent her wealth, how could I tell you about mine?”
Mitch sucked in a gulp of air. Propping his fist on the kitchen counter, he looked away.
The averted gaze was a clear sign he didn’t want to hear more, but now that she’d started talking, she couldn’t stop. “I’m sorry for not telling you who I was, but I just wanted to be me. This job was the last time I could pretend I was just a girl. When people learn I’m Simon Davis’s daughter, they think I’m different. They assume since I’m filthy rich, I don’t need anything. They believe they can’t give me anything I already have.”
The color drained out of his face. “I said every single one of those things.”
She gave him a sad smile. “David understood, which is why my relationship with him is so complicated. The man who betrayed me happens to be the one person who understands my situation better than anyone else. His family is as wealthy as mine.”
Placing the dishtowel on the counter, she walked toward the back door and took her blazer off the coat hook. The final day of her contract loomed like a thundercloud above, throwing everything into shadow. Ending her relationship with Mitch should’ve made leaving easier, but sharp nails of despair scraped her spine. The lonely part of her still longed for him—the man who was drawn to her, not her money. Unable to stop herself, she looked over her shoulder to memorize how great he looked standing next to his kitchen sink.
He drew the back of his hand across his mouth. “You never meant to stay, right?”
“I can’t. I promised my father I’d come home.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes. “You promised to help my father, even when I tried my damnedest to discourage you. I know, better than anyone, that you never go back on your word.”
Pain clamped around her belly, unexpected and intense. “My word is the only thing I have that’s all mine. I intend to keep it.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Empty paper plates smeared with chocolate icing littered the large oval table parked in the center of Blake Glassware’s conference room. Jaye gave Sarah one last hug, savoring the way her friend’s pregnant belly felt against her flat one. “Thanks for putting up for me for the past four weeks.”
“Wish I could put up with you for many more.” Sarah held Jaye at arm’s length. “Will you come back to see my daughter after she’s born?”
Longing tightened the back of Jaye’s throat. “I’d love to.”
Sarah’s eyes glistened. “Would you take her picture, too?”
“Of course.” Jaye glanced at Veronica, who stood by the door of the conference room.
“I hate goodbyes,” Veronica admitted with a gruff snarl.
