That seemed like a lifetime ago, she thought wistfully as she led them inside. The elevator ride to her floor was too short and, with dread, Rachel unlocked the apartment door, then stepped back to let everyone inside.
“Goodness, this is tiny!” Her mother shook her head disparagingly. “Rachel, I thought you were doing well. But obviously, if this apartment is any indication, you can’t be making much money.”
Rachel didn’t mention that the apartment wasn’t hers or that her real apartment was actually smaller than this one. She wasn’t home much due to her long hours, so she’d never felt the need to have a large apartment. Rachel preferred to put most of her money into savings and investment accounts instead.
“We’ll take the bedrooms,” Pamela announced to Rachel. “You can sleep on the couch.”
Rachel opened her mouth to argue, but her mother had already vanished into the master bedroom and shut the door while Denise had disappeared into the second bedroom.
Rachel stood there in the living area, stunned and furious. “How long are you staying?” she asked of her father, who had already taken up his normal position on the couch with the remote in one hand. That’s how he survived, she realized. Just sitting in front of the television and ignoring everything as his life slipped by.
He glanced over at her, resignation in his eyes. “That all depends on you, honey.”
Rachel huffed a bit, then turned around. “I have to get back to work,” she announced. “Here are the keys, so you can get in and out of the apartment.” She dropped the keys onto the kitchen counter. “If you need food,” she started to say she’d stop by the grocery store after work, but then her gaze landed on the two closed doors. “If you need food, there’s a grocery store around the corner.”
And with that, she left, feeling strong and proud. She could do this! As Rachel walked back up to the palace, ignoring the afternoon heat beating down on her, she felt power surge through her. She was good at her job, Rachel reminded herself. No way was she going to let her mother and sister make her feel small and useless again. No way!
Chapter 13
After five days of living with her family, Rachel was at her breaking point. She felt small and insignificant. She was exhausted from sleeping on the uncomfortable couch and she was losing the battle against her mother’s guilt trips about coming back to Georgia to help with the business.
Tarin walked into her office the following Friday and she ached to feel his arms around her. But she’d kept away from him because her family was so toxic. Illogical as she knew it was, she feared contaminating him.
“What’s going on, Rachel?” he asked gently.
Rachel sniffed and looked out the window, giving in to the inevitable. “I have to go back to Atlanta and help my family,” she said, her heart breaking with every word.
Tarin stared at her, his heart aching for her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her, but her body language over the past week had screamed ‘Hands off’!
“Why?” he asked, wanting to yell at her, but knowing that he had be gentle. He’d received word from several sources about the way her family treated her and he couldn’t do the same thing. “You have a job here. One that you’re amazing at and you love.”
She sniffed back a sob and his heart lurched at the thought of her tears. “Because they…need me.”
He sat down in the chair beside her desk, leaning his elbows on his knees. “But I need you. Here.”
She shook her head and stared blankly down at the pages in front of her. Brushing her curls off her forehead, she sniffed, struggling to pull herself back together.
For a long moment, he watched as she closed her eyes. But when those green eyes opened again, she was all business.
“The party tonight is all taken care of. The orchestra is setting up now. I’ve been over the menu one last time with the chef and the food is delicious.” She blinked, still fighting the tears. “Everything is set up and ready. Also, the dignitaries have arrived.”
“And your family? Are they coming as well?”
“No!” she yelped, shaking her head. “No, you don’t want them there. I’ll just…I’m leaving with them on Monday, so you won’t have to worry about them anymore.”
Tarin stood up, pacing across her small office as he struggled to tamp down on his helpless fury at her words. Fear clutched at him, both at what her family had done to her as well as what he would lose if she left. Standing up, he paced the length of her office. “Of course, I’ll worry about you. Why are you doing this?” he demanded, pausing to frown at her with his hands fisted on his hips.
“I have to,” she replied, bowing her head.
That just didn’t make sense! Walking over to her desk, he let his fists rest on her desk. “No you don’t!”
“Their business,” she explained, desperate for him to understand. “It’s failing. I used to work at their event planning business, but…well, they’re struggling now.”
“It’s their business. Not yours! You’ve never once mentioned their business and I know that you don’t really care.”
He was right! He could see it in her eyes! “My mother…she said she needs me, Tarin.”
He paused, eyeing her carefully. “I’ve told you I need you too.”
She blinked again, furious that she couldn’t hold back her tears. They spilled over, pouring down her cheeks. “Look, I’m barely coping here now. Please, just let me
