Page 10 of Love You, Mean It

He raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile twisting his lips.

“That’s true. But it is one of the largestsingleholdings in our portfolio. And finding a retailer to lease the space on terms that work for everyone isn’t as simple as you’d think.”

“Terms that make the Taylor family richer, you mean.” I sniffed derisively. “Because owning half the town isn’t enough?”

“Sorry, are profits not important toyourbusiness?” he pulled an exaggerated “confused” face and took another long sip of his bougie-ass, probably-five-dollars-a-cup coffee. The arrogant prick.

“They’re not theonlything that’s important to us, no.” I was gripping the chair seat now, body rigid as I leaned even farther forward. “Somepeople actually care about Milborough’s history, about the people who live here, not just the ones who parachute in from Boston to drive up housing prices. Some of us actually love this town. Not just what we can wring out of it.”

His nostrils flared, a muscle in the side of his temple jumping.

“Are you done?” He leaned back in the chair, wreathing his fingers together behind his head. The pressure in my head shot so high it felt like my eyes might burst all over him. “Because believe it or not, I didn’t agree to let you interrupt my workday just so you could call me a money-hungry asshole.”

“I never said that,” I forced out between clenched teeth.

“Not in so many words.” He drew in a long breath, eyes fixed on mine. “But I think we both know what youmeant,yes?”

Fuck this arrogant little shit and the daddy’s money he rode inon.

“If the brand-new BMW fits,Trip. Or sorry,Theo. Because you’resodifferent from your dad, right?” I slammed my body back, folding my arms across my chest. His lips pursed and I felt a warm burst of triumph. I’d struck a nerve somewhere. “Hats off, you’ve really blazed your own trail. Let me guess, he’s a Mercedes man?”

“I think we’re done here,” he said sharply, turning back to the laptop. “Let me finish this email and I’ll see you out.” The tight set of his jaw and the stiff way he was holding his shoulders was unmistakable now. He might have been toying with me before, or maybe he just didn’t care enough to feel invested, but now he waspissed.

Shit. I’d been trying to listen to Bella, I really had, but he was just so goddamnedannoyingthat all my good intentions had flown out through one of the many holes in the ceiling. I took a small sip of coffee, trying to let the acid brew mask the taste of the pride I was gulping down.

“Theo…I’m sorry. That was”—I closed my eyes tight,god,I hated apologizing, especially to someone likehim—“unkind. I don’t usually lose my temper, but this whole situation is incredibly stressful.”

“Don’t you?” The corners of his lips quirked slightly. “Weren’t you the girl who threw all those bocce balls at Pritchard’s head?”

“Youheardabout that?”

“The whole school heard about that. It’s not every day that a sophomore reduces a middle-aged man to tears in the middle of the soccer field. Plus, he was out for blood. You should have heard him when the guys brought it up at practice.”

Dear lord, let one of the ceiling holes open upbeneathme and drop me out of this place. Of course Theo had heard about it—Pritchard coached lacrosse. The fact that he’d never outgrown the entitled eighties bully vibe he’d probably honed during hisownhigh school days—I mean, what kind of adult man takes a cheap swipe at a teenager’schest size?—probably didn’t change how the team saw my…let’s call it a snap decision. I licked my lips, genuinely unsure how to play this.

“In my defense—”

“Oh, you don’t need to defend that. Pritchard was an absolutejackass. I can’t believe he hadn’t been sued out of the school years earlier.” Theo’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “I’m just sad you didn’t actually hit him.” His lips curled slyly, eyelids lowering in a way that somehow intensified his deep blue gaze. A startled laugh escapedme.

“Sorry. My aim’s better when I’m not being sexually harassed by my elders.”

Theo’s shoulders twitched in another tiny shrug, though this time it was far less infuriating. As his smile faded, he sighed, leaning onto the table.

“Listen. I hear you about the Mangia deal. I know what it could mean for businesses like yours. Honestly…I said the same thing when Ted first floated it. I even have my own reasons for wanting to keep them out of this building. But you have to understand—”

A piercing shout interrupted us, followed by a series of sharp clatters and a heavy thud. Before I could process what was going on, Theo had bolted up, eyes wide, and was running past me into the hall.

“Jaime?” Theo’s voice was high and tight.“Jaime.”

By the time I’d managed to start after him, Theo was under the electrician, arms wrapped around the man’s middle in an intense bear hug. Jaime’s head and shoulders were hidden by the tangle of building systems, but it was clear that until Theo had arrived, he’d been dangling from some hidden part of the ceiling. The ladder had tumbled to the side, various tools spread out around it, the remnants of the coffee splattered across the floor.

“I’ve got you.” Theo widened his stance and bent his knees. “Let go.”

Theo grunted as Jaime complied, crouching to absorb the man’s weight and carefully lower him to the ground. He took a step away, resting his hands on his thighs and taking a few deep breaths as Jaime shook out his arms. A few drops of blood spattered across the floor from a cut in his hand.

“You alright?” Theo said.

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Jaime nodded slowly. “I don’t know what happened. One minute I’m reaching for the screws on the far side of the ceiling beam, the next I’m hanging on by my fingertips.” Jaime blew out a breath so large it inflated his cheeks. “Lucky you were here.”

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