Page 36 of Zimyra

“I don’t like it. I see you every day—”

“So what?” I shrug while forking a piece of chicken. I scoop up a little rice along with it and say, “I see my tenants every day and I call each and every one of them by theirpropername.”

“Yeah, but they’re not unclogging drains and replacing light bulbs for you, are they?”

“No, but—”

“And you call Mauricio by his first name.”

I grin. “You sound jealous?”

“No. I’m making a point. You call Mauricio by his first name because you don’t have a problem with him. Your problem is with me. So, let’s get it all out on the table so we can move on,” he says, placing his hands on the table with his fingers spread apart for emphasis.

“Move on to what?”

“To a good, productive working relationship.”

I take a napkin from the plastic bag on the table, dab my mouth, and remind myself to be kind. He wants everything on the table – that’s what he’s going to get. I say, “Okay, my problem with you is, you’re very arrogant and when you wasted my time with the tour and all, you had a smirk on your face like it was funny. I’m here to tell you it’s not. I take my job seriously. I like processes. I thrive off order – not chaos.”

“Chaos?”

“Yes. I had a headache the entire day after that stunt you pulled—not to mention I was already having a bad day before you showed up. I’m not a go-with-the-flow, reckless person, Mr. Jennings. I don’t do spur-of-the-moment stuff and live life on the edge like I imagine you do. I do things that make sense. I play by the rules and respect people’s boundaries. You don’t.”

“Does that make me a bad person?”

“Absolutely not, but it does make you a person that I avoid.”

“Wow.”

“I’m just being honest. You asked—I’m telling you.”

“Well, therein lies the problem.” He takes a sip of water and says, “I don’t want you avoiding me, so how can I approach you in a way that won’t make you loathe my very existence?”

Loathe.

“Your word choice is fascinating.”

“You haven’t answered my question,” he says, staring at my mouth.

“Okay. First of all, I don’tloatheyour existence. Second, I don’t want you to be anyone but yourself.”

I can’t tell if I’m irritating him right now because his poker face is sick and it doesn’t help matters that he’s handsome right along with it. He came here for a resolution. I respect that. The issue is, how do you resolve a problem centering around personality clashes? I thought avoiding him was the right move, but clearly, it’s a problem for him.

I say, “Axel.”

He looks up at me and a smile grows on his face. Did my heart just skip a beat? I could punch myself in the chest for that kind of betrayal. My heart shouldn’t skip for a man who annoys me, should it? But he’s an overwhelmingly handsome man who annoys me, so there’s that.

“Yes, Zimyra?”

“You initiated this meeting, which means you’re serious about trying to have a good working relationship, so I’m willing to try.”

“I bought you lunch, too. Don’t forget that.”

“Yeah,” I say, smiling. “You bought me lunch. This is one of my favorite restaurants. And speaking of restaurants, why didn’t you tell me you went by my sister-in-law’s place?”

“Because you were on a warpath. I figured I’d stay out of your way.”

“I wasn’t on a warpa—you know what? I’ma leave that alone. We’re turning over a new leaf.”

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