Page 18 of Ansel

He hummed like he wasn’t convinced, stretching out his legs before grabbing a set of dumbbells. “So, what did you do?”

I exhaled hard through my nose. “Why do you assumeIdid something?”

Michael raised a brow. “Because I know you and you look guilty as hell.”

I took a long sip of water, looking at the mirror in front of us. The reflection staring back was the same as always—broad shoulders, strong build, the same sharp features that had served me well in my personal and professional life.

Neha had seen through it, through me. She’d called me out, stripped away every carefully crafted version of myself I tried to present, and exposed the truth—that I wasselfish. That I took and didn’t give.

“You know my assistant quit.”

“Neha.”

I set my bottle down. “I didn’t tell you the whole truth.”

Michael didn’t look surprised. “So, she didn’t quit because she was getting an MBA and didn’t want to be your assistant?”

“I may have embellished a little.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I figured.”

That irritated me. “What the hell does that mean?”

Michael switched dumbbells, rolling his shoulders. “It means, Ansel, that I know you.”

“And what does that mean?” I asked almost cautiously, not sure if I wanted to know.

“You’ve had the hots for your assistant for a while now and from what I saw at your Christmas party she’s all into you.”

Christ!

I glared at him. “How is it that everyone knew we were attracted to one another and we didn’t?”

This time he laughed. “You knew she was attracted to you—you knew you were attracted to her, you not doing anything about it is on you. So, you want to tell me what happened?”

No, I didn’t because my brother would know how much of an asshole I was to Neha. But he knew me and would love me no matter what. Like he often said, if I killed someone he’d help me move the body but requested I do so when he didn’t have class.

So, I told him. The whole sordid tale.

Michael worked out steadily as he listened.

When I was done, so was he. He set his dumbbells into the rack and looked at me with pity. That stung.

“I love you, you know that.”

I nodded.

“Good, because now I have to tell you something you won’t like to hear.”

I nodded again, waiting.

“You’ve always been the kind of guy who assumes people will be there for you, no matter what, no matter how you treat them because your world comes first.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he held up a hand. “Not intentionally. You’re not cruel, Ansel. You’re just used to everything working out in your favor. You wanted Neha in your corner, but you never asked yourself if you needed to be in her corner, too.”

I bristled. “I took care of her. She got paid well. She loved her job.”

Michael reached for a bottle of water from one of the small refrigerators scattered throughout the gym. “She liked her job, but she lovedyou.”

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