Page 78 of Forged in Peril

They were the right words, but that was the part Cam was good at, and always had been.

He had always known how to make her stay, which is why she’d flown across the country to put him and their relationship behind her.

“Maybe you think that you’ve changed,” she said, refusing to shrink away from the fire in his eyes as he stared at her. “And in some ways, I’m sure you have. Good for you. But when it comes to you and me? I have my answer. I know exactly what my life would have been like if I’d stayed, and I think eighteen year old Bristol was a lot smarter than I’ve given her credit for.”

CAMERON

Cameron shrank back in his chair, letting Bristol’s words fall over him like flaming brimstone.

He took a few breaths before finally looking up at her, expecting to see guilt in her expression, or perhaps regret, but there was none.

All he could see was fury in her eyes. Even the pain that she’d so often hidden within their green depths had been pushed aside as she continued to glare at him.

Something inside of him snapped.

All this time, he’d been groveling. He’d been apologizing. He’d been doing everything he possibly could to fix things with her, and in the end, she was worse off than when she’d first darkened the door of Forge Brothers Security.

“Maybe you’re right about me, Bristol. You’ve got me all figured out, just like you’ve figured out everything else,” he said, not bothering to hide the bitter anger in his voice. “I want to be with someone who respects me, and who extends me the slightest benefit of the doubt when she’s not sure where I stand. Guilty as charged, Your Honor.”

Bristol stiffened, opening her mouth to speak, but he kept going, unable to close the floodgates of anger now that they had opened.

“Maybe that means I'm going to end up alone in the end, but at least I’ll have my family and my God to lean on. Despite staying in boring old Silver Grove and going to church every Sunday, I’ve still managed to make my life my own. I joined this company instead of working in agriculture for the rest of my life. I broke the mold, too, Bristol. And I did it without shoving aside the people who care about me the most.”

“Good for you,” Bristol spat, sliding her chair back and getting to her feet.

He followed her as she made her way toward the door, not caring who heard their argument. What did it matter now?

“You keep saying that you’re going to trust, and to let God work on you, but when it actually comes down to it, you put the same old walls up,” he said to her retreating back, her shoes making more noise than necessary as she stomped across the room. “You’re right. You don’t know who Bristol Chaplin really is, but I’m starting to feel like maybe I do. And I feel really, really bad for her.”

Bristol whipped around, catching him in a deadly glare.

He half expected her to walk up and slap him.

Instead, she lowered her voice until it was just above a whisper, shaking with every word.

“I’ll be out of your office and out of your life just as soon as I find another job, assuming you don’t feel the need to fire me here and now.”

Cameron crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not firing you.”

Bristol gave him a brisk nod.

“Great. Glad that’s settled.”

A moment later, she was gone, slamming the door behind her.

BRISTOL

Bristol splashed the cold water against her face again and again, hoping that it would somehow hide the evidence of her tear-stained face.

She’d already passed Ben on her way up to the fourth floor, and though he didn’t say anything, she could tell by his expression that she looked like an absolute wreck.

In any case, he and the rest of the office had probably heard about their fight by now, and anyone who hadn’t would soon.

She turned off the tap and leaned against the sink, closing her eyes for a long time, glad that the fourth floor bathroom was almost as isolated as the legal department itself.

Being here at FBS reminded her so much of growing up in Silver Grove.

She’d found the same tight-knit community, friendships, and sense of belonging–and she’d also realized that as soon as she stepped out of line, everyone would turn their backs on her in a heartbeat.

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