Page 89 of IOU

He nods. “So you just decided to keep running my company on your own as Laraunt?”

“It sounds a little shady when you say it like that,” I agree. “But I only had our family’s best interest at heart. I swear.”

Pops grins and hands me the piece of paper he was looking at. “Did you know that in the past year, since Laraunt quit, my company has grown seventy-two percent?”

I look at the graph and nod. “Yes, sir. I know.”

“Did you also know it’s the most growth this company has seen in one year since before you boys moved in with me?”

I can feel Ainsley’s eyes on me.

“No, sir. I didn’t know that. I just wanted to do a good job.” He couldn’t afford to lose any money. He and my brother needed it. Not to mention the faith his clients had in him.

He motions for the graph back. “You did more than just a good job, son. You did magnificently well. Although I could wring your neck for keeping this from me, I’m very proud of you.”

I swallow thickly. I didn’t expect his praise.

“Just one thing, though,” he adds. “How have you managed to run this company and go to class?”

I toss the entire deck of cards into the passenger seat. “Find a marker and start writing on them.”

Ainsley cocks her head to the side. “All of them?”

I buckle my seat belt and start the car. “All of them. That’s the third time you’ve ratted me out. I don’t take being tattled on lightly.”

She rolls her eyes and swipes the cards off onto the floorboard and buckles in. “Please. Your pops was going to find out eventually about the ER visit. You’re still on his insurance,” she argues.

“I was handling it. I didn’t file it on his health insurance.” I don’t have all these favors for the fuck of it.

She shrugs, grinning at me as if she enjoyed the lashing I received about the ER visit and the heart issues. She and Cooper disappeared into the kitchen, supposedly making everyone food—though I didn’t get any—while Pops made me sign in to my healthcare portal and show him my medical records. He then proceeded to growl out a lot of, “I should kick your ass,” comments before finally telling me that this will not happen again.

My heart sank when he informed me that he will be hiring someone to replace me within the company.

“Whatever, he was just concerned about you. I don’t know why you’re in such a shitty mood anyway.” She messes with the radio, knowing it will get on my nerves. “Didn’t you walk out of there a CEO?” Her brows arch, daring me to deny it.

“When I graduate,” I correct her.

“Which is in, like, two months.”

She’s bouncy and all excited over the news. Don’t get me wrong, I am too, but until I graduate, Pops is hiring someone to help me out so I can stop ditching classes and actually finish on my own. I was half excited at the accolades and the support to take over the company upon graduation and half disappointed that he was requiring me to finish. It seems pointless to have a framed piece of stock paper when I’ve already proven I can handle the company without a degree.

I get it, though, it’s important to my pops for his kids to graduate. So, I swallowed the argument and thanked him for not kicking my ass like he probably wanted to.

“Either way, it’s soon,” she adds. “Now you’ll have time to focus on school and playing poker if you want. You don’t have to go around capturing all those souls.”

I reach over and try grabbing for the tanned skin exposed from her shorts. “There you go again with all that soul stealing. I’ve told you, I don’t need to steal them.” I grin. “They beg”—I pitch my voice like she did when she first stood at my door—“for me to take them.”

“Haha. You think you’re so funny.”

I cut her a disproving look. IknowI’m funny.

“Whatever,” she waves me off. “I’ll agree you’re a little bit funny. You’ve had a bad day—no reason to kick you while you’re down.”

This girl.

“So do you want to stop at Crush It on our way home and work out some of that tension?”

I scoff. The only tension I plan on working out with her involves her naked body. “I thought we could try something different.”

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