Page 124 of Where We Bloom

I lift an eyebrow, but she keeps talking.

“He’s a good man. Kind. Smart. But he’s not great at being in a relationship, and he will never confide in you, be truly intimate with you, and I don’t mean that in a physical sense. He’s excellent in bed.”

I narrow my eyes, and still, she continues.

I would like to scratch her eyes out.

“You’re young.So young.Fresh and new, and I can see the appeal. But you have so much life ahead of you. Do you really want to spend it with someone who has so much more life experience than you? Of course, heiswealthy.”

I’m so fucking angry.This woman is one of Connor’s best friends?

“I’m sure it was exciting when he took you shopping for those clothes. Connor has excellent taste, and he’s generous almost to a fault. As long as he’s still enamored with you, he’ll continue to shower you with expensive gifts. He’ll likely even let you keep them when he’s through with you.”

Fuck, she sounds bitter.Connor led me to believe that they were good friends because the divorce had been wanted on both sides.

I’m wondering now if Fiona was not as agreeable as Connor believed.Is she angry that she no longer has access to him?

“Is that what he did to you?” I ask, my voice even. “He let you keep the gifts?”

“He didn’tletme do anything,” she says, finally showing her frustration. “Those items were mine.”

“Of course, they were,” I reply. “They were gifts, so they were yours.”

“Connor—”

“I’m going to stop you there.” I hold up my hand. “I can’t stomach listening to you disrespect the man I love any longer. I don’t care what you think of me. Yes, I’m a lot younger than him. That’s just … time. Completely out of anyone’s control. I’m not a child. I’m a successful businesswoman who comes from a nice family in a small town in Montana. I’m not wealthy. And honestly, who the fuck cares?”

Her eyes widen at that, and I continue, keeping my tone even because I refuse to raise my voice in this office. She’s not worth it.

“You don’t know us. You have no idea what happens in our relationship. But I can guarantee you this: what Connor and I share is not at all the same as what you had with him all those years ago. I know that because we’re different people. Connor’s not the same person as he was back then. He claims that you’re one of his closest friends, but I’d disagree. I suspect, based on this conversation and the way you greeted me today, that your divorce was not as amicable as you let him believe it was. Sure,mygood friends might ask questions and even warn him that hurting me means they hurt him in turn. But they wouldn’t deliberately try to destroy something important to me.”

“I’m not?—”

“You are. You’re trying to hurthim.Because scaring me off, talking me into running away from him, would only hurt him.”

I plant my hands on the desk and stand, and she also rises out of her chair, glaring at me now.

You picked the wrong girl to fuck with, Fiona.

“Nothing you could say would make me leave him. I don’t give two fucks about his money. Oh, by the way, he didn’t buy me this blouse. I bought it. Me. If I want pretty things, I can buy them. I don’t need a billionaire boyfriend for that. I’m not sure where this jealousy is coming from.”

Fiona’s jaw drops, but she doesn’t say anything.

“From what I understand, you’re happily married with two children.”

“I’m simply looking out for a friend.”

“Right.” I snort and shake my head. “And I’m a flamingo. I’m in love with that man, and I willneversit back and let anyone speak about him the way you just did. He’s so much better than that. If you don’t like me or approve of me, or whatever, that’s okay. It honestly doesn’t bother me. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, and at the end of the day, you don’t matter to me. But you walked in this room today with ahugechip on your shoulder, and that’s bullshit.”

Practically shaking, I straighten up and look Fiona up and down.

“You should be ashamed of yourself.”

I have to get out of here. I’m so angry, I want to deckthat bitch, so I march to the open door but stop and look back at her.

“And the next time you walk into this or any other of Connor’s spaces, you’ll fucking knock or you won’t come in at all.”

I stomp out, running into a hard chest, and when I look up, I find Connor, whose green eyes are on. Fucking. Fire.

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