Page 15 of Loathing My Boss
Those things are vicious, no matter how good at writing you are.
I might get my dream.
My mind turns the idea over.
Yes, no, yes, no, fish. My fish. My dearly beloved fish.
Crimson would absolutely take care of Potato personally. His well-being is not even a concern. But I am somewhat emotionally dependent, in all truth. I love my fish. Fourteen days without my fish sounds like the kind of limit that might result in crime scenes.
It makes every muscle in me clench when Viktor dissects exactly what is going on in my brain to say, “Crisis, you can visit Potato. It’s only forty minutes out of town. The round trip would get exhausting every day, but there will be things I’ll need you to check on out here. That connection to business is one of the many reasons I think it’s important for you to come with me.”
That makes sense. But… “Why do you want to go on a writing retreat? It doesn’t quite seem like something you’d…do.”
“I have a lot of responsibility as the head of my family. You know that.” Freeing a tight breath, he leans back against the white leather of his chair. “Someone has to stay linked to Sunset, and since Kyran’s the baby, Lukas and Zakery are often on tour or at comic cons, and Kaleb has no interest in managing land, taking care of Sunset is my job. A writing retreat has never fallen this close to home before, so I’ve never had the opportunity to think about whether or not it would be somethingI’d do.”
“Why didn’t I have a part to play in this sooner?” I ask. “Taking care of Sunset is alsomyjob. I’m supposed to know about these things.”
“What you do and don’t know about is up to my discretion.”
I wince. “I’m sorry. I didn’t… I just mean, you aren’t alone in this responsibility, Mr. Bachelor.”
His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t challenge my statement, which is cheesier than the crepe cups if I do say so myself. I’m very proud of pulling ayou’re not aloneout of nowhere.
While I care about Sunset as my home, I could not care less about whether or not Viktor feels like he has to take care of his parents’ land all by himself.
So very sad, it is, that he must manage thousands of incomes from all the people paying rent to have their perfectly-curated and polished businesses or homes on Sunset property. Boo hoo.
If he’s lonely with four loving brothers, he should fill a pool with money like Scrooge McDuck and then cry in it.
“I’ll adjust your schedule,” I say, “and ask Crimson if she’ll take care of Potato.”
The tension in Viktor’s shoulders does not ease, even as he reaches for a crepe cup. “I can always count on you.”
I smile.
Yep. You just keep believing that, Mr. Bachelor.
It’s gonna be a long two weeks…
Chapter 5
?
The tropes do not fail me. They conspire. Against me.
Crisis
I. Am in a cube.
A twelve-by-twelve cube.
Inside a barn.
Staring.
At.
A.
