Page 17 of My Favorite Mistake

“Yourbosshired me.”

“And how’dmy bosseven find you?” His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his blue eyes had gone dark; almost black. The low lighting cast shadows over his sharp features. Connor could be downrightscarywhen he wanted to. But he’d never been scary with her. At least, not untilthatphone call. “Frenchmen Street is pretty Podunk for a hoity-toity marketing rep from five hundred miles away.”

She pulled in her chin as she raised her eyebrows. “Oh, I guess you think I sought out this job because I’ve been stalking you or something.” She lifted her chin haughtily and waved her hand to gesture at the club. “I’m sure you think that I’ve been so hung up on you that I planned my entire college education and put in all those years working my ass off to move up the ranks in this industry just so I could apply for a job at your place of business ten years down the road.”

She flattened her palms on the table and stuck her neck out to return his etched-granite expression. “Youare not why I’m here. All of this is pure happenstance. If I had anyinklingthat you worked for Jimmy, I wouldn’t have taken this job. I was faced with severe financial repercussions if I didn’t take this job, but if you’re going to behave abusively toward me, I will march across this club and resignthis instant, and then you’ll have to explain your contribution to that to Jimmy.”

Connor’s hard features relaxed into an expressionless gaze, his mouth a straight line and his eyes hooded as he dropped his gaze to the table. “I wasn’t trying to be abusive. I was just asking.”

“You weren’tjust asking, and don’t start gaslighting me in addition to everythingelseyou’ve done.” Liza folded her arms across her chest, as if doing so could hold together the pieces of her heart that suddenly stung and throbbed as if the wounds were still fresh. “Perhaps I should remind you thatIam not the one who did something spineless and shitty toyou.”

He pulled his lips between his teeth as he stared at the table, but her locked gaze on him didn’t waver. Just in case he decided to look back up at her, she wanted to ensure her control of the situation was evident. He could be an asshole for whatever reason all he wanted. She’d already established in her own mind that no matter what he did, she would remain a professional. And now that it was clear howunprofessionalhe was going to be, Liza was suddenly one-hundred-percentdone. This wasn’t worth it. There had to be another solution.

Connor finally met her gaze, and there was a subtle shadow of remorse on his face. “Lizzie, I—”

“Don’t call me that.”

He lifted his palms as if surrendering. “Sorry.”

Liza threw her shoulders back and sat up straight. “You came over here with the intention of dealing with the elephant in the room, so allow me to accommodate that. You know who I am. I know who you are. We both know everything that happened, and we also know that it was ten years ago. Ten years ago is history so ancient it might as well not exist. I have a job to do that I can’t do without your help, and I’ve gathered from conversation with Jimmy that you can’t do your job without my help. I informed him earlier this afternoon that I’m going to establish and execute the label’s marketing plan, but since you’ve made it clear that you want to behave like a brute, I’m going to have to transition my employment with Frenchmen Street to a remote capacity and move back to Austin.” She turned her palms upward, gesturing at him. “You and I have to simply tolerate each other until I can finish setting things up here, and then we’ll never have to see each other again. Does that work for you, Connor?”

He’d dropped his gaze midway through her tirade, and it was still fixed on the candle flickering in a ruby-red jar at the center of the table. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times as if he couldn’t pull his words together, and then he lifted his hand to his chin, drawing his index finger back and forth across his upper lip; a contemplative, yet nervous behavior of his she was all-too familiar with.

“I guess it has to.” Connor looked back up at her and opened his mouth again, but her words were quicker than his.

“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Liza stood up from the stool, grabbing the tablet and picking up her bag. “I’m going to introduce myself to Carson before I leave, and I’ll send an agenda for tomorrow’s meeting to you and Jimmy later tonight. Please check your email and go over it so we can hit the ground running in the morning.”

He touched the corner of his forehead with two fingers as if saluting her. “Yes, ma’am.”

She took a step away from the table, but the barely-restrained anger and seething hurt caused her to pause and hover her lips right next to his ear. “And by the way, if you evercome at me broand cuss at me like that again, I won’t hesitate to slap that smug expression right off your face.”

Connor slowly turned his head and met her eyes, briefly dropping his gaze to her mouth before dragging it back up.

“You may be big and strong, and I may be smaller than you,” she couldn't help adding, “but you’re just a bully with a big mouth, and I’m not a weak, naïve little girl anymore. You don’t scare me, Deneau, so don’t even bother trying.”

His blue eyes flashed with an imperceptible emotion. They remained locked on hers briefly before he turned his face forward and lifted his beer to his lips. She stepped away from him, marching toward the small group next to the band to accomplish the last task of the night before leaving.

She paused next to Jimmy, who seemed to read her mind as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Heya, Liza. Everything all right?” He raised his chin and looked over at Connor, who had his back to them. “It looked like y’all were bickering.”

She took a deep, silent breath to avoid fracturing under the weight of the distressing confrontation. “Oh no. We’re fine. He’s clearly just very…passionate…you know, about the artists.” She turned toward Scott with a pleasant smile. “Nice to see you again, Scott.”

Scott returned her smile and touched her shoulder for a second. “You too. Enjoying your official first team outing?”

She forced a quick, polite laugh. “Oh, yes, definitely.” She skimmed her gaze across the club. “This place is so authentic. The entire district is amazing.”

Jimmy’s face lit up. “It really is. I grew up going to—”

“Hey, who’s this?” The younger guy standing next to Scott—Connor had mentioned his name was Luke—shoved through the center of the small group and held out his hand for her. “Luke Martinelli. Andyouare?”

“This is Liza,” Jimmy answered on her behalf as she shook with Luke. “She’s our new marketing director.”

“Helloooo,Liza.” Luke’s pewter eyes roamed down to her feet and back up to her face. “You aren’t from around here, are ya?”

Her gaze shifted, and then she squinted at him incredulously. “No, I’m actually from Austin, Tex—”

“Oh. No kidding!” Luke reached to slap Scott’s chest with the back of his hand. “That’s why she’s hotter than every other woman in this place. She’s fromAustin,Scott. Just like your hot wifey.”

“I think Ophelia would probably take exception toeveryobservation you’re making right now, Luke,” Scott responded in a deadpan tone.

---