Page 73 of Bookworm
From the corner of my eye, I saw Adam sitting on his couch, legs spread wide in a way that was very atypical for him. Adam didn’t usually manspread like that.
“Oh,” I said. “I didn’t realize you were home yet?—”
“Harper,” the man sitting on the couch stood up. And only then did I realize it wasn’t Adam sitting on his couch. “I was wondering whose damn cat my son had living with him. I should’ve guessed it was yours.”
I yelped, startled, as Adam’s father, Elijah crossed toward me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Iglowered at Elijah as he towered over me in Adam’s kitchen.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. Even though I tried to keep my voice friendly, an edge of distaste sharpened my words.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
I arched a challenging brow at him. “Ilive here.”
Or at least I did for another couple of weeks. But I wasn’t about to reveal those cards to Elijah yet.
“Is that so? I thought you were finishing up your job at Dartmouth?”
“I am,” I admitted. Involuntarily, I shifted my weight from the left foot to the right. Inwardly, I cursed as Elijah’s eyes followed the movement with a slight curve of his mouth.
“And you don’t know what’s next, do you?”
It felt like a trap. Everything about Adam’s father felt like a trap. So, I remained silent instead of answering him.
“So, you need your next gig. And I need you to stay far, far away from my son. I think we can both win here, Ms. Meyer.” From his back pocket, he pulled out his phone, swiping his thumb across the screen. “I have a friend at Stanford and they’relooking for a full time position there in the library. Someone who can maintain their rare books.”
A sharp breath pinched my lungs.
A full-time position like that was unheard of in my industry. “That’s not real,” I said, shaking my head. “It can’t be. Positions like that don’t exist except for at huge national libra?—”
“It could exist,” Elijah said. “He’s a good friend. And he owes me a favor.”
“What the hell kind of favor involves a six figure salary with benefits?” I croaked.
Elijah wiggled his phone in the air. “Say the word and I air drop you his contact information. As long as you promise to stay away from Adam.”
“You’re not listening to me,” I snapped, my glare hardening even more. “I'm not going anywhere.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Harper. This job is once in a lifetime. You’d be an idiot to pass it up, even for someone as amazing as my son.”
He was right about one thing… the job was once in a lifetime. But it wasn’t real. I’d only be getting it because of some seedy favor owed between him and a ‘friend’?
“Your hatred of me makes no sense. You see that, right? I’m a smart woman, a hard worker, I’m kind, Adam and I make each other happy and I love him. I am everything you should want your son to find in a partner.”
Elijah’s face paled. Even his lips drained of color. “Love?”
I pressed my fingertips to my mouth.Love.
I do love Adam.
I loved him in high school. I loved him when we broke up.
And I love him even more now.
I just didn’t realize it until this very second when I was fighting for us.
