Page 16 of The Marriage Narrative
“Each season always starts with filming at my family’s estatefor a few months. Then we’ll come back home with a sporadic shooting schedule for the rest of the year.”
“I can put my shop on temporary hiatus, but I don’t have enough time off at my other job for this.”
“Everyone earns a flat fee for agreeing to appear on camera, plus a prorated amount per episode that airs, depending on how much screen time you’re given. I can email the specifics tonight.”
She nodded. Grace would know if the contract was fair or not.
“And if that’s not enough,” he continued, “you could always come work mornings at my store to keep the same hours when we get back.”
“I’m not interested in retail. I have the personality but not the patience for customer service. I’m hanging on by a thread at the call center as it is.”
“You could work the back end. My recordkeeping is…not great. I have two accountants but definitely still need help. I rent a two-room office in a business complex where I keep files, finance reports, company server, that kind of thing. You’d be there by yourself, but I could join you for daily lunch dates.”
That was a diabolical offer. Completely below the quality-time belt because she’d told him lunch was her favorite meal.
“What would my salary be?”
“How much do you currently make?” She told him and he said, “I can double that. We also have a generous benefits package.”
“Wow, I had no idea coffee and books were so profitable.”
“They can be. Personally, I don’t see the point in making ten times more than my employees just because I own the business. I’d have nothing without their labor and so I pay them accordingly. They deserve it.”
Screw promise rings.
As far as she was concerned, they were engaged. It took everything she had to not disintegrate him with a million-watt smile.
“I’m tentatively saying yes, but I still have to talk to Grace and Fiona,” she said calmly, cool and collected. Cucumbers all around. “They’re really not gonna like this, though.”
Famous last words.Understatement of the year.
“Zaffre!”Grace was pacing the kitchen like a tiger trapped in a cage.
Fiona groaned, clutching her stomach. “I think my ulcer just ruptured.”
“I swear togod, this couldonlyhappen to you.”
Zinnia had told them about her meeting, beginning to end, like ripping off a Band-Aid. “Can’t you at least pretend to be happy for me? If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you two were upset that I’d found someone at all.”
She was joking, but the guilty-as-hell look on Fiona’s face meant she’d also accidentally struck the truth. “It’s not that we didn’t want you to. Your proposal was bonkers enough to draw out every opportunistic psycho within a fifty-mile radius. We didn’t thinkyou’dactually pick someone. We thought…”
“You both thought I’d give up.” Cold dread settled in Zinnia’s bones.
“Or you’d realize that there’s nothing wrong with being single, Z.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a partner either! I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life.”
“But you won’t—”
“Whatis so hard to understand about this? Self-love is not a damn miracle cure. There isn’t any more work for me to do. I know who I am as a person. I know what I can and cannot give toanyrelationship. How come I’m not allowed to have a partner the way that I want too?”
“Because you’re picking someone fucking guaranteed to exploit you!” Grace stopped in her tracks. Flames danced in her eyes before she turned and walked out of the room.
“Where are you going?” Fiona took a single step to follow.
“TO CALL MY SISTER!” Her shout echoed down the staircase. “Someone needs to talk some sense into her!”
“Are you happy now? Do you see what you did?” It took a lot for Fiona to lose her temper, but when she did it was clear as a summer day during an eclipse. The caring, compassionate light faded right out of her eyes.
