Page 133 of My Lucky Charm

“It is true,” I say quietly, kind of to myself.

“I snapped at you,” he says. “I snapped at you in the restaurant before I knew you had a mean right hook, and I snapped at you last night because—”

I force myself not to fill in the blanks, but inside, I’m practically begging him to go on.

“I just did.” He walks over to his suitcase.

I turn my body toward him as he passes. “Why?”

He sighs. “I’m trying really hard to keep you from being . . . a distraction. And the more you prod me about my feelings, the harder that is.”

I nod, and also my stomach is doing somersaults because he said I’m a distraction.

“I don’t mean to be a distraction,” I say.

“I know.”

“Assistants shouldn’t distract.” I mirror his stance, stuffing my hands in my pockets because I’m not sure where else to put them. “Though I really do think that sometimes distractions can be good.”

He looks at me, eyebrows raised.

“I don’t mean me, I just—” I’m fumbling here. “I just mean, you deserve a break every once in a while. From work. From training. From the pressure.”

“I don’t take breaks.”

I narrow my gaze. “I’m aware.”

He quirks a brow.

It’s a face off.

“I’m just saying if you did, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.”

“It would,” he says.

I frown. “Why?”

“There are standards I need to live up to.” He says this robotically, like he learned this particular mantra through rote repetition.

I nod, even though this all sounds ridiculous to me. “But you’re not a machine. I mean, you need down time.”

“I don’t.”

“Everyone does.” Then, after a slight pause and a revelation, I blurt out, “This is not part of my job. Why am I arguing this?” I don’t need to get involved here.

“I’m not sure.” He looks confused.

“Neither am I!” I say, exasperated.

“Look, this is just how it is for me,” he says, signaling the end of the conversation. “And all I wanted to say is that I’m sorry for the, you know—”

“For the general rudeness.”

His jaw twitches. “Yeah.”

“And I’m sorry for being nosy,” I say. “And pushing you to talk about stuff. I should make your life easier, not more difficult.”

“You do,” he says.

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