“That’s my other sister,” I say through gritted teeth. “And I’m twenty-two. That’s hardly fresh out of my cradle.”
“Sorry again, my mistake, Blondie,” he says with a mocking smile that makes me see red.
Crimson red, the color of blood, with bombs shaped like Nick’s smug, spiky head exploding inside of it.
“You’re fired,” I snap, the words out of my mouth before I realize I plan to say them.
Before I remember that I don’t technically have the power to hire or fire anyone. Lark owns the business. But Lark was my sister long before she was my boss, and she would never tolerate a jerk talking to me like a dumb, fluffy, baby bunny.
“What?” Nick’s green eyes lose the crinkle at their edges, but his smile remains firmly in place.
“I said, you’re fired,” I repeat, standing up straighter. “So, you can leave. Now.”
“I thought you needed the help,” he says, still smiling.
Argh! Why is he still smiling? It makes me want to punch him right in his shiny, white teeth, an urge that’s so unfamiliar it makes my head spin, and my words breathy when I say, “Please. Leave. We won’t be needing your help today.”
Or any other day, if I have anything to say about it, I think.
“All right. Fine with me.” Nick shrugs, and his grin finally fades a watt or two. “Tell Lark I’m sorry I was late. I had car trouble. And tell your other sister I’ll see her at dinner later this week. Hopefully we’ll hit it off better than we did, huh? Since I guess she’s family now.”
I cross my arms, keeping my frown firmly in place as Nick strides back to his car, looking like the hero of an angsty teen movie in his black jeans, tight white tee, and carefully mussed hair. I’m so angry with him, for reasons that continue to elude me, that Nick is in his car, pulling down the hill before I realize the full significance of what I’ve done.
I’ve fired Aria’s brother-in-law.
Who is maybe, sort of my brother-in-law, too?
“Is he my brother-in-law if he’s Aria’s?” I squeak, turning back to the rest of the staff, panic rising inside of me.
Natalie shrugs. “I don’t know, but firing him doesn’t seem like a good move, considering how often you’ll probably end up running into each other.”
I bite my lip, my stomach clenching tight.
Mitch shrugs. “Whatever. He was a douche, anyway.”
“I don’t know,” Natalie says, casting an uncertain look my way. “Maybe you were a little hard on him, Mel.”
“For sure. That wasn’t like you. You’re the sweet one, sugar,” Manny agrees with affection that makes his words even harder to take.
Was I too hard on Nick?
I have been in a terrible mood all day. Did I allow that to spill over onto some unsuspecting stranger?
If so, it would be bad under normal circumstances, but with Nick being Aria’s family, it’s flat out awful.
“Can I have your keys, Manny?” I ask, holding out a hand. “If I leave right now, maybe I can catch him.”
“Here, take mine.” Lucinda offers the keys to the bug.
“Thank you so much,” I say, making a run for her car, my heart slamming against my ribs, praying I’ll get to Nick in time to make this better.
A few minutes later, I’m down the hill, closing in on the MG as it sputters to a halt at the stop sign marking the turn back to the main road, and dies.
“Thank God,” I breathe, my chest loosening as I watch Nick get out and kick the tire. I’m going to be able to fix this, and everything will be fine.
As I pull in behind him, Nick glances up, the surprise in his eyes hardening into an unreadable expression when I swing out of the car.
“I’m sorry,” I say, closing the distance between us, determined to undo my mistake. “I was being a jerk. I didn’t realize you were Aria’s brother-in-law.”
He shrugs, but his expression doesn’t change. “That’s all right.”
“No, it’s not all right,” I say. “I’m not usually like that. I’m just…having a bad day. But that isn’t your fault and I’m really sorry. Can you forgive me?”
Nick holds my gaze and, after a beat, his face softens.
Shockingly, he looks even hotter without the attitude.
“Me, too. A bad month, actually.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Sorry I was an asshole.” He grins, but this time it doesn’t make me want to punch him in the teeth.
It makes me want to smile back.
So, I do, beaming up at him like a flower getting her first dose of sunlight as Nick says, “Since you’re not my boss anymore, is it okay to say you’ve got a really pretty smile?”
Oh boy.
This is trouble.
Big trouble, and all the more reason to get him back as an employee—and off limits as a potential flirting partner—immediately. There are other reasons I’ve always secretly been glad I repulse bad boys, namely that they intimidate the heck out of me.