“This is my business, Landon.” And evidently she needed to remind both of them of that fact. “My store. My life.”
His mouth twitched. “I know that.”
“Do you? Because this is the first I’ve heard about moving my residence and store, advertising, and letting my employees go. How many decisions were you planning to make without talking to me first?”
He sighed again, and for some reason the sound made her angry. “Kimber, I’m not allowing you to live in a questionable neighborhood, at the top of a very tall flight of stairs.”
“ ‘Allowing’ me to?”
He ignored her. “How are you going to carry heavy groceries into your house? What about when you go into labor? Are you going to walk down forty steps and drive your rusted old car to the hospital by yourself?” His jaw clicked and then he added, “Or are you planning on having Mick help you with all of that?”
Her mouth dropped open. Mick? This was about Mick? Wonderful. Jealous and overbearing. “Mick has nothing to do with any of this. And—and I like my car. I like my apartment. I like my store where it is.”
Stunned, she couldn’t think of anything more to say. Just because she was pregnant didn’t give him the right to take over. He wanted her living in his house, running Hobo Chic the way he wanted, with the employees he wanted. “How can you even be sure a vintage store would do well in this affluent of a neighborhood?” So not her biggest concern, but she was desperate to find solid ground for this argument.
He shrugged. “If not, we, I mean you,” he amended, “can change what you’re selling. Purses or jewelry or something.” He waved a hand like the subject was closed.
Like her life, her passion, was a trivial thing that could be altered on a whim. “Jewelry or something?”
He gave her a small smile. “Whatever you want.”
She threw back the blankets and climbed out of bed. Geez. She was starving. She braced a hand on the nightstand when her head swam. Landon reached for her and she stayed him with an outstretched palm. “I’m fine.”
He probably wanted to fix her. He liked to fix things. Clearly. Since he’d tried to fix her entire life around his.
“I can’t believe you did all this without talking to me,” she said, lowering her arm.
“I didn’t do anything.” His tone ratcheted up to peeved.
“You did plenty.” She slipped her dress over her head, a simple sheath that coasted down to her toes, and shuffled into her sandals. “This is my life. My call.” She unplugged her cell phone from the charger and shoved it into her purse.
“That may be true, but the life you have growing inside of you,” he said, “is ours.”
Indignant, she spun on him. Had their child become a bargaining chip already? “You did not just say that.”
Rather than answer… or apologize… he pushed out of bed and stalked naked to the bathroom. “I’m going to get a shower.” He shut the door behind him.
Well. She could walk out, too. Leave. For good, she told herself.
Or until Landon quit acting like a horse’s ass.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Landon drummed his fingers against a yellow pad on his desk as he stared down his office phone. Kimber had vanished by the time he’d climbed out of the shower. But he’d purposely stayed in the bathroom long enough to give her the opportunity to leave.
What he didn’t get was why his suggestions had upset her so much. What expecting woman wouldn’t want the father of her child thinking of her well-being first and foremost? What woman didn’t want to be taken care of?
She had a monkey on her back, two if he counted Mick, he thought with a juvenile curl of his lip. Landon’s offer to move her and her business to a nicer part of town, buy out her moronic ex, and further financially support her would reduce her worries by half. Probably more. Couldn’t she see that?
Frustrated, he had the irrational desire to talk to someone.
Not about Kimber and the stupid fight they’d had. Arguments happened. He understood that. He planned on tracking her down after work. After she calmed down… after he calmed down. But he wanted to talk to someone about the whole situation first. Just to run it by another set of ears and make sure he wasn’t overlooking some major component.
Outside his office windows, his employees gathered in front of the boardroom across the hall. He wasn’t close with anyone at work, but if he was, he couldn’t imagine pulling someone into his office and spilling his guts. Keeping them at arm’s length had been a strategy when he started his business. In case he had to let someone go, demote or choose someone for a promotion. He couldn’t afford to play favorites. It benefited his business to remain impartial. The unfortunate side effect of that rationale was that he’d created an island and marooned himself on it.