He shook his head as he stood up. “My driver can drop you off on the way back to my place. I need to talk to you about my dad and Jett’s proposal anyway.”
I agreed to drive with him but didn’t agree to Senior Stonewood’s proposal.
“What do you mean you can’t?” Jay pushed on my way to class.
“I have to find a way to pay back your parents for the trust—the charity they gave me. I can’t take a handout of a job from your dad too.”
Jay breathed deep, pulling in air like he was trying to suppress the anger that wanted to blow out of him instead. “You. Are. Not. Charity. Brey.”
“Easy for you to say. They’re your parents. That money actually could have potentially been yours.” I winced. “Oh, God. I probably ate away at your trust fund, Jay.”
He yelled to the driver to keep going around the block when he stopped in front of the building for my class. Then his eyes snapped to me. “Get fucked, Brey. My parents have a shit ton of money. That money would have just gone into the fucking business and made us more money.”
“All the more reason I need to pay it back.”
He shook his head, frustrated. “Alice, call Dad.”
My eyes widened. “No, Alice! Don’t call him.”
“Jay,” Alice said through the speakers. “I am calling your dad.”
Jay chuckled and patted my thigh. “Alice only listens to who she’s programmed for.”
When Senior Stonewood’s voice boomed out over the speakers, I eyed the door handle. I could have jumped out and made a run for it but Jay locked the doors when he saw me contemplating it.
“Dad, Brey thinks your job offer is charity.”
My eyes bugged out at him as I shoved him hard in the shoulder.
“She should know I wouldn’t risk someone being a part of my business for charity.”
He didn’t know I was in the car. I mouthed to Jay that I wasn’t there. I motioned that I would slit his throat if he mentioned it.
“Brey’s here. Can you talk some sense into her?"
“Oh, good,” Senior Stonewood said, his tone flat like he didn’t care one way or the other. “Brey, you’ll take the job. We can have you start in a few weeks. When do you graduate?”
I cleared my throat. “I’m done with class after this week but it doesn’t matter, Mr. Stonewood. I owe you and Mrs. Stonewood enough as it is. I appreciate the offer—”
“You owe us for what?” he questioned.
“The funds you said were from my mother and for all Mrs. Stonewood did for me when—”
“You owe me and my wife for taking care of our family?” Mr. Stonewood’s voice was frigid. So cold, I shivered back into my seat.
“That’s kind of you to refer to me as family,” I started, eyeing Jay for help.
He lifted his eyebrows and shrugged like I deserved whatever I had coming to me.
“I don’t care about being kind, Brey. I don’t waste my time on niceties to make someone feel good. You’re family. You think you owe me for giving a person in my family a trust? Fine. I need time off and Jett will need an intern to help. You can pay me back by being that intern for Jett.”
“I don’t think me working for Stonewood Enterprises is a good idea. Jax works—”
“He works in a different department. And you can work remote when need be.”
I shoved Jay again who had started to laugh quietly from his side of the SUV.
“I just don’t think … It’s probably a better idea …”