His thoughts were still on blue sky and the sound of the wind through the pine trees on his four hundred acres when he ducked inside the Head Starts office to hear a familiar voice coming from behind the cracked office door to his left.
“Respectfully, Chad, I have to disagree. This program isn’t new age fluff. I’ve seen autistic kids transformed by equine therapy.”
The tone was firmer than anything Pike had ever heard out of Tulsi’s mouth, but there was no doubt the voice belonged to his ex. For a second he considered easing back through the door and waiting for Chad outside, but the secretary at the front desk had spotted him and was motioning for him to take a seat in an overstuffed armchair in the waiting room near the fish tank.
Pike slid into the chair and reached for a magazine to distract himself, but it was virtually impossible not to eavesdrop.
“This is real medicine,” Tulsi continued. “And a powerful healing tool for children who haven’t responded to traditional methods.”
“Listen, Tulsi,” Chad said in a condescending tone very different from the friendly one he’d used with Pike. “I understand this is your livelihood and you’ll be out of a job if you can’t find someone to pay you to work with these kids for free, but—”
“This isn’t about me,” Tulsi said, voice trembling as she cut him off. “This is about giving hope to children who have spent their lives suffering. This is about giving victims of abuse and kids who feel powerless in their own lives a way to experience control, responsibility, and the capacity to nurture another creature when—”
“Wow,” Chad laughed. “You’re really worked up about this.”
“Of course I am,” Tulsi said incredulously. “I love these kids. So much. If you could just take a look at the footage I sent, you’ll see—”
“You’re prettier when you’re angry,” Chad interrupted. “Brings out your eyes.”
“Well…th-thank you, but I’m n-not angry,” Tulsi said, stuttering the way she did when she was anxious, making Pike want to shoulder his way into the office and tell Chad to back off. There was a time and a place to give a woman a compliment and in the middle of a business meeting wasn’t it.
Besides, Pike didn’t care for the edge in Chad’s voice, that hard note that made the compliment come off as an act of aggression.
“I’m just c-concerned about what will happen to my kids if their therapy is cut off,” Tulsi continued. “I want to do whatever I can to make sure their services continue. I’m already applying for other grants, but it takes time for awards to be decided. If you could just give me a few extra months, I’m sure—”
“I’m sorry, the money’s already been promised to another program,” Chad said, not sounding sorry at all. “But we could talk about a loan. Are you free for dinner tonight?”
“Um…no, I mean y-yes,” Tulsi stammered. “But I don’t see why we can’t discuss this now. That’s why I’m here, right?”
“You’re here because you didn’t like the answer I gave you on the phone and thought you could sweet talk me into changing my mind,” Chad said, clearly enjoying lording his power over a woman who needed his help. “But if you want to hear a no turn into a yes, I’ll need more convincing than we can get into at the office. I think that kind of…meeting of the minds works better after hours. I could pick you up at six. We could get dinner, then go back to my place.”
Tulsi was quiet for a long moment, a moment in which Pike had to fight the urge to storm into the office and punch Chad in the face. He wasn’t about to go out for a beer with a man who was insinuating he needed sex in order to consider a request for charitable funding, but he couldn’t leave, either. He had to stay until he knew Tulsi was okay and didn’t agree to do something she would regret because her back was against the wall.
“If you’re asking me out, the answer is no,” Tulsi said, her voice trembling. “I thought this was a professional meeting.”
Chad chuckled again, but it was a nasty sound, not an amused one. Pike glanced up at the secretary, wondering what she thought of all this, but her gaze was fixed on her computer screen and her jaw set. She obviously wasn’t surprised, but she didn’t intend to intervene, either. She probably needed her job more than she needed to stick up for a woman being sexually harassed, but Pike had no such conflict of interests.
He surged to his feet and started toward the office.
“All right, I understand,” Chad said.
Pike paused with his hand on the door, giving the other man one last chance to dig himself out of this hole before it was too late.
“It’s clear you think very highly of yourself, Tulsi,” Chad continued. “Hopefully that will help you in your search for funding because you won’t be getting another dime from the Head Starts organization. I’m withdrawing all support, starting today.”
“That’s not fair.” Tulsi’s breath rushed out with a stricken sound. “You said two more months! Please, I’m begging you to reconsider. This isn’t about you and me, this is about innocent kids who—”
“There is no me and you, right?” Chad’s footsteps moved closer to the open door. “But if you change your mind before tonight and decide you want that loan, give me a call. Dinner’s off the table, but we can get a drink at my place and you can show me if you can do something more entertaining with that mouth than beg for my money.”
Later, Pike wouldn’t remember making a decision to move. He was simply standing outside the office one minute and the next he had Chad bent over a massive desk with his fist inches from the other man’s face. The only thing that stopped him from laying into the prick was the feel of Tulsi’s fingers wrapping around his elbow.
“Don’t. He’s not worth it,” she begged, tugging on his arm. “Come on, Pike. Please. Don’t make this worse than it already is.”
“Stay away from her,” Pike growled into Chad’s ashen face. “If you so much as look at her sideways, I’ll personally pull your head through your ass. Do you understand me?”
Chad’s breath rushed out. “Listen, man, I didn’t know you were here, I—”
“You’re a piece of shit, Cutter.” Pike released his grip on the other man’s suit coat with a rough shove. “You’re not worthy to lick her feet.”