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“Em, just talk to him. It’s not worth starting a war over.”
“Fine,” I say, but I don’t mean it. I’m too angry to be rational right now, and all I want to do is confront Andrew. I end the call with Lisa, my head pounding as I drive home.
When I finally walk through the door of the house, Andrew is there, sitting on the couch with a casual smile on his face. The sight of him only makes me angrier.
“Hey, you’re back early,” he says, looking up at me. “How was lunch with my mom?”
I ignore his question. “You went behind my back,” I say, my voice shaking with barely contained fury.
Andrew’s smile fades, replaced by a look of confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“The apartment,” I snap. “You had it renovated without even telling me. Do you have any idea how disrespectful that is?”
He gets up, his brow furrowing. “Emily, I was just trying to help—”
“I didn’t ask for your help,” I interrupt, my voice rising. “That’s my property, my investment, and you had no right to make decisions without me.”
“Hey, calm down. I actually thought you would be happy that someone had taken it off your plate,” he says, his tone defensive. “I know you’ve been stressed about selling it, and I wanted to make it easier for you.”
“I didn’t ask you to,” I say between gritted teeth. “You can’t just take over someone’s life under the pretext of helping. Just because we’re married doesn’t mean you get to control me.”
His eyes widen. “Control? Is that how you see it?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer and instead, turns and stalks out.
Bear and Bruno stare at me for a while and then follow Andrew up the stairs.
Chapter 27: Andrew
“It’s a good location,” I say, glancing around the space. It’s spacious, with high ceilings and lots of natural light streaming through the large windows. I can see why Jack is interested.
“And the rent is good,” Jack says.
I look over at him, and the idea that’s been sitting in the back of my mind all week pushes forward. “I’ve been giving it some thought, and if you need an influx of capital, I’d be happy to come in as an investor.”
Jack blinks, clearly caught off guard. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I say, shrugging. “You’ve got a solid plan here, and I believe in you. Besides, it’s a smart investment.”
Jack’s face softens, and for a moment, he looks like he’s struggling to find the right words. “Thanks, man. That means a lot. I’ll take you up on that offer. Actually, Sarah told me I should ask you, but I didn’t want to overstep or put you in a spot.”
“We’re friends,” I say, clapping him on the back. “You could have asked.”
“Thanks, Andrew,” Jack says, and I can see he’s genuinely moved.
I take a breath, deciding this is as good a time as any. “Listen, I need to run something by you.”
“Sure, what’s up?” Jack says, giving me his full attention.
“It’s about Emily,” I begin, and just saying her name out loud makes my chest tighten. “I did something that I thought was the right thing, but it backfired.”
Jack’s eyebrows raise slightly, but he waits for me to continue.
“I had her apartment renovated,” I say. “She’s trying to sell it and it wasn’t moving, so I figured sprucing it up would help. I worked with her realtor and made sure everything was handled. I thought she’d be happy, but she was pissed.”
I’ve never seen Emily so angry. But then I was angry too. I’d been expecting hugs and gratitude, instead, I got an angry tiger.
Jack winces, like he’s feeling the sting for me. “Yeah, I can see how that might not go over well.”
“I don’t get it,” I say, frustration creeping into my voice. “I was trying to make things easier for her, and instead, she accused me of going behind her back. Apparently, I disrespected her by not consulting her.”