Page 19 of Almost Rotten

“If you get fired, I’m out of a job. My work visa could be revoked.”

Fuck.

I hadn’t thought of that.

“You have your position at the ice arena,” I remind her.

“This graduate assistantship is the position I put on my application. I’ll have to notify them if that changes, and there’s no guarantee they’ll let me stay.”

It’s a legitimate concern.

I tip my head back, staring at the popcorn ceiling. I was so concerned about quelling Sawyer’s anguish that the gravity of the situation hasn’t really begun to sink in until now.

“This isn’t right,” I choke out. “I refuse to cower to this boy. I’ll go to the dean myself.”

“Mercer,” she says, her voice small and defeated. “It’s already done. There’s no need for you to put your job at risk. Even ifthey only asked you to take administrative leave, it could put the orchard project in jeopardy.”

Noah’s face flashes through my mind.

Fuck.

I hadn’t even considered Noah.

The last thing he needs is to lose this woman. He’s lost enough, and I refuse to add to his burden.

With a frustrated sigh, I rise and pace across the office to the bookshelves and back.

There’s got to be a solution here.

What haven’t we considered?

“I have to go soon.” Sawyer gingerly rises from the floor, dusting herself off.

My heart stutters. Is she serious? Like hell am I letting her out of this office without a plan.

“Sweetheart, this isn’t okay.”

“I know,” she admits, her shoulders slumped. “But it is what it is.”

“I refuse to accept that. Tell me what to do,” I demand as I stride to her.

“I—” She heaves out a huge sigh. “Just give me a little space. The whole marriage charade won’t last. It can’t. Ty lives with my brother, and he can’t play this game in front of him. Once he cools off, I’ll talk him down and we’ll go from there.”

I shake my head. “That’s not direct enough.”

“Mercer,” she pleads. “I’ve known Ty since we were kids. He’s intense, but I can talk sense into him. First I have to let him feel all the emotions that came up when he saw us together. Then I’ll be able to reason with him and convince him to drop the blackmail bit. He’ll get over this. Just give me time. It’ll pass.”

Time.

Distance.

No.

“I won’t stay away from you.”

Sawyer’s bottom lip quivers as she toys with the hem of her cardigan. “It’s not like we won’t see each other. We have our meeting on Wednesday,” she reminds me with a pathetic impression of a smile. “Plus there’s a site visit on Thursday afternoon.”

“That’s not enough.”