Page 103 of Fierce-Matt

“My mother doesn’t get days like this often. I don’t want to take it from her.”

“Anya,” Amber said, coming in. “Stop. I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your boyfriend. I appreciate you are looking out for me, but this is my decision with your father. You have to let go of it at times. You don’t like to see what is going on, but putting your head in the sand won’t change it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check on dinner.”

Anya’s face was red, and she marched back into the living room leaving him there while Amber opened the oven. “Stay, Matt.”

Jesus, this wasn’t turning out at all like he’d thought.

“Anything I can help you with?”

“Yes,” Amber said, shutting the oven. “Not letting Anya boss you around.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “She’s not.”

“She will if you let her. I know you two have had a rocky start.”

He snorted. “If you count when we were kids.”

“That’s right,” Amber said. “She’s upset because she still has triggers when my husband yells. From when he fought with EJ. She’ll do anything to avoid that and has to stop worrying.”

“I’ll talk to her about it if it comes up,” he said.

“It won’t. She won’t want to talk about it. But she’s mad you didn’t come to us with the first offer. I know my daughter. I saw it on her face.”

“So did I,” he said.

“You work for me. I’m not mad. Just remember that. You’ll have to solve that conflict if it’s an issue, but you did right by us.”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

He hadn’t realized he would need to hear that.

The clienthadto come first.

His parents warned him not to let this get messy.

He thought he had it under control, but he was slowly learning otherwise.

Two hours later, Anya was walking into his condo with him. The original plan was she’d spend the night and they’d go about their day tomorrow morning.

He wasn’t so sure that was going to happen after the tense dinner.

“Get it off your chest, Anya,” he said. “I will not walk on eggshells in my home.”

She snarled. “I wasn’t going to come. You put me on the spot in front of my parents.”

“You didn’t have to drive here,” he said, crossing his arms. “You could have gone straight to your place.”

“Maybe I should,” she said, mirroring his stance.

He moved in front of the door. “No. I’m sorry. You’re mad at me. I saw it on your face and didn’t need your mother to tell me why. But I work for her, not you. You knew asking me over tonight that it could come up.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I did.”

“Then what are you really upset about? That I didn’t present the first offer? This isn’t real estate. And between us, your mother and I have had multiple conversations on her expectations and what I’m allowed to handle without going to her with it first.”

“I didn’t know that,” she said.

“It’s not for you to know from me. That has to come from Amber and you’ll have to take it up with her.”