Page 35 of Middle Ground

I shake my head. “This is my mess. I was cleaning it up.”

“That’s the thing, Ellison. None of this is yours—it’sours. We have to both make these types of decisions.”

My eyes narrow on him as I glare. “So you’re mad that I fired him on my own?”

Jackson pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m not mad that you fired him on your own. I’mfrustratedthat you insist on feeling like you had to. We could have done it together.”

“Together isn’t part of my vocabulary.”

“Well, maybe it’s time you add it.”

The room grows quiet again, only this time, I can feel the pulsing tension from our disagreement hanging in the air. I should be the bigger person here—break the silence and move on. But I can’t bring myself to do it.

And then Jackson beats me to it.

“Go out to dinner with me.”

I almost choke on my own saliva. Becausewhat? Oneminute, we’re arguing, and the next, he’s asking me out? Did I somehow wind up in the twilight zone? After the morning I’ve had, I wouldn’t be at all surprised.

Turning a critical eye toward him, I make a show of inspecting his face. “Did you hit your head on your way down here?”

“No,” he says. “Why?"

I lean back in my chair, still unsure. “Because last I checked, we don’t like each other. The only explanation for you asking me on a date is a head injury.”

Jackson laughs. The sound makes something in the pit of my stomach curl. In a pleasant way. Weird.

“It’s not adate, Meyer. I just think we could both benefit from getting to know one another better.”

“Like adate.” I cross my arms. “I’m not going.”

He crosses his own arms, not afraid to square off with me. He even stands with his feet shoulder-width apart. “Like two strangers who have been thrust into business partnership.Nota date.”

I narrow my eyes. “Fine. We can have dinner in the restaurant.”

If I asked, the cook would make our food a priority, and then we’d be able to get out of there faster. I wouldn’t normally take special treatment like that, but anything to keep from spending too long in Jackson’s company.

He shakes his head. “I think we need to be on neutral territory for this to work.”

I’m not sure why he’s so insistent on this. Things have been going fine thus far. But I can tell by the determined gleam in his eye that he isn’t going to back down, and aftereverything that just happened with Reggie, I’m too tired to fight him. So I sigh.

“Alright, neutral territory,” I agree. “What did you have in mind?”

Jackson blinks, almost like he’s surprised I gave in so easily, and then his expression turns to one of satisfaction. “I heard about this new Italian restaurant in Calderville. Tomorrow night?”

I want to lie and tell him that I’m busy tomorrow, just to be a little difficult. But I know he’ll call me on my bluff. He has an uncanny ability to see right through me. Besides, if I show him how unpleasant it will be having a meal together, he won’t be so eager to try it again.

I smile. “Sounds perfect.”

He arches a brow. “It does?”

“Yes, Jackson. It does.”

This time, his skeptical look is directed at me. But I pretend not to see it, turning back to the computer. And I try not to think about Reggie and what he said or about Jackson and this not-a-date of ours.

I’m not entirely successful.

CHAPTER 14