I dumped her, as he put it. I apologized saying that was never my intention to hurt her. He then said he had one more condition.”
I waited for him to tell me, but he stayed silent. Whatever it was, I knew it was bad, otherwise he would have said. I started to stand, but he held up a hand.
“Don’t, just stay there Aly,” he said curtly.
I sat back down, hurt. I started twirling my hair around my finger. His eyes darkened even more, but I didn’t care.
“What is the other condition?” I asked.
He ran his hands down his face, turning back to look out the window. “To get rid of you,” he said, barely above a whisper.
I sat there, stunned. Get rid of me? “Why in the world would he want you to do that?” I asked, shaking.
He didn’t turn around to face me. “Because Casey’s convinced I dumped her for you.”
I was speechless. This was out of control. Paul was going to lose a major benefactor for his company if he didn’t take Casey back or get rid of me. I couldn’t believe this was happening.
I stood. I had to get out of there. Everything was falling apart and it was my fault. I couldn’t let Paul lose one of his biggest benefactors because of me. While I knew Mr. Hammond was an ass, he still held the cards at the moment.
I headed toward the door. The room was stifling. I needed some air. “Where are you going?” he asked me.
I paused, keeping my back to him. “I have to go. I need some air. I’ll respect whatever decision you make, Paul,” I said as I dashed out the door.
He called after me, but I didn’t stop. I kept walking, almost running to gain the distance I needed between us. I found myself at the elevator, and I pushed the up button without realizing it.
I stepped inside and pushed the top floor button. I needed to get outside, and the rooftop was where I wanted to go. The elevator arrived and I walked out, pushing through the door.
Paul had the roof set up as a place to hang out for a relaxing time. Tables and chairs were set all around, along with a few BBQ grills. Plants were everywhere, giving it a homey feel. Umbrellas adorned the tables on summer days, as it was right now. There were a few chaise lounges and swings as well. I sat on one of the swings and pushed back and forth with my legs. The light breeze hit my face and managed to soothe me, just a little.
I couldn’t believe the new situation I was in. I’d finally realized who I was meant to be with and now this. I hadn’t thought about whether or not I would stay working for Paul once I told him but now it looked like the decision was being made for me. I resisted the urge to slam my fist against the armrest and instead just leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
I sat there for a while longer, swinging back and forth, the sounds of the city passing me by. I didn’t hear him come up behind me and jumped when I felt his hand on my shoulder. He gave it a squeeze then came to sit down beside me.
“I thought I’d find you here,” Ethan said, joining me in pushing the swing back and forth with our legs.
I continued looking forward. “Why were you even looking?” I asked.
He sighed. “I went to your office to ask Paul a question on the Glendale project and noticed you weren’t there. You still weren’t there when I walked out so I asked him where you were. He told me he didn’t know, but told me what happened with Mr. Hammond.”
The tears finally came, and I put my hands over my face. I felt him pull me close, wrapping his arms around me and letting me cry. He didn’t say anything as he held me, continuing to push the swing with his feet.
We stayed that way for what seemed like hours, neither of us uttering a word. I finally stopped crying. I was sniffling and doing my best to stop my nose from running. The thought of not working at Pierce Homes anymore was killing me, but I didn’t see any other way.
Ethan turned me to face him. “You okay?” He was looking at me with such love and tenderness.
“No, but I know what I have to