Like a Boss - Annabelle Costa Page 0,84
even a real number. At least, not one I ever thought I would see on a check in my lifetime.
“Fine,” Clark says.
“Fine?” I gasp. Luke shoots me a look, but I can barely keep my jaw from dislocating.
Clark holds up a finger. “But on one condition.”
Luke nods. “Let’s hear it.”
Clark’s finger points in my direction. “I want her.”
He seems to have broken Luke’s composure. “Excuse me?”
“I want you to sign on for one year, Eleanor,” Clark says. “I want your expertise on board. We want to expand the app, and I want your help.”
It’s flattering. I didn’t know I was worth so much.
Luke frowns. “Ellie? What do you think?”
“I…” I chew on my lip. “What would it involve? Would I have to go back to the states?”
“Sometimes,” Clark admits. “It’s going to be a lot of work this year, and some amount of traveling. But we’d love to have you on board. It’s worth a lot to us.”
I look over at Luke, whose eyebrows are scrunched together. “It’s up to you, Ellie. Whatever you want to do. This project is your baby, so…”
The app is my baby. It’s been a part of my life for a long time, and I feel possessive of it. But at the same time, I know the right decision. “I can’t sign on,” I say. “I’m sorry.”
Clark hesitates. “If you sign on, I’ll give you an extra ten percent on top of that number.”
An extra ten percent? On top of that already ludicrously high number? I look over at Luke, who shakes his head. “Do what you want to do,” he says. “Don’t feel pressured. If you want to think about it…”
I take a deep breath. “I don’t want to think about it. I… I don’t want to sign on. I’m sorry.”
“Twenty percent more,” Clark says. “And that’s the highest I’ll go. Not a penny more.”
Even Luke looks shocked now. But I shake my head again. “I’m sorry.”
We do eventually agree on a price. It’s more money than we could ever spend in a lifetime, but not as much as we would have gotten if I had signed on. Luke keeps shooting me quizzical looks, but I can’t explain anything. Not yet.
The second Clark is gone, Luke wheels around to stare at me. He’s pretty good at knowing what I’m thinking, but he doesn’t know now.
“I can’t believe you turned down all that money,” he says.
I arch an eyebrow. “Are you mad?”
“Are you kidding me?” He snorts. “It’s just money. We’ve got plenty of it. I just didn’t want that guy taking advantage of us. But I thought for sure you would cave… and I know you love the work, money aside. Hell, I figured you’d do it for free.”
“There’s always work,” I say. “But I can’t be traveling a lot for the next year.”
He frowns. “Is it because of me and Alexandria? Because I can manage—”
“No, not Alexandria,” I interrupt him. “Our other child.”
A deep crease appears between his eyebrows. “Our other…?” Then his eyes drop to my belly. “Jesus Christ. Are you serious?”
I nod slowly.
I haven’t seen him look this happy since the moment we came before the priest to pledge our love to each other till death do us part. His whole face lights up. “Come here.”
I sit down on his lap and we make excited plans together for our second child. There will be other projects I work on in the future, but right now, I need to focus on my family. My two children and my incredible husband.
A good man really is hard to find, but I think that against all odds, I’ve found him.
THE END
Dear readers,
Thank you so much for reading Like a Boss! If you enjoyed the book and the characters, it would help me tremendously to get a review on Amazon. If you are not an author, you may not realize it, but those things mean the world to me and convince other readers to take a chance on my book. Please.
Also, I have received a lot of emails from readers over the years, and I try to answer every one of them. One question I get asked a lot is why I write about characters with disabilities. I’d love to answer that question here.
My first love, way way (way) back when I was a high school student, was a boy who used a wheelchair to get around. He was the most amazing boyfriend. The fact that his life wasn’t perfect or easy made him a deeper