“There you go with the Maddox again.”

“You’re not over her,” I said, hating the sadness in my voice. “And I have goals.”

“You’ve mentioned that.”

“Then, we agree that it’s pointless.”

“Fine.”

“Fine?” I asked, embarrassed about the tinge of panic in my voice.

“I’m not going to push it. If I get over Camille and you get over your…thing…we’ll reconvene.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “You weren’t just saying that to Constance. We were really having a meeting.”

“So?”

“This isn’t something you can outline, Thomas. You can’t tell me how it’s going to go down, and we’re not going to reconvene about progress. That’s not how it works.”

“It’s how we work.”

“That’s ridiculous. You’re ridiculous.”

“Maybe, but we’re the same, Liis. That’s why it didn’t work out with other people. I’m not going to let you run away, and you’re not going to put up with my shit. We can think about whether or not it’s efficient to be together until we retire, or we can just accept it now. The fact is, we plan things, we organize, we control.”

I swallowed.

Thomas pointed to the wall. “Before you, I was a lonely workaholic, and even though you had someone, so were you. But you and I can make this work. It makes complete sense for us to be together. When you tell Mr. Ninja out there to kick rocks, let me know, and I’ll take you to dinner. Then, I’m going to kiss you again and not because I’m distraught.”

I swallowed. I tried to keep my voice from wavering as I said, “Good. It’s a little disconcerting to be kissed when you’re distraught over another woman.”

“It won’t happen again.”

“Make sure that it doesn’t.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He opened the door, walked through, and closed it.

I fell into my chair, taking deep breaths to calm myself. What the hell just happened?

Chapter Twelve

“HI,” JACKSON SAID FROM THE LOVE SEAT in the small waiting area down the hall. He stood, towering over me. “You look beautiful. California looks good on you.”

I tilted my head to the side, offering an appreciative grin. “It’s only been a few weeks.”

He looked down. “I know.”

“How are your parents?”

“Dad just got over a cold. Mom swore that if I brought you flowers, you’d change your mind.”

I pulled my mouth to the side. “Let’s take a walk.”

Jackson followed me to the elevator. I pushed the button for the first floor, and we rode in silence.