“I don’t think I can tell you what to do on this one.” She leans forward and rests her sweater-covered elbows on the granite. “I’m pretty sure this is a textbook definition of a lose-lose situation. The only question is which one are you okay losing? Q or your job?”

Is she crazy?

“Are you crazy? You think I should choose a guy I’ve literally only kissed over a job that I’ve worked my ass off for?”

I can’t even wrap my mind around it. My dad would be so disappointed in me if I did that. He raised me to be strong and independent, not to give up everything for a guy who there’s probably not even a future with.

“No, what I said was you need to choose what’s important to you, because I don’t see any way you can come out of this with your relationship and your job. What I didn’t say is that you should choose Q over your job.” Vonnie purses her lips the way she does before she yells at her kids, and I know I’m in for it. “Listen, we only met a couple of months ago, I’m not going to pretend like I know everything about you. But, from what I do know, this isn’t about a job. If it was, I have a feeling you would’ve already started looking for a new one. First Mahler threatens your job and now he has very knowingly put you in a terrible position with Q.”

“You were the first person I told about me and Quinton, Mahler has no idea what’s going on.” And I’d like to keep it that way, thank you very much. Just the thought of having to go to human resources and tell them makes me cringe.

“It doesn’t matter that you two are doing whatever you’re doing behind closed doors. Mahler gave you the job to get close to Q, which you have done. And even if he doesn’t know the full extent of your relationship, just seeing the way Q has started to approach his protest in relation to his foundation is all the proof Mahler needs to know you’ve succeeded in gaining his trust. Mahler is doing this to fuck with him.”

“Hey! I—” I try to defend myself, but Vonnie cuts me off before I can begin to state my case.