“Okay, for one, being suspended isn’t that big of a deal,” I say. Sure, it pissed me off that my team didn’t have my back, and I have a call with the general manager set for next week where I plan to tell him exactly how I feel about this. “I honestly didn’t even think of it.”

“If you want me to work for you, there has to be a contract of sorts,” she starts saying, and I look at her. “When we are at work, I’m your employee and not your girlfriend.”

I am about to say something, and Matthew is the one who puffs out. “You’re his woman,” he says. “He’s not hiding that fact.” Caroline looks at him, and he puts his hands up. “Just stating the facts.”

“I’m not hiding that we are together, and if I want to come and say hello and give you a kiss, I’m going to come and give you a kiss.”

“You come and say hello during lunch, and if I’m on break, you can kiss me,” she negotiates.

“Fine,” I say, accepting it. I’m not about to tell her that I’m going to do what I want. I’ll ease her into it.

“Next, I gave up my apartment today,” she says, and I look at my mother, who just smiles. “So I’m basically homeless.”

“You aren’t homeless; you live with me,” I say.

“I told her that,” my mother chimes in. “It was silly for her to pay rent if she is never going back there.”

“Wait, you went to her place?” Matthew asks, and my mother nods her head. “Viktor is fired.”

“Oh, you stop that,” my mother says.

“I’m telling Dad,” Matthew says, and my mother laughs. “Not kidding.”

“Can we for a second get back to me?” Caroline says. “I want to pay rent.”

“Fuck no,” Matthew and I both say at the same time.

“Then I’ll buy food,” she counters.

“Sweetheart,” I start to say, and she glares at me.

“Then you cancel the cleaning lady.” She raises her eyebrows.

“Only if you quit your job at the motel.” It’s now my time to counter.

“Wait, you work two jobs?” Matthew says to her and shakes his head. “He lets you work two jobs.”

“I do,” she says, and Matthew just looks at me like how could you?

“Fine, I’ll quit the job at the motel, and in return, I’ll clean the apartment,” she says, and I nod.

“Sure,” I say, knowing full well that’s never going to happen. “What else?”

“Well,” she says and looks at my mother. “I bought you a gift.”

“Wait, what?” I say, and she hands me a white square box.

“Oh my God,” Matthew says. “If she proposes to you, I’m going to die, and you’ll never live it down.”

“Caroline,” I say, using her name.