A week later …
"How many times are you going to hammer that nail? I'm pretty sure it's all the way into the drywall by now. Can you even see it? How are we going to hang anything from it if it's inside the wall?"
Lily spun around to face Stephan, who met her narrowed gaze with a smirk.
He pointed at the spot on the wall where she had indeed driven the nail in too far. "You sure showed that nail."
When she fumed, scowling, he stepped back.
He held up his hands. "Why don't you just call him?"
She stomped off, handing him the hammer. "If you're so smart, you hang the picture." It was before hours. They had come in early to move inventory around. So far, it hadn't gone well.
Lily headed for the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water.
Stephan sauntered into the room and grabbed a second one for himself. "Sit." He pointed at one of the couches.
She stomped over and plopped down, but only because that had been her intention in the first place. "Do not start lecturing me. I can't take it. I'm pissed that I didn't see the writing on the wall is all. I'll get over it. Give me a few more days."
"So you're mad at yourself?" He took a seat on the same couch, other end.
She shrugged. "For falling for a boy-man and then letting him get under my skin? Yes."
"Not for your part in whatever argument the two of you had last week?"
"Nope. He was being a jerk. I'm just glad I found out sooner rather than later. I could have wasted months dating him only to figure out he was so insensitive and childish in the end anyway."
"I see." Stephan took a drink of his water. "It might help if you told me what happened. Perhaps I could give it a fresh perspective. Ava says you didn't say a word to her. And I'm betting you haven't spoken to Zia either since you won't take her calls."
"There's no reason to discuss anything. I don't need anyone's perspective. I'm a grown woman. I have rational perspective all by myself." She took another long drink. She felt like shit. She hadn't slept well in a week, and her temper had been so close to the surface that she frequently took it out on Stephan.
"Cordes isn't exactly a child, you know. He's the same age as me. You've never treated me like a child."
"You don't act like one. You didn't suggest I quit my job to travel around with you so you could play ball with your friends." She sat forward, words flowing out of her mouth so fast she couldn't stop them. "You didn't belittle my career and insinuate it was a stupid little hobby I had and I should give it up because your stupid little hobby is so much more lucrative and important."
Stephan flinched. "He said that?"
"Yes." She leaned back and took another drink. "More or less."
"More more? Or more less?"
"What the hell does that even mean?" She shot him a glance. Everyone around her was losing their minds.
"Did he ask you to sell the gallery?"
"No. But that's what he wanted." She humphed and then glared at Stephan. "Don't try to turn this around and make me the bad guy here. I didn't start this. Dominic did."
"I'm just trying to help."
"I know. Per-spec-tive." She drew that last word out, imitating him.
"Lily, I've known you for several years. You're one of my best friends, in addition to being my boss. Let me help. I know you're hurting. And I also know you wouldn't be if Cordes didn't mean something to you.
"You've been hurting since the moment you met him. Every time something came between you two, you retreated. It's time to stop pretending you don't care and figure out what to do next. If you want me to shut up and let you wallow in your own self-pity, fine. I'll go. But for once, why don't you let someone give you some fucking per-spec-tive instead." His tone was harsher than she'd ever heard. In fact, he'd never spoken to her like that.
She turned her head and found him frowning. "Fine." She slumped lower in the cushion. "He asked me to let you run the gallery for a few months so we could spend more time together. It was insulting. And I told him no."
"Why was that so insulting? The man's in love with you, Lily. He wants to spend time with you. That's a no-brainer. It's a reasonable request."
"He wants to fuck me regularly, Stephan."
He laughed. "And you don't like having sex with him?"
"I didn't say that. Don't be an ass."
Stephan lifted his free hand, palm out in defense. "When I'm in a new relationship, I like to be with my guy day and night. It's normal. If he lived somewhere else and he was important enough to me, I would ask him to move here and give us a chance. It's a normal human reaction."