“Crystal Harris, please.” I transferred the call then looked back to Megan.
“Don’t shoot the messenger. I told Mitch it would be better coming from me. Was I wrong?”
I shook my head. “No…it’s just…Devin has to stay at the house?”
“Mitch wants to know you will be safe.”
“We don’t need a baby-sitter, and especially not Devin. Doesn’t Mitch know that this will just cause more problems with Emily?”
“Well, that’s the thing. We scheduled the trip for next week. We’re leaving Saturday.”
It didn’t take me long to figure out why I should have been mad. “That’s Emily’s spring break!” Megan nodded her head, confirming my fears. “And she’s going to a cheerleading camp with her team.” Megan nodded again. “But that would mean it would be just me and Devin.”
She had a pained look on her face, probably because she thought I was going to do something drastic. “Yes.” Only it sounded more like a question.
I took a deep breath before I responded. “Okay. I’ll just tell Mitchell that I don’t need Devin there. I am perfectly capable of handling things on my own.”
The phone rang again before Megan had the chance to respond. Only it wasn’t a client. “Mitchell.” I strained to be civil.
“So I guess Meg told you the news.” He sounded worried.
“Yes, she did.”
“I take it you’re not very happy about the whole situation.”
“You know perfectly well I don’t like it.”
“I just think it would be best if you weren’t alone for the whole week.”
“That doesn’t mean he has to stay at the house. I mean, he could just stop by, if you really wanted someone to check up on me,” I complained.
“That’s what I considered, but Devin convinced me otherwise. It is—”
“You mean to tell me that Devin convinced you to have him stay at the house!” I was really upset by this point.
“Well, he didn’t really ask me, if that’s what you’re hinting at. He was just surprised I would feel safe leaving you alone for a week.”
“I am perfectly capable of being on my own.” This was ridiculous. I was nearly twenty-three years old.
“I’m sure you are, but I think Devin’s right. It could be dangerous if I leave you alone. Who knows, I could come back from this trip only to find the house has burned down or you’ve been kidnapped! You don’t know what might happen,” he said dramatically, but we both knew what he wasn’t saying. They were worried that I’d do something to hurt myself. I flushed with anger and embarrassment.
The second phone line began to flash, saving me from having to answer. “We’ll talk about this later. I have another call.” I switched over to the other line. “Good afternoon, McCormick, Byron and Rauth.”
“Connect me with Pat.”
“One moment.” After transferring the call, I turned to Megan. “Was this really Mitch’s idea?”
“Yes. I mean Devin just scared him, and you know how protective Mitch can be. You also know he won't have fun on this trip if he’s worried about you. I know it's not ideal for you, but please, please, please do this for me,” she begged.
I sighed. “Oh, all right.” I could never say no to Megan. She was such a sweetheart. I also really was hoping Mitch would use this trip to propose to her. I mean, get on with it already! I have a bet to win! “I’m only doing this for you, though.”
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You won’t regret this!” She stood up to leave just as my private line rang.
Yes, I have a private line, but it’s not like I get a lot of calls.
“Hello, this is Christy,” I answered brightly. I always try and sound pleasant on the phone. You never know who might be calling. Only, I don’t always keep my friendly façade after answering. Such was the case with this call.
“CJ!”
I wanted to slam the phone down but I took the civil approach. “What do you want, Devin?” I said bitingly.
“You’re talking to me.” He sounded happy. “That’s a good sign.”
“You called me, remember?”
“Well, at least you didn’t hang up when you realized it was me.”
“Would you like me to?” I have to admit though, I wasn’t as angry with him as I would have liked. I can never stay mad at Devin for too long, especially after what he did for me, no matter how annoying he could be. It’s probably just the fact that he saved my life. Yeah, that’s it. It doesn’t mean I can’t still loathe his very existence, because I can.