A shock ran through me at seeing Bruce’s name on my phone, having a hard time replacing the misery of love gone wrong. I knew he had my number, but he’d never called it before. He always emailed me with questions. For him to call me at all, let alone on a Saturday, was definitely odd. Or an emergency.
I swiped the phone before holding it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Livy, hi. It’s Bruce.”
“Oh hey—”
“Listen, I hear you’re changing jobs. What’s up?”
A laugh died in the back of my throat. The man was nothing if not bold and a little pushy. Pain rushed in to cover the delight, as I remembered how alike he and Hunter were when it came to focus and work ethic. They’d probably be an excellent team. Better than Hunter and I were.
Hand shaking, I swallowed down a sob. After a deep breath, I said, “I’m going to do something a little more up my alley, I think.”
“He said you’d be in the IT department. That right?”
“Yeah. Yes. Yup.” What was this, a lesson on how many ways to give an affirmation?
“That’s not totally in your wheelhouse. Sure you’d be any happier there than as an admin?”
“I—”
“Because listen, I’ve been thinking. We’re on to something. I really think we’ve created some magic. If we pull this app off how I think we will, it’s going to lead to dollars. If we put that money back into our product, like Hunter suggested, and use that momentum, I’d bet we have the makings of a great business here, Livy.”
I resumed my stare at the wall. I didn’t want to think of business, because that made me think about Hunter. And that lead to thoughts on who he got to replace me. He might’ve had someone right at that moment, bent over his desk, giving herself to his pleasure. She’d have a contract, and new clothes, and Hunter’s time.
I heaved a sigh as tears filled my eyes. “I thought you wanted to get out of business.”
“I’ll need something to do. My wife can’t possibly want me hanging around the whole time. If we just keep it small, I think it would be a fine day job.”
“That’s probably what you said about the last startup. And look how that turned out…”
I heard a bark of laughter. “Yes, but I know what I’m doing this time. Mostly. Still, I’ll have you. You’re a rock of sense.”
I huffed.
“I really think we can do this, Olivia.”
I wiped a tear off my cheek. “I’m just the helper. I don’t know much about business.”
The line was silent for a moment. When Bruce spoke again, his tone was softened. “Look, Livy…I don’t know what went wrong, but I do know that removing yourself totally from the situation might be best. I’ll beat whatever Hunter is paying you. I have faith that we’ll make money once this gets going. You’d be great on my team. We work well together, our ideas are tight, and our programming is top-notch. Together we can make magic. I really believe that.”
I shook my head miserably, but I couldn’t help believing in his conviction. Not only that, but his words rang true. We were a great team. We did create some great stuff when we put our heads together. And I’d finally be able to do what I loved. Just not with the man I was growing to love.
“I don’t know, Bruce. I need some time to think about it.” I leaned back against my headboard. “For now, I’ll still work on the notes and help out. I just don’t know that I’m ready to be a partner.”
“I’m having a contract drawn up—you already are a partner, Livy. You need to get paid for what you’re helping with. I’ll have my secretary send it over. This would just be formalized.”
I groaned. “Not more contracts!”
“Listen, I have to go. I’m supposed to be in a meeting. But think about it, okay? You love this work—don’t try to tell me you don’t. And with the buyout, your salary will be secure. There’s no reason to say no.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Think hard. Okay, see ya.”
The line went dead. I pulled the phone away from my head, making sure the call had ended, before dropping my hand to the bed.
There was a reason to say no. I’d be officially separating myself from Hunter. Right now I was moving away, yes, but I would still be in the same company. I’d still get emails from the CEO’s office. I could still easily chat with Brenda in a work capacity. And yes, I would still have the opportunity to see Hunter, however remote. In his company, I was still within his circle of influence, no matter how removed. If I left, I’d be tearing myself away for real. For good. That would be the end.