Page 17

“So it has nothing to do with your teeth?”

Her groan was so long and loud that he was sure she was ill until she facepalmed and shook her head. “If one more person asks me about my teeth, I’m going to implode.”

“In my defense, the full name is confusing.”

“Fair,” she said, smiling this time. “To answer your question, my mutation is not terminal, even though my father died of the disease.”

“It’s genetic then?”

“It is, but there are more than 160 subtypes of the disease. I have CMT1, the most common, while my father had a much rarer mutation. His chest muscles were eventually affected, making breathing and swallowing difficult. Mine mainly affects my legs.”

“Mainly?” Kian asked, relieved she wasn’t facing a terminal illness. Not that living with a chronic condition was easy, but for some reason, the thought of losing Joy Brady too soon made him too sad to think about it.

“There’s always a chance that, as I get older, it could affect my hands. Sometimes, the gene change damages the nerves. Other times, it damages the coating around the nerve, called the myelin sheath. Both weaken the messages that travel between our extremities and our brain.”

“And there’s no cure for it?”

“No, because it’s a hereditary disease. But there’s been a lot of research over the years. Right now, there are treatments that improve our lives and make it easier to live with the disease, though researchers are developing targeted gene therapy.”

“If your dad had it and knew it was hereditary, why did he have children?”

“There you go judging again,” Joy said.

“If I were judging, I would have worded that very differently,” he said, leaning over the table as anger flared. “You always assume I’m judging you rather than having a conversation. Why is that?”

“Ha!” she exclaimed. “You have to ask? How about this: You’d be pretty if you tried, but you don’t, so you’re not. Or wait, how about this: You look like you gave up the moment you left the womb.”

Oaf. Of course, she’d remember the taunts he used to hurl at her as casually as others say hello. He was a jerk, even in first grade.

“You’re right, and I’m sorry. That probably sounds hollow to you, but it’s true all the same. The things I said to you wronged you in so many ways, and by all rights, you shouldn’t even give me the time of day.”

Leaning back in her chair, she crossed her arms over her chest. He’d pushed his luck too far, and now he’d have to back off. Give her time to cool off and to remember he’s not that guy anymore. He had a few ways to do that, but there was no question it would take time.

“Trust me when I say I’m only giving you the time of day because you own Van Adler Holdings and control my job. Out of respect for Lorelei, whom I loved as my own mother for twelve years, I will work with you, but I have no allegiance to you. Burgers or no burgers.”

With that, he nodded, stood, and left the room. Joy had drawn her line in the sand; now it was his job to find a way to erase it by showing her he’d changed. While Kian didn’t want her allegiance, he did, strangely enough, want her forgiveness. Whether he’d ever get it or even deserved it was yet to be determined.

13

#Whereversheissheispissed

Joy climbed the stairs slowly, making sure her feet were secure on each step before moving to the next. It was slow going, which always made her glad there were only twelve stairs to her door.

It had been an extremely long day, and all she wanted to do was take a shower and crawl under the covers until morning. Did she care that the last thing she’d eaten was a burger basket from Heartland Grill Co., delivered by her nemesis? No. Maybe she’d grab a container of yogurt before bed, but there was no way she was cooking.

She unlocked the door, tossed her keys on the counter, and ditched her crutches by the front door. She’d set up her apartment by strategically placing furniture around the room that she could hold onto when she needed extra support to keep from falling. Thankfully, she was comfortable in her space, and as long as she wore her AFOs, she could get around the small apartment without crutches. That helped with cooking and carrying things. Besides, she had multiple pairs of crutches around the house in case she needed them.

Not even stopping to turn on the lights, she walked straight to the bathroom, flicked on the shower, and let the water warm as she shed her clothes. Her earlier discussion with Kian still bothered her deeply, and Joy hoped a shower would wash away that entire hour. It was a lot to put on soap and water, but she had to try. Joy sat, loosened the straps on the AFOs, and pulled her legs free to take off her pants.

Glancing down, she grimaced as the taunts Kian used to hurl at her about her boobs and belly ran through her head on repeat. He’d been horrible to her, and he deserved what she’d told him in the breakroom today.

Transferring to her shower bench, she let the warm water wash over her. Joy sensed Kian agreed that he deserved her anger for his bullying. Her father used to tell her that if he bullies you, he likes you, but in her opinion, that was the same as saying "boys will be boys."

For some reason, romance novels made bullying a trope. Who wants to read about a manchild bullying a grown woman only to have her fall in love with her tormentor? It was, in her opinion, pure fiction. She’d had enough of that for two lifetimes before she left high school. Boys don’t have to be mean to girls to feel important. Just another thing Lorelei regretted about who Kian had become over the years.

A mother’s regret had turned to pride as Lorelei watched Kian change and grow, but Joy wanted nothing to do with him. She didn’t want to hear about him, see him, or talk to him. Lorelei understood her position and never pushed by bringing him up in conversation or lauding his accomplishments. Lorelei knew how to respect Joy’s boundaries, something her son needed to learn.

Once dressed, Joy turned on the lamp in her room and slid her legs under the covers, ready to put this day behind her. Until her gaze fell on the bits and bobs box. The one she’d set on her dresser but never opened. It taunted her, not in a bad way, but in an unexplainable grief kind of way. Mostly because she never expected Lorelei to leave her anything, only to discover she’d left her the one thing that made Lorelei who she was in life.