Page 38 of Love Under the Microscope
“Are you alone?” he asks, his tone curious.
The guy is whacked, which is why I hadn’t wanted to speak with him. “Does it matter?”
“No, but I was surprised to see you with the journalist. He’s younger than you, but I guess you prefer that for a future baby daddy. If you ever need sperm—”
“I don’t.” Ick. I would never want to be entangled with Nigel that way. And I don’t care if not saying thank you is rude.
“I can’t imagine Nate’s pleased you’re dating someone else.”
Nigel is the one who doesn’t sound happy. “Nate doesn’t care about my personal life.”
Nigel laughs. “He cares very much. The same as I do.”
“Cut the crap and tell me why you called.”
“You’re testy tonight. PMSing or are you menstruating?”
God, this asshole is too much. “It’s late, and I’m not exactly happy to hear from you,” I snap, fighting the urge to throw my phone against the wall, but it wouldn’t be fair to take out my anger on an inanimate object. “Now, tell me what you want because I have no clue why you think it’s okay to call me at almost midnight, pretending to be Zentello like some scammer from a third-world country.”
Silence fills the line. He’s procrastinating for some reason, and my patience has run out. “Nigel.”
“Come work for me at UnoPharm.”
What the fuck?
No way is he offering me a job. “Huh?”
“I’m offering you a job, Zelda. You love being in the lab. You belong at a bench, not behind a desk doing your bosses’ bidding.”
He means Nate and Mr. Z. Nigel’s not wrong about loving working in the lab. But as Zentello grew so fast, I went where my skills could be best utilized. Besides, not finishing my PhD held me back. “I enjoy doing their bidding.”
“I can offer you more money. Your own lab. Whatever you want. Write your offer.”
He almost sounds desperate. I’m not used to Nigel sounding like that. I snicker. “What’s the catch?”
“Oh, Zelda. You wound me.”
That makes me snort. He’s not a good actor. “You’re lying to me.”
“We make a good team. Much better than you and Nate.”
Make? As in present tense? The asshole has some nerve.
“Nate and I are divorced. You and I broke up years ago.” I rub my fingers along the edge of my comforter. “You’re as much of an ex now as he is.”
“Let’s remedy that. I don’t just have to be a sperm donor. We could have a family. I know you’ve always wanted one.”
I did and still do, but…
Nope. Not buying it. I don’t expect Nigel to express his undying love—that’s not his style—but he’s not being honest with me. “Why would you think that’s a good idea after all that’s happened between us?”
“You and I are meant to be together.”
If that were the case, he wouldn’t have turned into such a dick after I moved in. “Try again.”
“I miss you.”
He never wanted me back until he discovered I was staying with Nate, and tonight, he saw me with Jack. That reeks of jealousy or narcissism. Probably a combo of both. “Nope.”
