Page 98 of Pin My Alpha
“I can’t just show up and expect him to take me back.”
“No, you can’t.”
“Then what do I do?”
She gives me a look that says she’s disappointed I even had to ask. “You listen to what he’s been telling you since he walked in here with that damned binder.”
The binder. The plan. The way his eyes lit up when he talked about the bar’s potential. He never wanted a handout. He wanted a seat at the table. His name next to mine because he earned it.
Because Byrne’s is better with him in it.
Because I’m better with him in it.
The thought lands whole and sharp, cutting through every excuse I’ve been hiding behind. “I know what to do,” I say.
Ruth leans back. “Good.” She slides off the stool. “Finish your fries.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I came here to have a drink and insult you. Mission accomplished.”
I catch her wrist. “Ruth.” She looks down at my hand, then at me. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Fix it first.”
“I’m going to try.”
“No.” Her voice goes firm. “Trying is what men say when they want credit before they’ve done the work.”
A real laugh breaks out of me, surprised and sharp. Ruth smiles.
“There he is.”
She heads for the door, stopping to say, “Tessa, make sure he eats.”
“Already on it.”
The door closes behind her. For a minute, I just stand there.
Tessa comes back over. “You okay?”
“No. But I know what I need to do.”
She watches me for a beat. “Is this the part where you storm over to Shay’s apartment and make a dramatic declaration in the rain?”
“It’s not raining.”
“Thank God. You’d catch a cold and somehow make it my problem.”
I pick up a fry. It’s cold. “I’m not going over there tonight.”
“Smart.”
“I need to get something right first. A contract.”
Tessa stares.
“A real one,” I keep going. “Partnership. Half ownership. Decision-making power. All of it, laid out, with his name on it.”
