Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 117740 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117740 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
I walked over to the door and was just about to open it when he said, “Are you often rude to people you work with, Miss Matthews? From what I’ve heard about you, I expected a little respect.”
I paused, clutching the door handle, and looked over my shoulder. “In that case, I’m terribly sorry to disappoint you. But I have to ask, what right do you have to my respect? Should I give it to you freely because you’re the duke? Or because we’ve slept together?” I raised my eyebrows. “You might be used to people respecting you because of your position and bowing down to you, but you’re sorely mistaken if you think I give two shits about who you are. I will never respect someone who uses his position of authority to investigate me behind my back in order to gain the upper hand over me.”
He sighed and dropped his head forwards, removing his glasses once more. He rubbed his hand across his forehead before peering at me through his fingers. “It wasn’t to gain the upper hand.”
“But you have it, no? You know vastly more information about me and my life than I do about you and yours. Regardless, I don’t care for your reasoning. I never intended on seeing you again after that night, and my feelings haven’t changed. I have no desire to have any kind of relationship with you beyond what I absolutely must as the committee chairman,” I said, hauling my backpack strap back up on my shoulder. “Even if I did, it would have died the moment you walked onto my allotment and told me you were destroying the place I love more than anything without a second thought.”
“I’m a businessman and lord of this estate, Miss Matthews. There’s a place for sentimentality, and my bank account is not one of them.” He dropped his hand and stared at me intently. “From my perspective, the allotment site is a business asset, and it’s one that is steadily losing the Hanbury estate money. The feelings of those who rent that space from me do not factor into my decisions.”
“That’s fine. Your feelings don’t factor into my decisions, either.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” I pulled open the door and glanced back at him one more time. “And if your little dossier on me is correct, you’d be wise to be very, very afraid.”
“Are you threatening me, Rose?”
“I most certainly am not, Oliver.” I smiled coldly. “But just remember this: you picked this fight. Don’t be too upset when I hit back.”
8
* * *
ROSE
My Therapist Has Feathers
“Can you believe him? Feelings don’t factor into his decisions? What a cold-hearted bastard, don’t you think, Pancake?” I tossed a handful of assorted birdseed on the ground in front of me. “Where will you and the kids live? It’s like he doesn’t care that you’ll be homeless.”
“Cluck, cluck, cluck-a-bock-bock-bock,” said Pancake to her children, ignoring me completely as Bap, Roll, and Barmcake rushed over to her and started pecking at the ground at her instruction.
“I wish you loved me as much as you love your children,” I grumbled. “It’s not like I’m the one who feeds you or anything. Why are you over there bock-bocking at your kids like you’ve uncovered an ancient treasure when I’m the one who tossed the seeds to you?”
Waffles the rooster clucked in my lap, and I sighed, stroking his back.
At least I had Waffles on my side.
As far as things went, a rooster was a solid ally. They were surprisingly savage when they went into protection mode. I actually had a little scar or two from when he was a spirited young lad and I had to whip his mardy arse into shape.
That was a nice way of saying he was a violent little shit when he wanted to be.
Dogs were great and all, but have you ever seen an angry rooster?
“At least you love me, Waffles,” I said, still smoothing his silky feathers. “And as much as it pains me, I have to admit that it’s not as though I don’t understand that ratbastard’s position. He is running a business, and he hasn’t been here for years, so why would he care about the value of this place to the community? I probably wouldn’t if I were him, but I’d at least try. He doesn’t even care to. If he can’t even send a closure notice based on the correct contract, is he really going to try to find a new site for this place? Of course not. He’s going to use the ambiguity of the contract to get out of it. And what about Hades? That cat isn’t suited for indoor life. I can barely get the feral little shit to the vet, and half the time, the vet comes to him, and he knows her.”