Page 21 of The October Arrangement

“Are you done?” I gritted my teeth.

“Not quite.” He leaned back in his chair.

“Of course you’re not.”

“You’re talented and obviously capable. Which makes it more frustrating, because you could’ve done something with that if you hadn’t spent your early twenties running around the country with some guy. Now I’m done.”

I was genuinely stunned by his lecture. Who did he think he was? My father? No one had ever spoken to me like that. Not even my own mother. I felt an ache in my chest. I was hurt. I pushed the chair back and stood up.

“You know absolutely nothing about me. Nothing! You know I left college and traveled around the country with a guy in an RV, and somehow, you’ve taken that tiny piece of information and used it to decide every bad thing that’s ever happened to me is because I screwed up my life.”

“That isn’t what I said, Bella.”

“Be quiet!” My voice grew loud, and I pointed at him. “It’s exactly what you said.” I folded my arms. “Would having a degree have stopped Kendra and Scott from blowing up their marriage and closing their company? Would having a diploma magically have kept Hearth & Harbor in business?”

“No, but—” he said.

“Would it have stopped me from losing my job?” I swallowed the lump forming in my throat because there was no way in hell I was going to cry in front of him. “I was young, Simon. I was in love, and he made it sound so exciting. Maybe leaving college wasn’t the smartest decision I ever made. If I could go back, I’d do some things differently. But I can’t. And I’m not going to spend the rest of my life apologizing for something I did when I was twenty.”

He went to say something, but I stopped him before the words could spill out of his mouth.

“And for your information, I didn’t sit around waiting for someone to take care of me after that. I taught myself how to do something I was good at. I started with nothing. No degree. No connections. And no rich family opening doors for me. I figured it all out on my own, built a portfolio, and worked my ass off. I had a stable job. I paid my bills. I paid my rent. I supported myself. Then something happened that was completely out of my control.”

“I know,” he said softly.

“Do you? Because five minutes ago, you seemed pretty convinced I was one bad decision away from living under a bridge. I didn’t beg Daisy or manipulate her for a place to stay. She offered. She knew this job was temporary and I needed somewhere to stay. She offered to help me. And had I known you were coming back after only a month, I never would have agreed to stay here.”

“Bella,” he sighed.

“And trust me. If I could afford a Manhattan hotel for thirty-one nights, I would happily pack my shit right now and leave your precious penthouse.” I turned to walk away and stopped. “One more thing. You were right about something. I made a choice when I was twenty. And maybe it wasn’t the choice you would’ve made. But at least I have a life that’s actually mine. I made mistakes. I took chances. I got my heart broken. I traveled. I figured out what I was good at. And somehow, without a degree or a ten-year plan, I managed to build a career anyway. So maybe you shouldn’t feel sorry for me.”

“I don’t.” He folded his arms.

“Good. Because sometimes I feel a little sorry for you.”

“Excuse me?” His brows furrowed.

“You heard me.” I pointed at him.

“Why the hell would you feel sorry for me?” He chuckled.

“Because you’ve spent your whole life making sure nothing ever goes wrong.”

“You know nothing about me to assume that.” He pointed at me.

“I don’t need to know anything about you. Your whole vibe gives it off.” I walked away, went to my room, and threw myself on the bed.

I was furious. How dare he say those things to me? He was nothing but an arrogant, cocky, Mr. Know-It-All man who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. I had thirty days left, and I wasn’t sure if I could do it.

Chapter Eleven

Simon

I leaned back in my chair and stared up at the ceiling. I was an asshole. What bothered me was that I wasn’t usually like that. I didn’t give a shit what other people did with their lives. Their bad decisions weren’t my problem. But Bella’s were. She was living in my home because of her bad decisions.

I stood from my chair and stepped onto the terrace, the crisp air cooling me off. She said I’d spent my whole life making sure nothing went wrong. She wasn’t wrong about that. I liked knowing what came next. I liked plans and schedules. I liked problems with solutions and risks that could be calculated before they were taken. It was how I ran the company and my life. It worked. I had everything I wanted.

I hated myself for hurting her. I could still see the look on her face when I said she was imposing on other people. That was the moment I should have stopped. But I kept going. I ran my hand through my hair as I stared out at the brightly lit city. I wasn’t good with apologies, but I owed her one. And something told me that Bella Castle wasn’t going to make it easy for me.