Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Bella
I wasn’t expecting that. Shit. When he reached over and wiped the sauce off my cheek, my entire body tingled. It had been a long time since I’d ever felt anything like that, if I ever did.
“Since we’re sitting here sharing a pizza, tell me about yourself,” Simon said.
“There’s not much to tell. I’m twenty-nine. I live in Massachusetts. The company I worked for closed. And I’m an only child.”
“What about your parents?”
“I don’t really remember my father. He was killed in a motorcycle accident when I was three. My mom lives in Massachusetts with her boyfriend Harry.”
“She never remarried after your father passed?”
“She came close once until she found her fiancé cheating on her with one of her friends. She stopped dating after that until she met Harry. They’ve been together a really long time. He wants to get married, and she keeps telling him no.”
“Do you like Harry?”
“Yeah. He’s a good guy.” I smiled.
“What about college? Did you ever attend?”
“For two years. That’s how I met Daisy. I took some marketing, public relations, and journalism classes. At one time, I wanted to be a journalist. But I never finished college.”
“Why not?”
“I met George.”
“And what does George have anything to do with you not finishing college?”
“I met him when I was twenty. We were together for six months when he bought an RV, dropped out of college, and convinced me to travel around the country with him. I thought I was in love.” I breathed out a laugh.
“What I didn’t know was that he was Bi-Polar and went off his meds right before we met.
One day we were at a diner in Tennessee.
He told me he was going to the bathroom, but instead, he took off in the RV and left me there. ”
“What? Why?” Simon’s brows furrowed.
“I don’t know. Maybe it was because he was mentally unstable. Anyway, I called my mom, and she booked me a flight home. I’d spent all the money I had during our trip. So, I had to find a job when I returned to Massachusetts.”
“Which was?” His brow arched.
“I was a waitress for a couple of years. Then I worked as a bartender for a while. School just kind of fell by the wayside. Then I got a job at a boutique as a sales associate.”
“How did you get into the job you’re doing now?” he asked.
“The boutique was already failing six months after it opened. Customers weren’t rushing through the door, inventory was high, and nothing was selling.
Wanda, the owner, would sit at her desk in the back room and sob almost every day.
It had always been her dream to open her own boutique.
The thing was that she didn’t like or use social media.
So one day, I sat her down and explained that she needed a Facebook page for the boutique and an Instagram account.
She wanted nothing to do with it, so she asked me to set everything up and run it. ”
“I assume you did?”
“Yes. And within a month, people were coming into the store, and sales were up. A couple of other struggling business owners saw the content I’d created and asked if I could do the same for them.
I loved doing it, so I agreed. But when Wanda found out, she fired me.
Then, Hearth and Harbor reached out, offered me more money than the others paid, and I went to work for them.
Now, I’m here temporarily working in New York City. ”
“Do you understand now how one bad decision can alter your life?”
“What do you mean?” I furrowed my brows.
“If you had stayed in college instead of dropping everything to go on some ridiculous road trip with a guy in an RV, you would’ve graduated with a degree.
You’d probably have a stable job right now, a steady paycheck, savings, and your own place.
You wouldn’t be scrambling because the company you worked for shut down, and you sure as hell wouldn’t have to rely on other people to put a roof over your head. ”
“Wow.” I stared at him.
“You made a choice, Bella. You walked away from your education for some guy and an adventure, and now you’re dealing with the consequences of that choice. You wouldn’t be here right now if you’d made better decisions.”
I sat there as my jaw tightened. He wasn’t finished.
“You’re twenty-nine years old. You shouldn’t have to call a friend and ask if you can crash somewhere because you can’t afford a place to stay. You shouldn’t be depending on someone else’s generosity to get you through the month.”
“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.