From a Humiliating Bet to the Boss He Can't Have novel · Chapter 6 of 24

Chapter 6: His Half

By eight on Thursday night, the twenty-second floor was empty except for me and a cleaner pushing a cart.

I had found a six-thousand-dollar mistake in the freight accounts before lunch and a second one after.

Nate had said "good" both times, in the same flat voice he used for everything, and gone back to his office.

I had been grateful for that all week.

I opened my laptop and stopped working on the warehouse file.

I opened the household spreadsheet instead.

I had told myself I would delete it.

It was a single tab with four columns: what I paid, what Blaine paid, the date and what it was for.

My column ran down the page in a long, steady line.

His column had gaps.

I scrolled to the bottom and stopped.

The last time Blaine had sent me his half of the utilities was in June.

It was now October.

I had paid the electricity, the gas, Birdie's piano lessons and the school fees without a word, because he had told me things were tight until the quarter closed.

I had believed him because I always believed him.

"You should have gone home an hour ago."

I looked up.

Nate stood in the doorway with his coat over his arm.

"I'm almost done."

"You're not working." He nodded at the screen. "You've been on the same row for fifteen minutes."

I closed the laptop halfway.

"It's personal."

"All right."

He didn't leave.

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