Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(106)

“I have a fair idea. Marcus loves to talk about you and Ben doesn’t understand which things need to remain secrets.”

“Ah, yes.”

“But those positions can’t offer you what I am offering you. You would not be challenged. You would not be working with your friends. You would not get to dabble in fields you currently have no access to.”

“But I would have my own home and a car that didn’t have the engine light on. And who knows, they might.”

Tory leaned back and studied Krista. “You are better at negotiation, I see.”

Krista smiled. “I now know what I want. More importantly, what I need to make this decision. Unless you give it to me, I will have to move on. I need to go where I am valued the highest.”

“That is wise.” Tory leaned forward again. “I will offer you $100,000 a year, plus an advantageous bonus based off of your results. I will also move you to a fully vested status with your retirement package once you sign a year contract with your new position.”

“That is $20,000 less a year than my highest offer.”

Tory’s eyes widened briefly. “What of the other perks?”

“Bonus would work out to another five or so, no benefit perks.”

“The question becomes, how much could you make off of a bonus based on results?”

Krista leaned back. “I would have to see the bonus structure. I will also not settle for less than one-hundred and ten.”

Tory stared at her. “I liked negotiating with you better when you were lamb eyed.”

Krista laughed. “Those were the days. I wouldn’t be such a stickler, but it isn’t fun working with most of the upper management in your company, Tory.”

“Yes, that is changing, but slowly.”

“What did Sean say about all this?”

“I blindsided him. On purpose, I must admit. He comes up with remarkable things when he feels overwhelmed. Hopefully when you step into place—“

“If.”

“—it will take some of the pressure off of him. At this rate, he will burn himself out.”

“He has always been ambitious.”

“So have you, but you have a more level head on your shoulders to deal with it. Sean has yet to learn about limitations.”

Krista nodded. So true.

Chapter Thirty

Sean and Krista had been dating for five months and she spent four or five nights a week with him. The sex was better than fantastic. Waking up and going surfing with him was a dream. Waiting at her house until late to meet him at his house sucked. He still worked all the time. Even with Krista stepping in to a Junior VP role, taking the weight off of him for day-to-day grievances, Sean was stretched thin. He and Krista had only gone out for a total of three dinners. In all those months, they went out a miserable three times.

He had met her at happy hour a handful of times, but it was usually only for a brief few hours before he went home to bed. He had less than a handful of days off, and for those he was always distracted. It was exactly what Krista didn’t want for them. Sean kept trying to push his key on her so she could just head to his house after work, but she kept saying no—at least Jasmine was at her house. No one was at his.

She decided that she needed to get away for the weekend. It was going to be her ultimatum to Sean. He would either take the weekend off and go with her, or he would find himself a new f**k-buddy. She couldn’t even call herself a girlfriend—she didn’t see him enough for that. He didn’t even see her enough with all her clothes on to call her a friend.

As Krista entered the code to gain access to Sean’s driveway, her heart was aflutter. She’d spent two solid hours talking with Kate and Jasmine about what she would say. They all chose dates for the getaway, and decided San Diego was a good place to head. It was close, it had some good surf coming up if the weather and currents and all that panned out, and it would only take a couple days of their time. Sean just had to agree to it, then pick the date that worked best with him. Krista was basically hand-wrapping a vacation for him, hoping he would agree.

She walked through Sean’s quiet and darkened house. It was eerie that a place so big was so empty. It was like a museum after closing. All the money Sean spent on the new digs was wasted, except for two rooms—the kitchen and the bedroom. No other room saw activity other than the monthly cleaning lady, who merely dusted and wiped away cobwebs.

Krista made her way to the kitchen and found him where she knew she would—at the kitchen shoving something into his face. He was staring out into space, not tasting what was on his fork, nor caring. Krista stopped to observe him before she made herself known.

He looked tired and drawn. His shoulders were slumped, his head hung, and he wasn’t enjoying the food that was unceremoniously shoveled into his mouth. He looked like a man with nothing to live for, which was the opposite of why he was working this hard in the first place. It was not the Sean Krista knew and loved. The problem was, it wasn’t a stranger, either. It was the guy that would let her go, again. The one she was afraid of.

“Hey,” Krista said as she walked toward the small table in the corner of the kitchen.

Sean looked up and his eyes lit up. “Hey baby. How was your day?”

Krista noticed he was eating a frozen dinner. It looked like a dog took a crap in a plastic tub. She went and sat on his lap, deciding she would make him some real food after she talked to him—small price to pay to seem like less of a bitch.