The revelation hung in the air, shimmering and fragile.
Louise looked at Andy—this man who had just confessed a decade of unrequited love—and her brain short-circuited.
"If you love me," Louise asked, her voice rising in confusion, "then why are you such a jerk to me at the office? You mock me! You call me Mrs. Salinger like it’s an insult! You make me redo reports that are perfect!"
Andy flinched. He looked down at their joined hands.
"Because it was the only way I could interact with you," Andy admitted shamefully. "If I was nice to you... if I let myself be soft... I would have broken down. I would have begged you to leave him. I had to build a wall, Louise. I had to be the boss, because I couldn't be the lover."
He squeezed her hand. "And I called you Mrs. Salinger to remind mysel
