Still You Still Me Still Falling novel Chapter 76

"If you agree to my terms, you need to be entirely devoted to your role as my caregiver," he told her. "Otherwise, you can walk right out."

"How am I not devoted?" she shot back in frustration. "Does being a caregiver mean I literally can't do anything else?"

He didn't have an answer to that.

She figured he knew he was being unreasonable and just couldn't justify it.

It was rare for her to win a verbal spar with him, and a brief flash of triumph lit up her eyes.

He caught the look, knowing exactly how smug she was feeling in that moment.

He turned his head away, but couldn't resist glancing back at her again.

"Have you eaten yet?" she asked.

He just stared at her.

Self-consciously, she touched her cheek. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?"

He looked away. "Nothing. Just a really thick skin."

It took a second for the insult to register. "You're the one with thick skin!"

The ghost of a smirk tugged at his lips before he quickly scowled. "Hurry up and pour me some water!"

She marched over to the pitcher. "I'm pouring it! Stop yelling at me!"

He watched in disbelief as she pulled out a literal thermometer, poured the water, stuck it in the glass, gave a satisfied nod, and then handed it to him.

"The temperature is perfect. Exactly one hundred and thirteen degrees Fahrenheit. Not too hot, not too cold." She arched an eyebrow. "Can't complain about that now, can you?"

For once, he truly had nothing to complain about.

He took a few sips and pointed. "Do you see that book on the sofa?"

She glanced over and nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Read it to me."

She picked it up. It was a wildly popular romance novel she had actually read before.

It was about a gold-digging woman who toyed with men and dumped her first love for money. The man then worked relentlessly, eventually becoming massively successful and wealthy.

The woman, of course, ended up utterly destitute and miserable.

In the final chapter, she was reduced to begging on the streets.

Meanwhile, the man, with a gorgeous new woman on his arm, looked down at his ex as if she were nothing more than an insect.

"Then why do you like it, Mr. Halley?"

"I don't."

"You don't like it, yet you make me read it to you," she teased. "Saying one thing and meaning another."

He... was completely speechless.

Not only had he failed to shame her, but she was now openly mocking him.

He shifted gears. "Do you even know what a qualified caregiver looks like?"

"No idea. I'm not a professional, after all."

"Then you need to try harder," he warned. "If you do a sloppy job and I'm not satisfied, have you thought about the consequences?"

She fell silent for a few seconds before answering calmly, "Edmond, I'm not your slave. I agreed to be your caregiver because I trusted you wouldn't make any completely unreasonable demands."

"And your point is?"

"And now you're lecturing me about being 'professional' and threatening me with your 'dissatisfaction'?" she countered. "Do you think you're acting normally right now?"

"If you agreed to do this, you should at least... be on call whenever I need you, right?"