Free Vegas Sunrise by Fern Michaels Page B

could live here and work at a job she’d hated. She’d put her life on hold to do what his father wanted. Marriage was one sacrifice after another. Even when she’d divorced his father, she hadn’t given up on him. In his gut he knew Celia would never be the woman his mother was.
    â€œDinner’s ready,” he called.
    Celia picked at the scrambled eggs on her plate. Birch stared at her across the table. Aside from a little puffiness on her bottom lip and a darkening patch under her eye she seemed okay. She was milking it, and they both knew it.
    Birch wolfed his food. “You can clean up. I’m going to go out to the ranch. I don’t feel like waiting till tomorrow. Don’t wait up for me.”
    â€œYou’re leaving me alone! Are we going to get a maid?”
    â€œYes and no. You didn’t seem to mind leaving me alone last night while you partied downstairs. If you want a maid, you’re going to have to get a job to pay for it. This apartment isn’t so big that you can’t handle a few housekeeping chores. My mother raised me to be neat, so you won’t have to pick up after me. We have two bathrooms. You take care of yours and I’ll take care of mine.”
    â€œI’m not a housekeeper, Birch. I’m not even a good cook.”
    â€œI guess you’re going to learn. Mom and Iris will help you.”
    â€œStop jamming your family down my throat. When my face is healed, I want to do some shopping. Do we have credit cards?”
    Birch’s stomach rumbled. “They’re invalid since they haven’t been used in years. I’ll look into it when I have time.”
    â€œDo we have any cash money? What am I supposed to do if I need toothpaste?”
    â€œWe’ll hash this out tomorrow. I have decisions I need to make right now, and this shitty stuff that’s consuming you isn’t a priority with me.”
    â€œMaybe I should pack up my underwear and leave. This isn’t working for me.”
    â€œSuit yourself. While you’re packing that underwear, you might want to ask yourself what it is that isn’t working for you. Guess what, it may not be working for me either. You don’t seem the least bit interested in how I feel and what is going to work for me. I’m the one who has to bust his ass for that toothpaste and that credit card you want. Women work today. In a few short hours you’ve focused on the Thornton money to the exclusion of all else. That bothers me. Were you always like this and was I too blind to see it?”
    Celia started to cry. “This is new and . . . so thrilling. Why can’t you let me enjoy it for a little while? I love you. You love me. What we have is good. I’m not going to hold the violence against you. I can forgive you because I love you. If I can be forgiving, why can’t you bend a little? Both of us could use some fun. The truth is, Birch, I’m starved for the good life. You always had it. I didn’t. If you want me to get a job, I will. I’ll still need money to outfit myself. I’ll need a car to get to work. I’d like to stay here and live in this penthouse. If you let me, I can make it a showplace. I hate it that you’re even thinking of working at that chicken place. You’ll come home smelling like chickens. Chickens smell nasty. Chicken feathers will be on your clothes, stuck to your shoes.”
    Birch turned around. “I don’t think you have any idea of the size of Thornton Chickens. It’s a megabucks industry. My grandfather and my father worked their asses off to make it the company it is today.”
    â€œSo what! Your father’s half sister owns it. You’d just be the hired help. What do we get out of it beside your salary if you work there? Free chickens? What exactly does megabucks mean in chicken lingo?”
    Birch snorted. “Try rolling a billion-dollar-a-year industry off those puffy lips of