“We’re thinkin’ we’re gonna have to delay some of this construction, boss,” the foreman said. He dug his hands into his back pockets and pulled up his jeans. “All that glass we need? It’s not like we have it on hand. I tried my best, but it’s just not workin’ out.”

“Glass?” Antonio asked. He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, glass? We aren’t installing any new windows.”

“For the gallery area up front,” the foreman said. “It’s glass all around. Lots of it. Big sheets. I mean, the price is right because we’re buying so much of it, so I gotcha a hookup, but you know, it’s going to take a while to get in the stock. I thought we might have it in the warehouse but nope. Needs to be custom ordered.”

“Hold on.” Antonio raised a hand, utterly confused. “Gallery? Glass? All we’re doing is opening up Bloom Tattoo by knocking down some walls, and then putting some half-walls up. What are you talking about, gallery? We’re not working on the lobby right now.”

“Got a call late last night from your head artist,” the foreman said. “Said she wants it put in. Haggled the hell out of me, that little girl. She’s getting me to do it on a song and a couple of batted eyelashes. I don’t even know if she’s a troll or not, but she sounded hot enough.”

The whole world screeched to a stop. Antonio looked back at the construction trucks parked outside of Bloom Tattoo, then at the foreman who stood before him. It was four in the morning. He’d foregone sleep in order to show up on time, and this was what he was greeted with?

“My head artist?” he asked.

“Yeah. Stevie? Or Evie? Or something ‘ie.’ Those girls’ names all start to sound the same to me. Swear to god, if I have a daughter, I’ll name her John. Everyone gets so cutesy these days.”

Antonio stopped listening. So, Evie had been so set on getting the gallery installed that she’d gone over his head, overridden his construction plans, and expected to get away with it without consequence?

Even if she was officially head artist, it wasn’t how the position worked. No head artist went above the owner to order such drastic changes like that. No head artist ever stepped that far out of line on instinct alone.

Antonio saw red.

Evie was a natural leader, but she didn’t know where to draw the line. If she thought that falling into bed with him was synonymous with becoming a co-owner, she was sorely mistaken. Bloom Tattoo was Antonio’s property, not hers, and he had the final say in everything that went on in it.

Including who the head artist position went to.

“There’s no need to postpone construction,” Antonio said, trying not to let his voice quake with emotion. “We’re not doing the gallery right now. We’re sticking with the blueprints I gave you when I hired your construction crew for the job. Please, begin as soon as you’re able. Don’t worry about whatever she said.”

“You’re the boss,” the foreman said with a nod.

If only Evie knew that as well.

Temper boiling just beneath his skin, Antonio fished his phone from his pocket and started to pace in front of the shop. While the demolition was going on, he needed to stay out of the building, but he had more than enough going on to keep him occupied.

The very first thing he needed to do was get in touch with Evie. There was no excuse for the things she’d done, and he needed to make sure she knew it. She didn’t have the power to agree to photo shoots or other publicity measures without consulting Antonio first; she didn’t have the power to change their construction plans the night before construction was set to begin, especially since they would have to get all new permits.

The woman needed a reality check. Antonio regretted investing as much time in her as he had. All the positive traits he’d witnessed in her weren’t worth her brash nature. He needed to set her straight and remind her where her place was.

More than that, he needed to step away from her emotionally before she sucked him in completely.

Dating an employee was too much. Antonio knew it, and it was why he’d been resistant to it for so long. He didn’t understand how both his brothers managed it so…efficiently. Granted, their partners were much more business-minded whereas Evie tended to be more chaotic. For a while, he’d considered her his perfect woman. She was both patient and humorous enough to pry back his icy exterior, she was able to hold her own against his brothers, and most importantly, she brought light into his life he’d never had before—a reason to get up in the morning and look forward to the day.

But that light was gone now. He’d worked far too hard for too long to risk the potential ramifications for her behavior.

The phone rang, and rang, then went to voicemail. He grimaced and tore it away from his ear, then tapped to redial. If she was sleeping right now, she needed to wake up. Did she think he wouldn’t notice that the construction plans had changed? Did she really think she could take the whole weekend off after calling in new plans, then show up on Tuesday morning refreshed and chipper to ‘surprise’ him with the new construction? Antonio couldn’t believe her.

The phone rang and rang again, then went to voicemail. He growled and pulled it away from his ear, resisting the urge to pitch it down the street. The mistakes Evie had made weren’t just big—they were astronomical. He wasn’t beyond showing up at her apartment and throwing stones at her window until she got up. She needed to answer for her choices.

Before Antonio could make it to his car, Evie pulled up and parked by the side of the street. She was wearing a loose t-shirt and had her hair pinned up to the top of her head. When she left her car, Antonio noticed she was wearing baggy cotton camo pants. Pajamas.

She was showing up to the construction site in her pajamas.

Did she think this was a game?

“Antonio,” she chirped, grinning. She had two coffees in hand. “Good morning. I brought you some coffee. I bet you’re surprised to see me, huh? I’m here because I’ve got a huge surprise to share with you.”

Antonio watched her, finding himself unable to speak. Rage choked him. He knew he needed to approach the conversation with a calm, rational head, but he couldn’t bring himself to accept the fact that she could really be so clueless. Evie was smart. He knew it. So why was she making such huge mistakes?

“Uh. Coffee?” Evie held one of the cups out to him. “Got it just like you like it. I figured you’d need it. Wasn’t really a lot of time to sleep last night, you know? I’m kind of hopped up on coffee myself, since I figured I should be here.”

“And why is that?” Antonio snarled. He hadn’t meant for the words to sound so vitriolic, but he couldn’t stop it once it started.

Evie dropped her hand and took a step back. “Um, because it’s like I told you… I have a surprise.”

“Really?” Antonio balled his fists. “Tell me, what was the big surprise you wanted to share with me this morning?”

Evie’s eyes widened.

“Was it that you decided to call the construction company and override my plans for what was about to happen in my shop?”

Evie’s lips parted, but she said nothing. Panic flashed through her eyes.

“Or is there another surprise I don’t know about? Maybe you bought another building to expand Bloom Tattoo into? Maybe you hired some new artists? Or maybe it’s that you found and hired a manager and someone competent enough to work the front desk? That’s it, isn’t it? Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Antonio,” Evie whispered. “Please, calm down….”

“You think I should calm down?” Antonio asked. “The plans I made for the shop were carefully considered and balanced. As you recall, since you were there, I didn’t throw some darts at a target and decide based on where they fell that I was going to open up the space for the artists and create another piercing room. It’s not like I woke up one morning from a dream and decided that’s what I was going to do. I actually had blueprints drawn up that were then okayed by the city and actual permits pulled. But that’s not the way you work, is it? It doesn’t matter if something’s been planned with careful thought or not. If it’s not Evie’s way, then it’s wrong.”

“Antonio,” she said a little more loudly. “Calm down. I’m sorry. I thought that it was going to be okay, since I talked them into doing it within budget. Having a gallery would be great for business. It’s not like I was trying to put in some kind of kid’s playpen or something….”

“No.” Antonio felt himself hardening to her. “I thought you had better judgment than that. I thought that maybe you were competent enough to oversee the artists and make good decisions about their well-being and the well-being of the shop, and that you wouldn’t overstep any boundaries. I told you on more than one occasion that you never had to make choices on your own as head artist. You would always consult with the shop manager and with me before any final decisions were made. But it looks like you like to cherry-pick what you hear in order to suit your end goal.”

With both her hands holding coffee cups, there wasn’t much Evie could do. Antonio had her cornered. She shook her head and took a small step back. “I’m sorry, okay? We all make mistakes.”

“But not everyone makes mistakes as bad as you do.” Antonio knew the words would cut her deep, but he didn’t care. He’d spent his whole life looking out for his little brothers, sacrificing his art so he could run the family business that would keep them both employed and never wanting for money. He’d held himself back from dating, from exploring his passions, and from having fun so that the DeRose name would continue to be successful and their father’s legacy would live on through them.

He was done catering to the comfort of others.

“The night at the casino was a mistake,” Antonio said. “Ever since then, it’s like you think you’re in charge around here—like you have co-owner privileges. You don’t. You’re an artist in over her head. I’m done fixing your mistakes. You can forget the job as head artist, and while you’re at it, you can forget whatever was between us.”

Evie’s eyes glistened with tears. “You can’t be serious!”

Antonio refused to let himself crumble. He needed to stay strong. “I am. It’s clear to me that not only can you not handle power, but you can’t handle a relationship with someone from work. If you can’t separate who you are to me professionally and who you are to me personally, then I have no choice but to end one of those two relationships. Since the contract I signed when I bought Ricochet states that I can’t fire any of the artists for the first year the company is under my name, the choice is clear.”

“No—”

“We’re through,” Antonio ground out through clenched teeth. His voice echoed through the quiet night. “I don’t want to see you anymore, Evie. You still have a job, and I still expect you to come to work, but there is no promotion for you, and there is no time spent outside of work with me in it, either. Things between us are strictly professional from here on out.”

“I just…” Tears rolled down Evie’s cheeks. She set the second coffee on the sidewalk by her feet, and then took a few clumsy, stumbled steps backward until she backed off the sidewalk and onto the street. She said nothing more, turning and making haste for her car instead.

Antonio watched her go.

He didn’t want to do it—his soul ached to cleave her from his life like that—but there was no other choice. Evie didn’t understand what it took to run a business. She didn’t understand sacrifice.

But Antonio did.

And as angry as he was, as he watched her drive away, he knew that he’d sacrificed something very great indeed. He’d lost a love that might have changed his life, and Antonio didn’t know if he could ever get it back.