Neither of them said a word as Matt drove to her apartment. Which was fine with Savannah. The last thing she wanted was to have any kind of conversation with him. The earlier she got away from him the better.
She was glad she accepted the ride home though. She felt tired and emotionally drained, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
As soon as he parked the car in front of her apartment she got out and slammed the door shut. Then she proceeded to go into the apartment.
“You are welcome” Matt said sarcastically as he got out too. Wondering how her getting fired was his fault. He hadn’t even seen her for two weeks. He couldn’t bring himself to leave though, so he followed her into the apartment.
It annoyed him that her door wasn’t locked. Anyone could just walk in. He pushed it open to find her on her hands and knees, peering under the rickety recliner. She made a sound of frustration and then pushed herself upward.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked.
She shrieked and whirled around. “Get out!” she yelled at him.
He held out a placating hand. “I’m sorry I frightened you. Your door was unlocked.”
“And so you thought you’d just come on in? Did the art of knocking escape you? Get a clue, Matt. I don’t want you here. And you are definitely not welcome. Now, thank you for the ride, but I would really appreciate it if you left me alone now”
She went into the kitchen, opening and shutting cabinets, obviously looking for something.
He sighed. It wasn’t that he’d expected her to be any more compliant today, but he’d hoped after the initial shock of seeing him again, she’d be a little less…angry.
He had felt weird too. Seeing her after all this time, and so he could understand her actions that day. But now he just didn’t get her. What the hell did she have to be so angry about?
When she got back down on the floor again, a surge of irritation hit him once more. He crossed the room and leaned down to help her to her feet. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
She shrugged off his hand, glared at him and wiped her hair from her eyes. “The check. I’m looking for the check!” she replied.
“What check?”
“The check you wrote me.”
He frowned and reached into his pocket for the folded, worn piece of paper. For some reason he hadn’t thrown it away when she threw it at him and he wasn’t even sure why he brought it with him today. Probably because he still couldn’t understand why she hadn’t cashed it. “You mean this check?” he asked.
She lunged for it but he held it higher out of her reach.
“Yes!” Savannah replied. “I’m glad you still have it. I’ve changed my mind. I’m cashing it.”
He put his hand out to ward her off and shook his head in confusion. “Sit down, Savvie, before you fall. And then tell me what on earth is going on here. You wait this long, throw the check in my face and tell me to take my money to hell with me and now you’ve changed your mind? Are you crazy?”
She didn’t reply and to his utter surprise, she slumped down onto one of the small chairs that accompanied the two person table in the kitchen and buried her face in her hands. To his further dismay, her shoulders shook and quiet sobs erupted from her bowed head.
For a moment he stood there, unsure what to do. He’d never been able to stand it when she cried. An uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach and he dropped down to one knee to gently pry her hands from her face.
She looked away, seemingly discomfited by the fact he was witnessing her breakdown.
“What’s wrong, Savvie?” he asked gently. “What happened to you?”
“I lost my job,” she choked out. “Because of you.”
He reared back. “Because of me? What the hell did I do?”
She whipped her head up, her eyes flashing.
“Your standard line. What did I do? Of course you did nothing wrong. Why couldn’t you just leave me alone? You told me to leave and I did. Why couldn’t you just do the same. But it’s fine. I’m very sure you think this was all my fault, like everything else that went wrong in our relationship. Just give me the check and get out. You won’t ever have to be bothered with me again.” She said.
He stared incredulously at her. “Do you honestly expect me to just walk away now?” He shoved the check back into his pocket, his lips thin as he controlled the urge to lash out at her as she had done to him. “I’m here because no matter how mad I am at you —and I have every reason to be, I still care about you. We have a hell of a lot to talk about, Savvie. I’m not going anywhere and neither are you. The very first thing we’re going to do is talk about your job, why you lost it and how it’s my fault, and then we are going to talk about why you didn’t cash this check when I gave it to you. I can’t be any more blunt than that.”
She slowly stood and stared him in the eye. “I’m not talking to you about anything. I don’t even want to be close to you. If you won’t give me the check, then get out. We have nothing more to discuss. Ever.”
He fingered the paper in his pocket and then lifted his gaze to meet hers once more.
“I could get you a job at my company” he said. “There is an opening that will be perfect for you”
Savannah blinked at him. That was a tempting offer. She really needed a job, but she hated him and would never accept anything from him… Not anymore. He had already done enough harm.
“Thank you, but I’m fine. You can give whatever job that is to someone else” she said.
“Fine. I will give you the check you want” Matt replied. “But only after you agree to talk to me.”
Disgust flared in her eyes. “Resorting to blackmail now, Matt?” she asked.