Keeping it Professional

Chapter 22

Once they arrived at the restaurant, they sat down and ordered their drinks. They were left alone to look over the menu, and once they decided what to order, they entered into an awkward silence. Emma was worried about what she was going to say. She didn't want it to be offensive or rude. She didn't want to sound stupid either. She wanted to make a good impression on Liam. She caught Killian's gaze on hers. He was silently telling her not to worry about anything. But, was everything okay?

"What did you do before you came to work at our company?" Liam asked, breaking the ice.

"I was a secretary at a doctor's office." Emma replied, clenching her hand tightly under the table, hoping it didn't sound as bad out loud as it did in her head.

"And why did you leave that last job?"

"Liam! This is not an interview!" Killian said lowly with venom in his words.

"I'm sorry." Liam said sarcastically, turning to his brother. "Excuse me for trying to get to know the lass!"

"It's alright, Killian." Emma said, making the younger Jones turn to look at her. "I found out that my boss was paying another male co-worker more than me. He didn't make it an equal pay, so I left."

"Interesting. Now, let's talk more about your relationship." Liam said.

Killian sighed and rolled his eyes while Emma tensed up. She felt Killian's hand grasp hers under the table, and it brought a little comfort to her.

"And how would you like to start that conversation, brother?" Killian asked.

"Why?" Liam asked. "Why her? What did you think you'd get out of her?"

"What I wanted was a woman who I could love and she could love me back. Dating is the first part in finding out if that woman is the right one for that desire. I am not you. If I happen to fall in love with a woman that owns her own business, then so be it. But, I'm happy with Emma."

"She's your employee. Do you know how complicated this will make you two? What happens if you break up? What happens if you fight? You can't bring it into the workplace! That jeopardizes everything!"

"We already know that. She's the one who suggested that we keep things the way they were. She threatened to quit, but I wouldn't let her. I told her how I felt about her and she agreed to give it a go. I was the one to ask her out. Not the other way around."

"But you are still together. You both are at fault to this."

"Killian, can we talk for a moment? Alone?" Emma asked.

Liam stood up. "I'm heading to the washroom."

Killian waited until his brother was out of earshot. He grabbed Emma's other hand and looked over to her. "Don't worry about him. He's just pissed off that I found an amazing woman for who she is, not for her money. He loves his wife, but I know he isn't that happy with her."

"This isn't going to work if your only family hates my guts."

"He can sod off. I don't care what he thinks. All that matters is what you and I think, right?"

"I guess so. I just don't want to come in between a close family relationship."

"And you're not. I don't like his wife, but he still married her. My point is, is that I am going to stay by your side. Will you stay by mine?"

Emma smiled. "Yeah." She leaned in to kiss him. Someone cleared their throat above them, and she tried to pull away, but Killian grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her back to his lips. She let out a moan as he gripped her hair tightly and slightly pulled. She put her hand on his chest and successfully pulled away, and he chased her lips with pout. "We're in public."

"And that makes me not want to kiss my girlfriend?"

Emma blushed and pulled away. Liam was now sitting in his seat again with a glare on his face. "What about your past relationships, Emma?"

"That is not appropriate to talk about when you just met the lass." Killian said, taking a sip of his soda.

"What is appropriate to talk about now, Killian? I can't bring up her job, her past relationships. I frankly don't care about the small talk, I just want to know if she is good enough for my little brother!"

Emma leaned forward in her chair while glaring at Liam. God, she was so sick of hearing this excuse! "That's it! If you have a fucking problem with me, then you can just keep it to yourself. There is nothing you can say or do that will make Killian and I break up. No, I may not be own my own business or restaurant, but just because I'm poorer than you, does not make me a bad person! Yes, I have to watch how much money I spend. No, I can't afford to buy all the things that I want when I want, but the important thing is, is that I'm happy. So, I'd like it if you just kept your problems about me to yourself. You should be happy that Killian found a woman he likes. And not the typical girl that your parents warn you boys about. I don't go around kissing other guys. I do not have a man on the side. Unlike you, I am a decent human being." She stood up and slammed a twenty dollar bill down on the table. "I'm going home. Enjoy your lunch."

She could hear Killian's sigh as she walked towards the exit, but she didn't dare look back. "Look what you did! When you married Ariel, I didn't complain! Even though I told you and told you and told you that she was cheating on you! Why can't you at least be happy for me now that I found someone I really care for?" That was all she caught of his sentence before she walked out of the restaurant.