Page 25 of Broken Boss

It still surprises me, and as I step into the elevator with a few other employees, I wonder why. Chris Sharpe is a defense lawyer; so are all the other lawyers here except for a small estate-handling division on the second floor.

Maybe he just wants another notch in his belt. Maybe he just wants to win this case to add to his reputation.

But that doesn’t sit right, either. Sharpe Law isn’t attached to Marie’s case yet, not publicly. I’m sure by the end of the day it will be. But if Chris was doing this for publicity, I imagine he’d be right out front of the building holding a press conference. Letting everyone know he’s doing this for free.

I’m not sure anyone in the office even knows, though.

Which makes last night feel even more intimate…

No. I shake the thought off. Not intimate—nothing inappropriate happened. The temp who hands out the mail mistakenly lumped that package in with mine, and I had a duty to bring it to him. I went into that office with my hackles already raised, ready to fend him off.

I was surprised when he didn’t try anything. Even when we were pressed up against one another, holding our breath as Marie Waters appeared on that computer screen.

The elevator doors open and I step off, squaring my shoulders against the day. I fully intend to be out by 3 p.m. Frank has a grooming appointment and I badly need to decompress. With the overtime I put in last night, leaving early today shouldn’t be a problem.

I’ll have to outline what I want done very clearly for my team, though, so I head right for my office. The windows along the south side of the building catch the morning light beautifully, in a hazy way.

I’m just starting to relax when Christine, one of my legal aides, pauses in the hallway and says, “Your office is absolutely gorgeous! I’m jealous!”

I give her a confused smile, slowing down but not stopping.

There’s a collection of cubicles right outside my office, and the paralegals who work there are all whispering and glancing in my direction.

A sour sensation twists my gut.

I reach the wall of opaque glass and put my hand on the doorknob. It’s like ice.

Pulling the door open, I don’t step inside.

It’s like a slap in the face.

The desk, chairs, cabinetry at the back of the office, and even some of the floor space is overflowing with flowers.

Vases and vases of flowers.

Very specific flowers—anemones.

My heart drops into my stomach as I take a step back. It’s bad timing, and an intern jostles into me, apologizing as he continues on.

Someone takes my elbow and I turn to find Louise, the floor secretary, at my side.

“Honey, I’m so sorry. I signed for them, but I didn’t realize it was such a big delivery, and there’s really nowhere else to put them, you know the conference rooms are booked solid today?—”

“It’s fine,” I answer blandly, giving her a blank smile. “Don’t worry about it, Louise. You couldn’t have known.”

Her eyes twinkle as she leans in close. “You must have quite a gentleman courting you, hmm? This is expensive.”

“It is.”

I stare into the office at the red, purple, blue, and pink frilled flowers.

“Beautiful!” someone comments as they pass.

It takes me a second to realize I’ve been standing in the doorway too long. Louise shifts awkwardly next to me, starting to catch on that something’s wrong.

“Can I get you anything? Coffee? There are some pastries in the lounge…”

I shake my head, thanking her and forcing myself to step into the room. But my hand drops off the doorknob; I can’t shut myself in here with all this.

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