Page 57 of Broken Boss

I stare at the bedroom door, as if I can see through it. She’s right down the hallway. Two doors away.

She’s been under me, on her knees in front of me, in my car, laughing, arguing, parsing cases with me at the firm.

Autumn Cavendish.

Autumn Cooper.

“She’s Stephen Cooper’s sister.” Nate sighs. “And I’m guessing she didn’t tell you that.”

“No.” My head drops back against the headboard. “But if I’m being honest…I think I was already putting that together. Seeing them together. They definitely share some similar features.”

That solemn expression, the bow of their upper lips, the way they both held themselves. Hard to miss unless you’re trying to, which I think I was.

What do I do now?

“Well, whether you guessed it or not, you obviously need to end whatever you have going on. Cut her out of everything. The firm, too, if you can.”

“What? Jenson, I can’t just?—”

“I’m with Jenson on this one, Chris. Sorry. I know you’ve been…growing attached to her, but this is a different level of betrayal. And there’s something screwy going on.”

“Why would she join your firm?” Jenson persists. “You put her brother in prison. You don’t think that’s strange, Chris?”

I do, I want to plead. But I don’t know if I can stand to lose her. I don’t know if I can let her go like this.

Cold turkey.

What would that look like? Walking into the office tomorrow morning and going straight to HR. Having security remove her from the building.

Blacklisting her from other firms.

Never speaking to her again.

Leaving her vulnerable to whatever her ex has in mind for her.

No, I can’t do it. But Jenson and Nathan will never accept that answer.

“You’re right,” I say stiffly. “She should’ve told me the truth from the start.”

I leave it vague enough that they hopefully interpret it as acquiescence. A large part of me does feel disappointed, betrayed, confused—but I just can’t leave things like this.

It took years for me to hone my instincts as a lawyer, and right now they’re all shouting at me that something more is going on.

I need to wait and see.

“Thank you both. Really. It’s good to know I have people who have my back.”

As the words come out, I can’t help wondering—does Autumn have anyone on her side? Or has she been completely alone all this time?

Chapter 19

Autumn

Everything is off kilter. It’s like having vertigo.

Even snuggled under the comforter at Chris’s, I just can’t get comfortable. Two days of feeling betrayed—two days of near silence between him and me.

It’s harder than I thought it would be. Crazy, because if you’d told me a year ago that I’d be living in Chris Sharpe’s house, longing for his companionship, I would’ve thrown myself off a cliff.

---