Page 1 of Baby Bombshell for the Boss

CHAPTER 1

IVY

“Be in Monday at seven sharp!” Devin called as Ivy stepped onto the elevator.

Thankfully, the doors slid closed before Ivy was forced to answer. She leaned back against the wall and allowed her eyes to close as the elevator glided down to the lobby. Devin Sayers might have been one of the top interior designers in New York City, and working for him was definitely the opportunity of a lifetime. But he was also obnoxious, and Ivy was glad that it was Friday night and she wouldn’t have to deal with him for the next few days.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and powered it on. It wouldn’t have been her choice to ever turn it off — her family often got nervous about her well-being now that she was living in the big city — but if she so much as got the ping of a text message during the workday, Devin would flip out on her. It wasn’t worth the hassle, so she’d let all her family know that she wasn’t reachable during the day.

That didn’t stop them from trying to get in touch, apparently. Her father had sent a series of pictures of his latest woodworking project — that made Ivy smile. There were two missed calls from her mother. Ivy knew that was nothing to worry about — if anything had been wrong, there would have been seventeen calls, not two.

There was also a text from her sister, Janelle. More drama today?

Ivy chuckled. Janelle was eight years younger than she was and in her senior year of college, and she was fascinated by her older sister’s glamorous city life. Some days, knowing that she had Janelle to talk to was the only thing that got her through.

Big fancy client in today, she wrote. Devin had me serve them coffee.

Janelle responded with a series of exclamation points, and now Ivy laughed out loud. It was appalling that her boss would use her as a glorified servant, and Ivy knew it was only happening because she was new to the firm and because she was a woman. She’d been hired at the same time as a young man named Will, who was very nice and easy to get along with, and she liked him just fine. But Will was never asked to serve coffee, or to stay late after a meeting to clean up, or to make sure there were pens and notepads available for everyone. Those jobs were reserved for Ivy.

Will probably didn’t even have to be in at seven a.m. on Monday, she thought bitterly. Devin hadn’t specified why he wanted to see Ivy an hour ahead of her normal start time, but it probably had something to do with needing a bunch of pencils sharpened or wanting someone to clean the espresso machine. Whatever it was, she was sure it had nothing to do with interior design. If something didn’t change soon, he was never going to realize how good she was at the job she had been hired to do.

She stepped out the front door of the high-rise. Her apartment was only two subway stops from the building where she worked — she’d been lucky in that regard, finding something affordable so near to work. For all her complaints about Devin, she had to admit that there was one good thing about him — he paid a decent wage.

The weather was nice, so she decided not to bother with the train. She could walk home. Besides, there was a cute wine boutique on the way that she’d been meaning to check out, and if ever a day had called for a drink, today was that day.

She pushed open the door to the wine shop and instantly felt better about the world. There was soft classical music playing. The place was lit with a warm yellow light that made her feel calm and relaxed. It didn’t feel like New York anymore — this place could have been in any city in America, or maybe even Europe. She made her way over to one of the shelves to browse.

“Can I help you?” a woman asked, coming up alongside her.

Ivy turned to face her. She was dressed in all black and wore a name tag that said Sarah, and she was smiling so broadly that Ivy almost wanted to cry. No one had smiled at her like that since she’d come to New York. She had forgotten that that kind of kindness to strangers existed.

So even though she knew what she’d come into the shop for, she decided to let Sarah help her. “I’m looking for a good Merlot,” she said.

“Tough work week?”

“How did you know?”

“We do a lot of business on Fridays,” Sarah said with a smile. “And you seem pretty career-oriented — the nice haircut, the suit. I know the type. You work pretty hard, right?”

“I’m an interior designer,” Ivy said. “I’m making my start at a big firm, and it’s kind of my dream job… but it’s tough to pay your dues.”

“I know what you mean,” Sarah said sympathetically. “I can’t tell you how many night shifts I had to work here, mopping floors and selling five-dollar bottles to drunks, before my boss decided I had enough knowledge and experience to move to prime time. Making it in this city is a tough thing. But if I can do it, so can you.”

“Thanks.” It was a little thing, but it was so nice to hear someone express confidence in her.

Sarah pulled down a bottle. “This is our best Merlot,” she said. “You seem like you could use the really good stuff tonight.”

“I definitely could.”

They made their way over to the register. There was a rack of snacks there, and Ivy grabbed a couple of candy bars to go with her wine. She paid for her purchases. “I’ll definitely be coming back here,” she told Sarah. “You’re right on my way home from work.”

“That’s great,” Sarah said. “We love new customers, and as I get more of a feel for your personal tastes, I’ll be able to make better and better recommendations.”

“You seem like you’re pretty good at what you do.”

“You’ve got to be pretty good at what you do if you’re going to do it in New York,” Sarah said. “But I’m sure you know that already, seeing as how you just landed your dream job here! I’m guessing you’re a pretty great designer.”

If only Devin ever said things like that to me! He never would, of course. That wasn’t the kind of guy Devin was. But now Ivy knew that if she ever needed a pick-me-up, she could stop by this little shop and talk to Sarah.

---