Page 3 of Baby Bombshell for the Boss

“I’ll tell you what,” Elliot said. “I’m happy to buy you a new bottle of wine and say goodnight, if that’s what you’d prefer — maybe you were looking forward to your quiet evening alone. But if you’re open to it, I’d love to give you a tour of some of my favorite spots around the city. Since you’re new, you won’t have had time to discover too much on your own yet.”

“I’ve done a little exploring,” Ivy said.

“I’m sure you have. But New York is full of hidden gems. I promise you, you haven’t yet seen everything I’d show you. But if you don’t feel like going out, I understand.”

He waited. Ivy was stunned. Out of all the ways she might have imagined tonight going, here was one she had never thought of — a handsome man asking her to explore the city with him.

And, she realized, she did want to. She had adjusted, in the few months she’d been here, to the idea that it would take a long time to make friends. She had come to anticipate weekends spent at home watching TV, or, if she was feeling adventurous, walking around the city by herself. She hadn’t expected to round a corner and literally run into someone who could potentially become her first New York friend.

What if he could?

“All right,” she said. “I’ll take you up on that. Show me around.”

Elliot smiled. “That sounds great to me,” he said. “Did you get any wine on you? Do you want to change before we go out?”

“No, I’m all right,” Ivy said. The truth was that she was far too excited to begin the evening to even think about a stop by her apartment. “Where are we going first?”

Elliot grinned. “You’ll see,” he told her. “But I promise you, this is going to be a night to remember.”

CHAPTER 2

IVY

“So what do you do for a living?” Elliot asked as they walked down the street.

“I’m an interior designer,” she told him.

“That sounds exciting.”

“I think it will be eventually. It was fun in Pittsburgh — that’s where I’m from — but none of my projects were very big. I’m talking things like helping old women remodel their dining rooms. Fun, but not exactly a thrill a minute.”

“Sure,” Elliot said.

“That’s why I came to New York. I want to take on more exciting projects.”

“And how’s that been going?”

“Oh, not great so far. My boss doesn’t trust me any farther than he can throw me — or maybe he just likes having someone make his coffee for him.”

“Uh-oh. Bit of a dinosaur, is he?”

“It’s not extreme or anything, but yes. He definitely thinks menial tasks and housekeeping are a part of my job description. And I want that job so badly that I haven’t been able to put my foot down about it. I do believe it’s going to lead to something big for me someday.”

“What’s the dream?” Elliot asked. “I mean, what would you like it to lead to, if you had your choice?”

“I picture designing something thousands of people will get to see,” Ivy explained. “Not just someone’s living room, but something really special. A high-end restaurant, maybe, or a big company’s office space. Something that’ll let me leave my mark.”

“You’ve come to the right city, then,” Elliot said. “New York is the place where things like that happen.”

“I know,” Ivy agreed. “I’m looking forward to it, when the time finally comes — I just hope my boss recognizes what I’m worth and actually lets me take on a job.”

“I’m sure he’ll see it soon enough,” Elliot assured her.

“What do you do?” Ivy asked him, realizing she’d been talking about herself for a while now.

“Oh, I’m in business,” Elliot said vaguely.

“What business?”

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