Page 59 of Obeying the Owner

Did she toss and turn all night, like I did?

“I owe you an apology for kissing you last night. I’m sorry. I crossed a line I shouldn’t have. I’m finding the adjustment to being your boss is a complicated process. All I can do at this point is strive to be a stronger man when it comes to you. And maybe you can help me out by being a little less irresistible.”

Maeve’s lips twitch, hinting at a smile.

“This is for you.” I slide a ceramic pot toward her. “I looked up what flowers were symbolic for saying I’m sorry and for forgiveness. Turns out it’s the purple hyacinth.”

Her blue eyes soften as she gazes at the plant. Her fingertips delicately touch one of the flowers. She leans forward, breathing in the spicy floral scent of the petals before sitting back once more. She smiles at me. “Thank you, Trey. This is a thoughtful way to apologize.”

I rub my hand over my chin. “Maybe I should’ve bought them in bulk in case I need to apologize some more.”

She laughs. “Let’s think positively.”

“It can’t hurt.”

“And just so you know, I’m struggling with our new relationship too. I can only assume it’ll get easier with time.”

“It has to, right?” I ask.

She shrugs. “We can only hope.”

“You can get out of here now,” I say, smiling.

Picking up the ceramic pot, she curls one arm around it and walks to the door. She turns to me, pausing. “Thanks again. You don’t know this, but purple happens to be my favorite color.”

“I’m glad it worked out so well,” I say.

She flashes a quick smile my way before exiting my office. I’m glad she likes the plant and that it happens to be her favorite color.

Bracing my elbow on my desk, I rest my forehead in my palm. Being Maeve’s boss means losing out on the chance to learn more about her. A feeling of gloom invades me, permeating every cell in my body and turning my thoughts maudlin.

I’ll never have the opportunity to learn about all her favorite things. Or all the idiosyncrasies that make Maeve who she is—and that fucking sucks.

* * *

Over the last few days, Maeve has done her best to avoid me at work, and I’ve allowed her to have some space. But yesterday before leaving the office, I informed her I needed her help with something tonight. Of course she argued, mentioning she had other plans. I had to play the boss card and act like it was about work, which it’s technically not. But it inadvertently is because we need to be able to spend time together without sucking each other’s faces. When I informed her what time I’d be picking her up, she didn’t take that news well either.

“Are we almost there?” Gwen asks from the back seat.

“Yep, it’s the house on the right with the yellow door.” I pull into the driveway, and almost immediately, Maeve steps onto the landing. While she locks the door, I get out and move around the front of my SUV to open the passenger side door.

Her lips curl slightly. “Hi.”

I flash a wide smile. “Hi back.”

“Hi!” Gwen yells from the back seat.

Maeve ducks her head around me and aims a genuine smile at my daughter. “Hi yourself.”

“I’m Gwen.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Maeve.”

“I know who you are. You work for my dad.”

“You’re right, I do.”

“We should get going,” I say, placing a hand on her arm. She darts away from my touch and into her seat. Shutting her door, I retrace my steps back to the driver’s side and slowly slide behind the wheel.

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