Page 47 of Romance with Mr. Bossy Pants

“I know. It was the hair flip, wasn’t it? Or my tone. I shouldn’t have—”

“Chloe, what do you want to hear from me exactly?”

“Seriously? I was sure the power outage would somehow be my fault.”

When I finish my rant, Daniel just stares, shocked. Then he finally says, “Apparently I’ve given you enough reasons to think that way.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Are you okay? You didn’t hit your head or anything, did you?”

Daniel looks at me like I’m the one who’s lost it. “Why would you think that?”

“Something’s off.”

“Nothing’s off. My head’s fine.”

I sit next to him, pondering. “Maybe it’s good we’re stuck here.”

He’s puzzled. “How?”

I stare at Daniel for a while. He’s really...okay. He just sits there with his legs stretched out, and I wonder what’s happening until it hits me.

This is a sign.

“Maybe it’s a good thing we’re stuck here,” I admit, sitting on a nearby chair.

Daniel turns to me, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I just feel...maybe the universe is giving me a nudge. I’ve been dodging this apology for a while now.” I take a deep breath. “A couple of weeks ago when I got you the basket of snacks. It was because I heard when things got a little rough, those treats were like a pick-me-up for you.”

“It’s fine,” Daniel replies with a neutral tone, not unkind but devoid of warmth. “It’s water under the bridge. Besides, there was no way you could have known it was a thing between my wife and I.”

That’s it? This man is really going to pretend that he hasn’t been the worst boss ever since I started working here with this sudden personality shift? What’s going on with him? My excitement at the idea of piecing together the puzzle called Daniel Andrews pushes me to ask.

“What was she like?”

My straightforwardness catches him off guard, and I also wonder where this damning boldness is coming from.

“Excuse me?”

The words pour out of me. “I have to admit, I stalked your Facebook page after our dinner the other day and came across your wedding picture. Maddie was her name, right? I’m just curious, though I know it’s not really none of my business.”

Oh, man. Now I’m digging my grave. What’s wrong with me?

“You did what?” he asks, raising his voice.

“I’m sorry, but don’t tell me you’ve never...you’ve never looked someone up online?”

“No, I haven’t. I don’t snoop around.”

I’m almost afraid to ask. “What happened to her?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I sometimes think she might be the reason behind the kind of person you are.”

“Come again? What kind of person am I?”

“Distant and…well, sour. You looked genuinely happy in that picture.”

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