Page 57 of Romance with Mr. Bossy Pants

“Did you take her to the hospital?”

He pauses. “Chloe’s got this thing about hospitals, and she’s pretty darn stubborn.”

“So, no?”

“No.”

“Alright. Thank you, Alex.”

Alex heads out, and I bury myself back in work, but my focus is anywhere but on task—the morning just slipped away, with my thoughts drifting off course. Thankfully, the afternoon’s packed schedule leaves no room for distractions.

As I step out of my office to make my way to the next meeting, I see Chloe’s office empty, and it feels…wrong. She should be here. It feels like I’m missing something when she’s not here. That’s it. I’m going to stop by her place when I leave the office, even though she made it clear that she doesn’t want me anywhere around there. I need to make sure she’s okay.

When I leave, I find myself pulling into the parking lot of a pharmacy first. I walk in, the automatic doors closing behind me with a soft whoosh.

The cashier looks up when I stop in front of her, expectant, and I realize I have no idea what I’m doing here.

What am I supposed to buy for Chloe? I don’t even know what’s wrong with her.

“I need... well, I want a little of everything,” I tell the woman. “The most popular painkillers, cold medicine, anything for the flu—just cover the bases.”

She looks at me like I’ve gone off the deep end.

“Just charge it to this,” I say, sliding my black credit card on the counter. The cashier nods and starts to gather a variety of first aid supplies, painkillers, upset stomach and flu remedies. I watch as she scans each item, the total climbing higher and higher, but I don’t care.

As the cashier bags up the last items, I take the heavy bags and head back to my car. Am I really going to go to her apartment? Things have already been intense, and I probably shouldn’t make it worse.

I grab my phone and dial Alex. “Meet me in front of the office in ten minutes.”

Alex is in front of the office building, waiting. He looks every bit as confused as I feel when I hand him the six bags filled with drugs.

“Give these to Chloe.” My voice is forced. “Let her pick whatever she needs if she’s too stubborn to see a doctor. And make sure she’s taken care of.”

“Mr. Andrews?” Alex asks just as I’m about to climb back into my car.

“I obviously need my assistant to get better and back at work. I can’t have her slacking off because she’s under the weather,” I say, and without waiting for a response, I slide into the driver’s seat and drive away.

19

Chloe

I smile at Amber’s low whistle. “You look amazing, Chloe. You’re totally gonna ace it.”

“Thanks,” I respond as I give my skirt one last smooth-over. I catch Amber’s reflection in the doorway from the mirror—pajamas on, hair up in a bun, and telltale dark circles under her eyes. She hadn’t slept a second since I’d gotten that email yesterday and stayed up to prepare with me.

“You need to relax, Amber. It’s all going to work out,” I tease, as if she’s the one going on the interview.

She chuckles. “I’ll breathe easier once you land the job.”

“And what about when I have to move out?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Amber answers. I smile, knowing she’s trying to hide her emotions and is doing a terrible job at It. Carter & Associates isn’t exactly a hop, skip, and a jump away; it’s on the outskirts of San Francisco, and our current place isn’t going to cut it if I plan on sticking with this job for more than a month.

I go over to give Amber a big bear hug. “We’re going to be fine,” I say, though my stomach’s doing somersaults.

Amber returns the hug and then checks her sleep-tracking watch. She’s the only person I know who wears wristwatches to bed. “Time’s ticking, Chloe. You don’t wanna be late.”

“I’m on it,” I say and grab my purse. “Just don’t worry yourself sick while I’m gone.”

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