Page 64 of Romance with Mr. Bossy Pants

“Hey, I thought you had already left,” I say, fixing my hair.

“Please, you have to stay for breakfast.”

“No, I should get—”

“No buts.”

“I’m really not hungry, and I have to be somewhere.”

Daniel folds his arms and leans toward me with a smug smirk. “If you don’t stay for breakfast, you’re fired.”

My eyes widen in shock. “What?!”

“I’m kidding. Just hurry up and get in here already,” he snickers, walking away.

Jeez, can this man be any more infuriating?

The table is decked out like Thanksgiving came early. I see a stack of fluffy pancakes with syrup drizzled over them. Next to it, there’s a skillet of scrambled eggs and crispy bacon strips that could wake up the whole neighborhood with their sizzle. Not to mention, a bowl of fruit salad and a plate of freshly baked blueberry muffins.

It smells like heaven, and now I feel like a bear just out of hibernation.

“I couldn’t decide on what to make,” Daniel says as he settles down.

“Wait. You made all this?”

“Yep. I figured I’d cover all the bases.”

What the...? He definitely hit a home run with this spread, and I wolf down what my stomach can take. Daniel, thankfully, didn’t interrupt, although it felt uncomfortable having his eyes follow my every move.

I know he’s waiting to talk and chalk up last night to a classic blunder. But as he parts his lips, probably to start the ‘it was a mistake’ speech, I jump in.

“Let’s forget last night ever happened,” I say.

“What?”

“Let’s face the truth, Daniel. It was wrong on so many levels. You know how these things work. We talked about it last night. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed what we did, and I’m sure you did, too. But if you’re worried that I’ll get all mushy and romantic on you, don’t.”

Wow.

I never knew that the words coming out of my own mouth could hurt this much. And I totally underestimated how much my own heart would sink at the sound of them.

Daniel’s face drops as he leans back in his seat.

“This was simply something that happened in the heat of the moment as far as I’m concerned.”

“Really?” he asks.

“And you should be happy to hear that it won’t affect our office dynamics anymore either because I’m leaving.”

Daniel puts his head down. “You’re leaving?”

“I got a job offer from another company. I’ll be starting in just over a week.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” Daniel’s eyes darken.

“Well, it’s not like we’re dating. You make it pretty clear that you’re just my boss all the time,” I retort. “We just work together.”

“And you think that excuses it? That I wouldn’t care?”

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