Page 62 of Romance with Mr. Bossy Pants

She shoots me a deadpan look. “That probably wouldn’t be the best way to get me to talk.”

“Then tell me what is.”

Chloe smirks. “You sound pretty—"

Two glasses of wine at dinner and now beer. It has to be the alcohol talking. “I feel pretty desperate right about now. Let’s start with your past relationships.”

I can’t tell Chloe that I stalked her Facebook page and found the engagement picture on it, so I hope she brings it up herself.

“Are you sure I can be honest with you? No judgment tonight?”

“I’d be upset if you weren’t.”

“I was sort of involved in an office romance. Well, I wouldn't call it romance, so let’s just say it was a fling. It was more like a mistake after drinking too much at the company holiday party. You get the idea.”

“Yeah, unfortunately, I do. So, you hooked up with someone from work…hang on. I’m gonna grab another beer. I’m guessing this story won’t end well.”

Taking a deep breath, she carries on. “Anyway, I really loved my old job. It was basically my whole life for the last seven years. I started as an Intern after college and worked my way up to Director. I went on dates, but I hadn’t been in a serious relationship until…” she drawls.

“Uh-huh?”

Clearing her throat, she continues. “Anyway, I hooked up with that co-worker after the holiday party.”

“No judgment from me. It happens a lot, believe it or not. I’ve been there.”

“The guy turned out to be a real piece of work. He told me he was single. Two days later, he announced he got engaged over the holiday break to his long-term girlfriend.”

“He sounds like a total—”

“Trust me. I know. He was. And that’s not even the worst part. I told him exactly what I thought about him and made sure I treated him as such. A few months later, he was promoted to being my boss.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah. And what’s worse, he doesn’t know anything about the job.”

“Then how did he get promoted?”

“He’s the owner’s son.”

Dang.

“Wow. I get it, though.”

“You do?”

“Of course. You have a few drinks, it gets out of control, and next thing you know, your job is on the line…or you feel like you have to quit because it’s all of the sudden uncomfortable.”

“Exactly. And now, I’m here.”

I frown. That isn’t the story I was hoping to get out of this conversation. Maybe she doesn't trust me enough yet and she's testing the waters with this story. Whatever. I'll let it go. Eventually, she’ll feel comfortable enough to tell me about the man she was once engaged to.

“Chloe?” I call softly, and Chloe turns to look at me. “I owe you an apology for that night in the office, you know, when you asked me about Maddie during the power outage. You sort of caught me off guard, and I could have handled that better.”

“It’s okay,” Chloe shrugs. “I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that.”

“Maddie was...she was like a light in a room. She always knew how to make things brighter. I can’t explain.”

“I can imagine. She sounds wonderful.”

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