Page 29 of Dear Grumpy Boss

In fact, my single-mindedness had ended several of my relationships, including one with a woman I had almost gotten engaged to. Women had told me even when I was with them, I was at work. My focus would stray. The truth was, when it came down to it, Andes had always been more important to me. They had been right to leave me.

Yet, here I sat, mountains of responsibilities, and I wasn’t even attempting to take any of it on. While I should have been returning calls and going over a cost analysis report, I was watching a recording of the security feed of the seventh-floor stairwell.

No sound.

I could only imagine what Elise and Miles were saying to each other. Intense. Emotional. Miles looked serious for once in his life. Elise passionate.

I’d watched it several times, and it always ended the same: him hugging her, her melting into him and hugging him back.

There was no possible way they were a couple.

But why not? They were the same age. Elise was beautiful. Miles…well, he had his charms which seemed to land him women by the droves. Why wouldn’t they be interested in each other?

Disgusted at myself, I hit the keyboard.

The recording started over.

I watched it again.

Chapter Eight

Elise

Elliotwasgoingtomurder me. He hated when anyone ran late. Fortunately, my brother loved me and would forgive me…after he eviscerated me. It was the eviscerating part I wanted to skip.

Brunch wasn’t supposed to be stressful.

But when I arrived at the restaurant, Elliot wasn’t alone, nor did he look angry. He was laughing at something his friend, Luca Rossi, said. I approached the table, tentatively smiling, and they both rose. Elliot gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Luca grabbed me in his arms, dipped me back in a purely dramatic fashion, then pulled me up to kiss my forehead.

“Bellissima!” He smoothed his palm down the crown of my head, beaming at me. “It’s been too long. I’m offended you’ve been back in Denver for weeks and this is the first I’m seeing you. I had to beg Elliot to let me come along today.”

Luca Rossi was one-hundred-percent bullshit. But he was charming and made me laugh, so I let him get away with it.

That was a thing for him: women letting his caddish behavior slide. Along with the charm, he was devastatingly handsome, his Italian roots coming out in his sleek, ebony hair, golden complexion, and intense brown eyes. Add in his height and gym-refined body, and Luca made panties drop wherever he went.

It was impossible not to flirt with him. From the moment he came home with Elliot on a break from Stanford, we’d fallen into a teasing kind of friendship. We both knew it was harmless, but it drove Elliot mad.

All the more reason to do it.

“And I’m offended I’ve been back for weeks and you haven’t even called me,” I shot back as I took my seat.

Luca grabbed my hand, rubbed his thumb over my knuckles, and gave me puppy-dog eyes.

“I would have, my sweet Elise, if your selfish brother had given me your new phone number. He actually told me if I wanted it, I’d have to do the work to find it myself. Can you believe that?”

Elliot rolled his eyes. “Get your hand off my sister.”

With a smirk, Luca lifted my hand to his mouth, giving it an over-the-top, noisy kiss.

“Elise, tell Elliot to stop interfering with our relationship,” Luca pleaded.

I lifted Luca’s hand to my mouth and gave him the same kind of kiss. “Elliot, stop interfering. Don’t you want Luca as a brother-in-law?”

Elliot’s upper lip curled in disgust. “Why would you even joke about that? Now I’ve lost my appetite.”

The fourth chair at the table was suddenly pulled out, and Weston Aldrich folded himself into the seat.

“Sorry.” He placed his phone face down on the table and turned his head to greet me. “Hello, Elise.”

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