Page 70 of Beauty and the Boss Man

I stop walking. “You’ve never been on a boat?”

She shakes her head.

“Well, you're in for a fun night then,” I promise before continuing to walk.

I just hope she doesn’t get seasick.

We walk down the dock and step onto the boat. I show our reservation confirmation to the captain and the attendant while Romy looks out over the edge.

The two men introduce themselves, and a few minutes later, we are out on the water.

There’s a small table set up, covered up with a clean white tablecloth. We sit across the table from each other as the sun begins to set. It’s beautiful, but looking at Romy, I think I have the better view.

The attendant, Charles, gives us two flutes filled with champagne. I hold mine up and ask, “What should we toast to?”

She wiggles her lips back and forth as she thinks before holding up her glass. “Let’s toast to the end of a perfect week.”

That sounds like a statement, signaling the beginning of the end.

But I clink my glass against hers all the same.

A few minutes later, Charles reappears with two massive plates—each containing a beef fillet, a lobster tail, and a baked potato.

Romy’s eyes light up. “Wow, you went all out, Boss Man.”

“Only the best for you,” I reply, shooting her a wink.

She rolls her eyes but still smiles. Mission accomplished.

We eat and admire the view as the boat skims the waves.

Once we’ve finished, Charles takes all plates and disappears below deck. The captain is steering the boat, but he’s out of earshot. I figure now is as good of a time as any to talk.

I begin with, “I know both of us have been avoiding this conversation, but I think we should talk.”

“About what?”

“About what happens when we go back home—between you and me.”

Her gaze falls to her lap. “I guess we go back to how things were before. This week has been wonderful, but we decided it was just for the week, right?”

The words cut me like a knife. I thought we were on the same page.

“Is that really what you want?” I ask.

She still avoids any eye contact as she nods.

I say, “Romy, it would be easier to believe that if you were looking at me while you said it.”

Her eyes finally meet mine. “Aiden, we decided from the start that this thing had an expiration date on it. And as perfect as this week has been, I think we should stick to it.”

When I don’t immediately respond, she goes on. “Aiden, you and I have a great working relationship, and I don’t think we should do anything to ruin that. I really need this job. I can’t risk losing it.”

The way she says she needs this job makes me think something is going on that she’s not telling me, but I don’t press her about it.

Because at the end of the day, she said she wants this thing to be over. And I made a promise that I wouldn’t do anything to make her feel uncomfortable. I meant every word of it.

I could sit here and be a dick about it, or I could enjoy our last night together.

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