Page 37 of Boss's Baby Surprise

Clarissa let out an aggravated sound. “The receptionist didn’t come in. She didn’t even call, and she hasn’t returned any of my calls. I don’t know whether I should be angry or worried.”

“You’ve been doing your old job all day?”

“Exactly, and not that measuring the empty offices upstairs is a whole lot of fun, but it's what I was supposed to be doing today. Instead, I’ve just been sitting here waiting for the phone to ring.”

“Why don’t you set the phones to voicemail and come and have a drink with me?”

“I have to be somewhere by six,” she said.

“The same meeting you had yesterday?”

She nodded.

“It’s only four thirty. You have plenty of time,” I pointed out.

“But the office doesn’t close for another hour.”

“I’m the boss. Close early. Come on, Clarissa, one little drink.”

“Fine, one drink, but nothing alcoholic,” she insisted.

“We can go to the coffee shop if you want.” I gave her my best pleading expression. How could she resist me?

“I shouldn’t, but okay,” she gave in.

“Great, be ready to go in fifteen minutes.”

19

CLARISSA

Ican’t believe I agreed to go out for coffee with Kyle. Nerves in my stomach rioted in an entirely too familiar way. It would be so easy to slip back into our old habits. He was funny and charming, and I spent entirely too much time giggling.

“You really did well in the meeting today,” he said.

It had felt good when James had said that, but when Kyle said it… somehow, it meant more. I tried and failed at not blushing. I knew this couldn’t be anything more than colleagues wrapping up the end of a long work week. I reminded myself that this was all this was allowed to be. But I was too wound up, too nervous. Relief flooded my body when the alarm on my phone went off.

“I’ve got to go,” I announced as I scrambled to pull my things together.

“Are you sure?” He placed his hand over the top of mine. “Stay a little bit longer.”

“I really can’t. I had a nice time,” I admitted.

“Have dinner with me this weekend,” he demanded.

I cast my gaze to the side. I bit my lip and looked anywhere but at him. “Maybe.”

I should’ve said no. But part of me wanted to have a nice adult conversation that didn’t involve work, and part of me just wanted to see Kyle again. “I’ll see if I can figure something out,” I said. “I’ll text you tomorrow?”

As much as I was going to be late picking up Leo, it felt like I was running away from Kyle. I didn’t wanna run away from Kyle, and that was problematic.

I knew it was.

“How’s my big boy?” I asked as soon as I walked into the daycare.

“Mommy!” Leo already had his jacket on, and his bag was packed and waiting by the door. I knew it was because I was almost too late.

Miss Franny looked at her wall clock and then at me. “You just barely made it.”

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