Page 4 of Heart Like Yours

“Never. I know how much you hate being snuck up on.” He scratches the back of his neck, his small smile turning sheepish. “That was actually the second time I tried to get your attention.”

“Sorry, I was really lost in thought.” My eyes drop to the baggie on my desk and I squeal, lunging forward to snatch it up. “Oh my gosh, where did you find these?”

After ripping the bag open, I dump the candy hearts into my hand, immediately picking out a yellow one and plopping it into my mouth. “I’m eternally grateful to whoever created these delicious candies.”

“My secret stash.” Garrett shrugs and I narrow my eyes at him.

“Are you telling me that there are candy hearts somewhere in your office and you didn’t tell me?”

“Yes, I am,” he says simply. “And no, I’m not going to tell you now.”

“Well, that’s rude,” I grumble and pop another heart into my mouth.

After closing my office door, giving us a safe space to talk freely, Garrett lowers himself into the chair across from me and watches me for a moment.

“Everything okay?”

It’s an effort not to squirm under his attention. After two years of working for him, one would assume his disarming good looks don’t get to me. However, after seeing him almost every day, I can confirm my boss’s looks still very much affect me.

Garrett is the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. He’s always dressed to impress, even outside of working hours when we go out with the team. I have no doubts that every suit he owns is tailored specifically for him. He’s easily one of the tallest men I know, and based on the way his biceps and thighs strain against his clothes, I can definitely imagine just how toned he is. His dark hair and full, perfect lashes only make his hazel eyes stand out. Add in his sharp jawline and a smile that makes a single dimple pop out… He is the definition of panty-dropping handsome.

And he’s my boss.

Needing to distract myself from thoughts about how good-looking the man across from me is, I shift my attention to my computer screen.

“Yeah, I just got lost in finishing emails.”

Garrett slowly nods, his assessing gaze telling me he doesn’t quite believe me, but I change the subject before he can call me out.

“I sent over a request for moving forward with a termination for Brandon,” I say, plopping another candy heart into my mouth. Turning my computer screen so Garrett can see, I pull up the employee file.

He sighs, leaning forward as he reads over the documentation that shows all we’ve done as a company to assist Brandon however we can. I pass over the mouse so he can scroll at his pace.

“Outside of babysitting him and holding his hand through each task he’s given, we’ve done everything we could. He’s called out every Friday for the past month and has been late the past three Mondays. His original claims were that his mother is sick, but the videos he posts through all hours of the night say otherwise. Both Eva and I have given him several tips for time management.” I shake my head. “We’ve given him all the resources and support we have at our disposal.”

Garrett nods, moving the mouse back toward me. “Let me know when you’re going to have the termination conversation and I’ll make sure either myself or someone from HR is there as support.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as they give me the green light.” Closing the file, I turn the monitor back to its normal position. Garrett’s attention burns the side of my face, but I keep my focus on my screen, hoping he’ll just move to the next work-related subject.

“What else is on your mind?” Garrett asks, promptly ignoring my silent request to stay on track.

I shake my head automatically, forcing a smile. “Nothing.”

His dark brows scrunch together, the frown on his face so unlike him as he watches me with a knowing gaze, and I roll my eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Then tell me the truth,” he says softly. I hold his stare, weighing the pros and cons of telling him where my thoughts have been drifting to.

“You don’t actually want to know,” I mumble, trying once more to deter him while my resolve starts to fade away.

Over the past two years, we’ve gotten close. As the founder of this company, despite the overwhelming success SweetHeart Publishing has had, Garrett has continued to stay hands on in a lot of ways. He’s the first to offer to stay late with me when there’s work to finish, is a part of every Monday check-in with the team followed by a weekly one-on-one with me, and he manages to make time to partake in our monthly team outings.

Our jobs quite literally force us to spend time together. Becoming close to him was inevitable. If it weren’t for the fact that he’s literally the one who signs my paychecks, I’d consider him one of my closest friends.

“You’d be surprised,” he whispers.

My cheeks heat at the intensity of both his words and the way he carefully watches me.

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