Page 63 of Grump and Grumpier

“I heard him ask you out. Employees aren’t allowed to date.”

The scathing look she gives me isalmostenoughto bring me to my senses. I know I’m not being reasonable, but I don’t see why I should be.

My world is still a deep, angry red as I stalk off without another look at either of them.

CHAPTER 49

ANA

“I’m so sorry, Owen. This won’t stand. I’ll sort it out. Don’t worry.”

The marketing director is bewildered and angry, though not nearly as angry as Jansen. “That was ridiculous. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“No, you haven’t.” Apparently, there’s plenty of anger to go around, because I’m overflowing with it myself, and I’m also sick to my stomach that Owen’s been brought into what is clearly a personal issue for Jansen.

“I’ve never seen a policy against dating a coworker here, and it’s not as if I’m trying to date someone who’s above or below me in the office hierarchy.”

That very legitimate distinction stabs at me, even though it’s not Owen’s intention to make me feel guilty.

“Why don’t you take the day off, while I get this fixed?”

He shakes his head in annoyance. “I’m not sure it’s worth fixing. I don’t want to work at a company where things are so volatile.”

CHAPTER 50

DEREK

The muffled sound of a heated argument greets me before I get back to my office. Jansen’s door is closed, but it’s not enough to hide the fact that it’s he and Ana who are arguing.

I knock once as I open the door, then quickly close it behind me. I raise my voice to interrupt the both of them. “What’s going on?”

After glancing my way, Ana glares at Jansen, as if expecting him to explain. She should know better, and it doesn’t take long for her to realize he’s not going to speak.

“He fired Owen!”

“What? Why?” I look at both of them, expecting Ana to be the one to elaborate, but Jansen’s fired up.

“He was fucking hitting on her.”

“What? What did he say to you, Ana? Are you okay?”

She waves her hand dismissively in Jansen’s direction. “Don’t make it sound like the man was harassing me. He simply asked me out to dinner, then you burst in and fired him.”

I don’t like the sound of that, and I must be scowling, because Ana turns her ire on me. “And you, don’t stand there looking like you think what Jansen did was justified. He’s a good employee, and it was unacceptable to treat him that way.”

“What did you say to him?” I ask her.

“Who, Owen? That’s completely beside the point. The point is that Jansen fired him for no good reason!”

When she mentions Owen’s name, I picture him taking her out, and my gut floods with acid. “Seems like a good reason to me.”

“Are you kidding me?! You can’t be serious.”

“You can’t go out with him, Ana.” Jansen says aloud what I was thinking, but wasn’t about to say, because Ana’s not having it.

“You can’t control me.” She’s no longer yelling. Instead, her voice is eerily calm. “I don’t belong to you just because we’ve been sleeping together.”

She turns to leave, but I grab her arm. “You’re ours, and only ours. What makes Owen even think he has a chance with you? Are you interested in him?”

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