Page 28 of The Guy Who Became My Grumpy Boss

She stood. “You should specifically look at numbers twenty-one, twenty-two, and twenty-five. They should be okay for everyone. Even me.” Jessica snatched her untouched food off my desk and walked out my office door.

Unfortunately, she didn’t slam it behind her.

It would have made us both feel better.

And this way, I couldn’t bury my face in my hands and ask myself how I’d let a professional interaction go so far awry.

Chapter 9

-Jessica-

I’d never lost it like that with Danger Zone.

Actually, I hadn’t lost it like that in years.

What was wrong with me?

A little voice in my head intruded.He started it.

He had, I conceded as I stomped to the break room, but did that give me the right to stoop to his level? I hadn’t realized that I was so sensitive about Marissa’s declaration that he didn’t like curvy girls. It had me rethinking everything he’d said. Why bring up body types? And why attack me when he was overwhelmed, or whatever he was feeling?

Right now, he was probably rethinking the raise he’d given me as well as my continued employment.

I threw my food down on one of the many small round tables and sat.

Had I been fooling myself about Danger Zone all this time? So many people claimed he was terse to the point of being rude, but I’d never seen it. Not like what had just happened.

It had never been directed at me.

I thought of Brooke. She was sweet as honey, until she decided she had a bone to pick with you, then she was terrifying.

As if my friend had known I was thinking about her, I got a text from Brooke.

Brooke:Are we still hanging out tonight?

We’d found a dress she liked, then had gone back to my apartment to watch a chick flick and had downed more popcorn and ice cream than any two people should in a week.

Jessica:I’m surprised you can even move after all that ice cream.

Brooke:Child’s play.

I laughed, and for a moment didn’t feel like destroying anything.

Brooke:So, pie tonight?

I loved that she knew pie was my favorite.

Jessica:We’re going to need a lot of pie to fix my day.

Several people came into the break room and eyed me suspiciously. Probably because I usually stayed at my desk during lunch. However, I wasn’t about to leave now, so I broke open my take-out containers and started eating.

Brooke:Tell me. William left early this morning, and it’s too muddy to ride the horses.

What should I say? I did my job too well, which made my boss mad for some reason, then he threw me out of his office, and now I’m pouting in the break room?

Actually, I decided to give her exactly those details, but with an explanation about the retreat as well.

Brooke:Wow. Big day so far.

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