Page 55 of The Guy Who Became My Grumpy Boss

“I like the axolotl, but it will be hard to see the logo against the dark and varied colors. However, not everyone likes pastels.”

I was one of those people.

Jessica looked at me. “Do we have to use just one animal?”

“The Olympics sometimes has more than one mascot,” Anna pointed out.

I’d had a limited time to prepare for this and hadn’t anticipated this question. The familiar rise of shame at not being prepared and panic for not having an answer rose in me. I took a breath to coax the emotions back and said, “I’m not sure.”

Jessica made a face. “Probably best to stick with one, which means I choose the axolotl.”

It took us half an hour to come up with the color schemes for everything, as well as the logo placement. In the end, we decided to put the logo on the bottom of the animal’s paw, to both minimize the impact that it was company swag, and according to the ladies, maximize the cuteness factor.

Less than an hour after we’d walked in, I took a horrible selfie among the stuffed insects for Aunt Mei, and Jessica and I walked back onto the street. I pulled my phone out to order a rideshare, but Jessica reached out and put a hand on my arm.

I hoped that this kind of casual touching would become commonplace for us. It sent warmth through my whole body, and for some reason, it made me feel safe.

“I can give you a ride.”

A ride? I stopped moving and stared at her.

“In my car.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder and put her sunglasses on, which reminded me of a Miami cop show.

I hadn’t been planning on going with her. I wasn’t prepared for it.

My aunt’s voice came into my head. “You don’t have toprepare for everything. Sometimes good things just happen.”

“Or not.” Jessica shrugged and turned to walk away.

Sometimes good things just happen.

I reached and plucked Jessica’s hand out of the air.

She stopped and looked at me, but I couldn’t see her eyes through her glasses.

I could do this. I could change my schedule and my mindset.

For her.

“I would appreciate a ride,” I said.

“Great. I’m parked over here.” Her fingers slid from mine as she walked away, and I felt loss like I hadn’t in years.

I can do this.

After she took a few steps, I followed. It was easy to let her lead me to the alley and into the back parking lot. I hadn’t even known this was here.

Jessica headed for a blue sedan. When she got there, she patted the top and said, “She’s not much, but she’s reliable.”

I didn’t even own a car. If I absolutely needed one, I rented it.

Jessica clicked a button and unlocked the doors. I opened the one closest to me and slipped inside.

Jessica didn’t have many personal things at her desk. This was the closest to her life outside work—barring watching her Curvy Girl Crew videos—that I’d ever seen.

A quilted red and black cover ensconced her steering wheel. A pink, steel water bottle sat in one of the cup holders between us. A raindrop-shaped piece of red glass the size of a quarter hung from her rearview mirror. I noticed her suit jacket in the back seat.

She settled her coffee in the other cup holder.

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