Page 47 of The Billionaire Boss and the Barista

And really, who the hell was Garrett to decide what was best for her? Or for her cousin?

“It’s because he used to know me, how I was before.”

Emma stared down at her hands. Her palms had faint scars from the accident. She didn’t even know what had made them. Morose, she focused on the glimpse of the water out the service window.

Wouldn’t it be nice to sail off on one of the boats on the horizon? It beat being second-guessed, what little independence she had snatched away.

Her shoulders slumped. “Garrett compares the old Emma to the current one. He sees how broken and less I am, and he feelssorry for me.”

The words fell like bricks, almost thudding in the little space.

Bethany winced. After a minute, she raised her shoulders. “Are you sure you were that great before?”

Emma almost choked on her sudden laughter. Bethany might have been a monster, but Emma liked her brutal honesty.

“It’s pity. There’s some guilt too, but it’s mostly pity,” she said, but without the incipient tears. “Lucky me, I get to be his new charity project. Once I’ve improved to his satisfaction, he’ll move on to the next one.”

For once, her snarky coworker appeared at a loss for words.

“Not that I plan on waiting for him to decide,” Emma added. “I’ll be out of his place as soon as I find a roommate situation that’s not too far or too gross. Something affordable.”

Bethany held up her hands. “Don’t look at me. I already have two roommates.”

Also, it would have been a disaster. Bethany was best in small doses.

“Maybe Kyle,” Emma thought out loud. “He’s been saying he wants to move out of his mom’s house. Maybe we can find a cheap place together.”

“Dude, you think you’ve got guy problems now? Move in with Kyle and see what happens.”

Emma pursed her lips. Bethany had a point. Kyle was sweet but he had a puppy dog crush on her. That could get awkward very quickly.

“There’s always Craigslist. I’ll find something.”

Bethany rolled her eyes. “Better than a penthouse?”

She shrugged. “More permanent at least. Garrett’s white knight complex won’t last. I’ve got a week or two, a month tops, before he gets tired of me cramping his style.”

The other woman looked disappointed. “It does seem a little too Cinderella to be real.”

Finally, a reference she knew. “Hey, I’ve seen that one!”

Emma had watched both Disney versions of the movie last year with her little sister. Then their mother made them watchEver After, which was her favorite film version of the fairy tale.

Bethany smirked and shook her head.

“I’m not wrong about Garrett, either. You should see his place. It screams Playboy bachelor so loud you can hear it.”

“Playboy, huh? I take it back. You are so going to end up in a sex dungeon.” Bethany smirked and rocked back on her heels. “Make sure he knows how to tie you up properly. If they haven’t practiced, they end up cutting off your circulation.”

Emma groaned. “I don’t want to know how you know this.”

The blonde preened, popping her gum again. “You really don’t.”

Chapter Twenty

GARRETT

He choked down a second antihistamine, seriously hoping it wasn’t possible to overdose on the things.

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