Page 28 of Boss Daddy's Girl

I saw her in the crowd during the speech, but once it was done, I went to the interview just like we had planned. The only change was doing the interview with Meredith instead of Kenneth. And then there was that weirdo with the French accent at the cafe counter I caught taking pictures of us?—

Dammit. A French accent. That bastard wasn't some creepy fan; he was one of Claude's lackeys.

From there, it’s easy to put the puzzle of what must have happened together. A video of me with Meredith, shown to Ellie by Claude. Fuck. No wonder she bolted. She thought I was seeing another woman, and I didn't even consider giving her a heads-up that the interviewer had changed. This is all my fault.

I have to find a way to get through to her. This time, I don't call Ellie; instead, I call the hotel concierge. He doesn't even get the greeting out before I'm speaking. "I need a car to the airport and a ticket on the soonest flight to Denver." Then I pause, a wild, spontaneous, insane idea comes to me. "But before the airport, I need to go to a jewelry store. The best one in Salt Lake City. Hurry."

There's no time to waste. If Ellie needs me to prove myself to her, I sure as hell will. And I'll do it in a way that she will never, ever forget.

Ellie is mine. I'm not just going to win her back. I'm going to make it official.

I'm going to make us forever.

It isn'tuntil the next morning, when I'm finally on the ground in Denver, freshly showered and standing in the middle of my apartment, that I realize I don't even know Ellie's address. I'm in love with a woman, and I don't even know where she lives because I haven't paid attention to a single damn important thing since I hired her. She's done all the remembering, and now I've fucked myself.

Oh well. Just another hurdle. Just another mountain to climb. I'll find her one way or another.

No amount of Googling gives me an address, so I find myself in the humiliating position of asking my own secretary at Dragon Ascent, Stacy, for it. After getting over her shock at seeing me back in Denver a day early, Stacy hesitates at my request.

"Legally, I can't give anyone any personal information?—"

"This is me asking you," I say through gritted teeth, "as your employer."

Stacy winces. "I understand, but as your employee, I still can't legally disclose any information."

Unbelievable. I've somehow managed to hire the most morally sound secretary on the planet, and it's biting me in the ass. "Stacy, I own the damn company."

"I know, I know, it's just..." She bites at her thumbnail, looking away from me, obviously in distress.

"Stacy." I lower my voice, trying to be soothing, but the edge is still there. "I just need her address."

Stacy lets out a long breath. "It’s against the rules.”

"No one has to know."

She glances up at me, a calculating look on her face. "She's on the company credit card, right? So her address might be on the account statements..."

"Yes," I say, nodding. "If I could just see one of my business statements, and it just so happens to have her address too, well, that's nothing you did wrong."

"Okay, but only if you promise never to tell anyone I helped."

"Promise." I give her a charming grin. "You're the best, Stacy."

"Oh, stop." She blushes and waves a hand at me, but she's already turning to the filing cabinet behind her desk. "I'll go grab the statements."

After looking them over and Googling the address—an apartment building with an open roof garden—I formulate a plan in my mind at lightning speed.

"Perfect. Oh, and Stacy? I'll write you a bonus check right now for $1,000 if you'll do me one more favor. This one is really easy. All I need you to do is send a text."

Stacy Blanchard:Hi Ms. White. Mr. Evans just stopped in and said to meet him on your roof tonight, and he'll give you your bonus check. He also said you two don't have to talk; you can just take the check if you want.

Ellie White:Tell him to go to hell.

Stacy Blanchard:Oh, well, no. I won't do that, considering he's my boss and all. And he's already left, anyway. Have a good night!

After payinga party planner an obscene amount of money to set the scene, I wait for twenty minutes on the candlelit roof for the love of my life to come out. Rose petals are scattered everywhere, and the mood lighting is unmatched. I hope it will be enough to show I’m not just a bonehead climber.

She's taking so long that part of me thinks she isn't going to show. I'm ready to leave when the door to the roof finally opens, and Ellie appears, wearing a thin white summer dress. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. She's fucking perfect. It takes everything in me not to sweep her up into my arms immediately.

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