Page 23 of Starting Over with Her Billionaire Boss

“And how many times have you asked her to get you one? On her own?” Lourdes surveyed him.

“I haven’t wanted one since,” he lied.

Fortunately, the meeting began and put a halt to Lourdes’ line of questioning. It was hard to concentrate on the presentation of a new proposed software for the office. His eyes kept drifting to Kinsley. She on the other hand seemed engrossed in taking notes, avoiding his gaze. Lourdes stood up, discussing how the program could help streamline the office’s responsibilities, but Daegan’s mind was miles away.

“Mr. Westerhouse, what are your thoughts on it?” Lourdes asked, snapping him back to attention. She squinted, calling him out on his bluff.

Daegan cleared his throat. “I think it would be a nice addition. But I will trust your judgment as the office manager.” He hoped his brief lapse in focus had gone unnoticed by everyone else.

The meeting continued, but the tension continued too, hanging in the air like a heavy fog. Anytime Kinsley looked at him, their eyes met for only a second before they looked away, as if afraid to acknowledge the growing distance between them.

When everyone filed out of the room to return to their tasks, Daegan called out, “Kinsley, can I see you in my office for a moment?”

Kinsley nodded, though a flicker of apprehension crossed her face. She followed him to his office, closing the door softly behind her.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, her voice tight.

Daegan leaned against his desk, trying to appear casual. “I just wanted to ask how your weekend went. We haven’t had a chance to talk.” Truthfully, he had been avoiding her as much as he could.

“It was fine,” she said, her voice steady. But he could see her fingers tighten around her laptop. Kinsley stayed near the door, the distance between them feeling as deliberate as the way she avoided meeting his eyes.

“That’s good,” he said, walking around his desk. As Daegan sat down in his chair, their eyes met for a moment before Kinsley looked at the windows behind him.

An awkward silence stretched between them. Daegan desperately wanted to ask about the “he” Kinsley had mentioned on the phone yesterday, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The thought of her with someone else made his chest tighten. Who was the man that had been over this past weekend? Cameron?

“Was there anything else?” Kinsley asked, pulling him from his theories.

Daegan shook his head. “No, that’s all. I just wanted to make sure…that we’re good.”

Kinsley gave a curt nod and turned to leave. As she reached for the door handle, Daegan’s voice stopped her.

“Kinsley...”

She paused, looking back at him expectantly. As their eyes locked, a warmth washed over him.

“…Are we good?” The words felt inadequate, but they were all he had.

Kinsley gave a slight smile. “We’re good, Mr. Westerhouse.” The formality stung more than it should have. The door closed behind her with a soft click.

Daegan sank into his chair, rubbing a hand over his face.Maybe it’s better this way.After all, emotions held no place in business.

It wasn’ta surprise to Kinsley that Wednesday had been fairly uneventful with her boss. Her interactions with him so far that week had been quick and concise. She hoped that Mr. Westerhouse had dropped the idea of buying her house. But with it, it seemed like he’d also dropped the idea of speaking to Kinsley beyond direct work orders and company meetings.

With Thursday morning already off to a good start, her week might end on a positive note. Though the new distance they had was cold, she was starting to adjust to it. It felt like she could breathe—albeit a breath that was as icy as winter air, despite the summer warmth outside. At least he was keeping things professional.

Kinsley could hear his voice echoing down the hallway as she walked toward his office. The tone sent a shiver down her spine; this was worse than he’d been at his house that night. She hadn’t known such a thing was possible. Perhaps her positive outlook was about to change. For a moment, she thought about turning around and finding something else to occupy herself, while Mr. Westerhouse gave an earful to whomever was on his bad side today. Instead, Kinsley took a steadying breath and continued on to the end of the hall, papers in hand.

His door was open. When she peeked inside, Mr. Westerhouse waved her in. Kinsley was partially relieved to know the person receiving his ire was only on the other end of the phone in his hand, not seated before his desk. The secondhand embarrassment of that would not have allowed her to stay.

“Waiting until the last minute to tell me this isn’t exactly professional,” Mr. Westerhouse said, voice sharp as a whip as he gripped the phone tight. The bite in his voice was enough to make Kinsley want to cower.

She sat opposite his desk, handing him the papers he had requested earlier.

He mouthed a “thank you” to her as he took them. Kinsley was careful not to touch him. “I don’t care what excuses you have, Roger. That’s the second time now that youforgotto tell me about something I need to attend. You just did it to Lourdes recently. You can’t just schedule my own meetings and then not tell me until the day before. If Iforgotto issue you your paycheck, I’m sure you wouldn’t be too fond of it, either.”

Ouch.

“I don’t want to hear it, Roger. Save it. I will see you there.” Mr. Westerhouse hung up. The distant voice of Roger was still rambling until it clicked into the receiver.

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