Page 24 of My Not So Wicked Boss (My Not So Wicked 3)

Today was the perfect day, though-sunny, light jacket weather, and I was quitting. Yep, I wasn’t even giving two weeks’ notice. It was the first rebellious thing I had done in years, and it felt oh so good. Almost as good as that spring break trip to Florida where I inherited the tiny heart tattoo on my butt. Well, maybe. Miles gave me a hefty signing bonus for starting right away and the balance in my bank account did make me feel pretty euphoric.

I headed straight for my cubicle and set Henry on my desk while I filled my bag with the few personal items I’d kept there. The framed picture of Chloe and me doing our best duck faces was really all I cared about. Henry took the picture from me and pointed to Chloe. “I love Co-ee.”

Chloe was already in love with him too. He was seriously adorable. He cried yesterday when we left. And this morning when I showed up early to start my duties as his nanny, he was all smiles and full of hugs and kisses. His uncle, on the other hand, was relieved to finally get some time to write. I had to say I was happy to give it to him. I needed that book.

“Do you want to hold the picture for me?” I asked Henry.

He hugged it to his chest.

I had just placed my stash of protein bars in my bag when overly shiny Stephen appeared in my cubicle. His comb-over this morning looked more like a swirly Q plastered to his forehead with gel. I pressed my lips together so I wouldn’t bust out laughing. I was so going to snap a picture of it and send it to my friends.

Stephen smacked his lips, making a sound that made me want to wretch. “You’re late,” he said with way too much satisfaction. “And,” his beady eyes landed on Henry, “this isn’t bring-your-child-to-work day.”

The idiot didn’t even realize Henry wasn’t mine, though I would claim him in a heartbeat, especially after he pointed at Stephen and said, “You have a tail on your head.”

There was no holding back my laugh. Henry joined in and giggled too, repeating to me, “He has a tail on his head.” He was right. It did look like a rat tail.

Stephen turned so red he almost looked purple. He ran his hand over his hair, which only made it worse. He had used so much gel it made his hair stick straight up. While he tried to smooth his hair down, he spluttered, “I’m going to have to write you up for this.”

“You do that. I quit.” Wow, did that feel amazing to say.

Stephen’s jaw dropped. “Is this some sort of practical joke?”

I picked up Henry and gave him a squeeze. “Looks like the joke’s on you. You may have to do some actual work until you can find my replacement. Good luck with that.” I grabbed my bag and strode right past Stephen. “By the way, you have spinach in your teeth . . . again.”

He covered his mouth with his hand and muttered, “I hope you don’t expect a good reference.”

I laughed as I walked away. “Believe me, I would have never asked you for one. In your last email, you spelled absences abscesses. And no, I won’t be ‘comming’ to the training meeting. You might want to invest in a spell checker.” How he graduated from college I had no idea.

“For that, you’re fired,” he yelled.

I waved to him from behind while two of the other personal bankers stood, envious, and silently clapped for me. We all hated him. I bowed as best I could with Henry in my arms.

After I was done grandstanding, I kissed Henry’s head. “Let’s go say goodbye to Evelyn.” She was the one person I would miss. We hopped on the elevator and Henry insisted on pushing the button for the second floor. I never quite understood why kids loved to push the elevator’s buttons, but Chloe had as well. She’d had a meltdown when she was four at the doctor’s office because I accidentally forgot and did it myself. After her exorcist event, I never touched another button until she was ten.

In Evelyn fashion, she was all smiles when I got off the elevator holding my new charge. Evelyn grinned wider when she recognized Henry. “Is this who I think it is?”

“I’m Henry,” he was quick to answer in his adorable accent, leaving no doubt who he was.

Evelyn came around her desk in a happy tizzy. “Please tell me you and the debonair Brit are dating? I had a feeling about you two.”

With a shake of my head I dashed her hopes. “Sorry, but,” I paused for dramatic effect, “I’m his new nanny and personal assistant.”

She playfully smacked my arm. “You’re kidding me.”

---