Page 71 of My Not So Wicked Boss (My Not So Wicked 3)

Chloe scrunched her nose and thought for a moment. “That make sense. But Shakespeare didn’t like him either.”

Miles chuckled. “No, he did not, but Henry VI did found Oxford, so he can’t be that bad of a chap. And just remember, dear Chloe, history turns on little hinges. Sometimes we make decisions that in the moment may seem insignificant, but when we look back, we see how monumental they were. As we study this ugly bit of British history, let us keep that in mind.”

It was interesting to watch Chloe think about what he said, to see the respect she had for Miles in her eyes. “You’re really smart,” she commented.

“You think so?”

“Well, it could be your accent,” she teased.

Miles laughed loudly. “Cheeky girl.”

“Thank you, Miles,” she said sincerely. “I can see why my mom likes you.”

I dropped his manuscript. Why would she say that? Didn’t she know I could hear her?

Miles’s head jerked up; our eyes locked from across the room. “How can you tell that she does?” he asked her, still very much staring at me.

She shrugged. “She’s different around you. I think it’s because she’s not so lonely.” Chloe faced me now too and gave me a half smile. “I’m glad she doesn’t have to do everything alone now.”

My heart broke a little. I thought I’d been a better actor, but my daughter had seen through my brave front. It appeared she knew me better than I knew myself. My heart ached, wondering if she thought she wasn’t enough for me, because there was nothing further from the truth. But there was something nice about having someone around to share responsibilities with. Until tonight, never had anyone said, go read a book while I help Chloe with her homework. Even at her last game, Miles picked up on something I missed as her mom and coach. Had he not, the game could have turned out completely different. Because of him, Chloe was the hero. The man brought laughter to our dinner table and car rides. Henry too had added a dimension I hadn’t realized how badly I was missing. The need to mother more little people. I never thought I would have the chance again, so I’d buried that desire like I had so many others. Miles and Henry had both awoken something in me.

Maybe that’s what Chloe was seeing when she said I was different. She was seeing a mother who allowed herself to feel and possibly even hope for the true desires of her heart. But that couldn’t be with Miles, even if I was different around him. Even if, like Chloe said, I did like him. I liked him very much. How could I not? There he sat with my daughter giving her priceless wisdom along with his time. He valued my opinions and treated me with respect. He even endured my criticisms of him and tried to change. He was different than any man I had ever known. But he was my boss. And that’s all he would ever be.Chapter Twenty-SevenI nestled into my pillows, ready to finally dig into the manuscript. I’d tried while Miles was helping Chloe, but the two of them were more compelling than his book, and that was saying something. From the snippets I had gotten in, I knew it was going to be good, but watching Miles help Chloe had a profound effect on me. Not only did I wish for someone like that for her, but it made me realize Henry was in good hands. Miles had the makings of a great father. He was patient but he knew when to push, like when Chloe just wanted him to tell her how and why Henry VI came to be the king of England and France. He nudged her to look it up, telling her she would retain the information better if she read it for herself. He even had her make notes to further commit it to memory. I smiled when I thought of the great introductory line they came up with together. Henry VI, well intentioned fool or whimpering ninny?

Before Chloe went to bed, she reiterated some of the same sentiments she had so boldly declared to Miles, but this time she asked me directly if I liked him. I told her I did like him, that he was a good friend to us. She wrinkled her brow at the word friend. She expressed herself how much she liked him and liked living here.

I hadn’t counted on that. I mean, I knew she would like to live back in Carrington Cove, but I didn’t expect either of us to feel so comfortable basically living with Miles and Henry. Yet while that was true, I had also never been more uncomfortable. At least with myself, that was. I didn’t know who or what I should be anymore. I didn’t want to be that lonely woman my daughter saw. But how did I change that without Miles? Why couldn’t it be Miles?

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