Page 43 of Stuck with Mr. Grump

I don’t have to think too hard about it, though. By the time morning rolls around, I’m sending her a text asking her to show up to work before 10 a.m. It doesn’t take her more than a couple of minutes before she replies.

Emilia: You already have a job for me?

Me: Sure, how do you feel about being an assistant?

Emilia: Whose?

Me: Mine.

She said the job would only be temporary, and considering I’m about to get really busy with the development plans taking off, I’ll be in need of an assistant anyway. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.

Emilia starts to text, then the dots disappear before they reappear once again.

Emilia: Why does this feel like a bad idea?

The openness of the text surprises me a little bit. Because she’s absolutely right. I can’t think of anything worse than spending time in close quarters with her every single day. But you live, you learn. There’s also a part of me that really wants to spend time in close quarters with her every single day.

I text her back a couple simple words.

Me: Where’s your sense of adventure, Emilia?

CHAPTER 13

Emilia

My heart lurches in my chest as I read his last text over and over again. The two of us are practically toeing the edge of something, and I can’t exactly name what it is. All it know is that it makes me feel sick, but it also feels nice at the same time.

Then the reality of my situation settles in and I practically jump out of bed.

“Nika!” I call out as I beeline straight for my closet. “Anika?”

My sister walks into my bedroom, her eyes half closed and her steps sluggish. She rubs her eyes before peering at me.

“Why are you yelling my name at such an ungodly hour?” she asks, yawning softly.

“It’s eight a.m.,” I point out. “And I have to be at work in less than two hours.”

Her brows furrow and she stares at me in confusion.

“Don’t you usually need to be at the café by seven, though?” she questions airily.

“Nika, I already closed down the café and it’s about to be sold. Keep up, little sis.”

“Right, I knew that,” she murmurs. Her eyes briefly flicker close and she rubs her forehead before looking at me again. Herconfusion is kind of adorable. “If you’re not going to the café, then what work are we talking about?”

“My new job,” I clarify. “At Harrington Holdings.”

“Your new job at…” She stops abruptly, and her pupils grow larger. “Say what now? Okay, slow down, sissy. I’m going to need you to start making sense. You’re working where?”

“At Harrington Holdings,” I repeat.

“I didn’t know you applied for a job there. When?”

“Yesterday.”

Anika sighs. “The full story, Emilia. Please.”

“Alright, fine. So you know how I’m selling my café to them? Well, I was talking to Sterling yesterday and I may have brought it up as a joke that I wanted to work at his company, but then it became serious because I actually do need to work. And I honestly thought he’d tell me to fuck off, but he just texted me this morning and told me I was hired and that I have to be there before ten a.m. and I have nothing to wear!”

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