Page 47 of Stuck with Mr. Grump

I sigh softly before agreeing. I leave his office to pack my things from my desk outside, and by the time I’m done, he’s standing right behind me. As far as first days ago, my day here at Harrington Holdings wasn’t so bad.

I received a lot of weird looks from the other employees but they mostly stopped after Sterling reiterated that my presence here is only temporary, same as his, until he returns back to his position at New York. I think a lot of the looks from the other employees has a lot to do with Lisa, to be honest. I had no idea she was such a bitch.

“You okay?” Sterling questions from the wheel.

I look at him and nod once. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just thinking about today.”

“And how was it?”

“It was fine. You’re actually much more tolerable than I give you credit for.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” he drawls.

“Yeah. One of the few ones you’ll ever be getting from me.”

He simply shakes his head at that. “How’s Paige?”

My heart warms at the fact that he’s thought to ask. Sterling Harrington is surprisingly not as superficial as I thought he would be. He’s proven me wrong on a lot of things, actually, and I feel like every day he continues to surprise me with his actions.

“She’s okay. Her leg’s healing nicely and they’re hoping she can get started on the physical therapy soon enough.”

“That’s good. She seems like a strong girl. I’m sure she’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, she will be,” I agree.

We arrive as my house pretty quickly. “Thanks for the ride, Mr. Harrington,” I say to him once he’s parked on the curb.

I take off my seatbelt, but a part of me wants to linger because I’m enjoying being in his car a little too much. It even smells like him. I’ve never been a person to notice a person’s scent but Sterling has a pretty distinct one. I think it’s his cologne. It has this musky, wooden scent that just sends pheromones running through me.

“You can call me Sterling when it’s just us,” he states, leaning his head back against the headrest of his seat to look sideways at me. “It feels more natural. Or Tin Man if you prefer.”

I laugh, avoiding his gaze. “I do prefer, actually. It just fits you so well.”

“Ironic considering you’d be a tin woman as well if you think about it.”

My brows furrow. “What do you mean?”

“You and I are a lot alike, Emilia,” he continues. “When you got the call about Paige, you were so distraught. But you only had to be in her mother’s presence for a second before your pain took a sort of backseat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone repress emotions as fast as you did back at that hospital. One minute I was genuinely starting to get worried about you and in the next you were pretty much fine. You took control of the situation in minutes, figured out the solution. It was pretty impressive.”

My mouth dries as I take in his words. I had no idea that was how it looked.

“Thanks?”

He chuckles. “I didn’t say it was a good thing, Emilia. Your feelings matter, too.”

“Sure,” I say on a shrug.

“No, I’m serious.” His green eyes meet mine and I suck in a sharp breath. “You’re allowed to feel anything you want to feel. Life’s too short to keep our emotions at bay.”

It doesn’t escape my notice that he’s basically saying my words back to me.

“Some emotions are too dangerous to explore, though,” I point out.

Sterling’s jaw tightens. He looks away from me. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that.”

I don’t think we’re talking about what happened at the hospital anymore. I feel a clenching in my chest.

“I’m going to head inside,” I say, my voice a little shaky. “Good night, Sterling.”

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