Page 37 of Her Bossy Daddy

“Hello, love. How’s your day going?”

“Did you have drinks with Milly?”

“What?” Liam sighed. I pictured him pinching the tip of his nose. “Once, but it was during a professional dinner.”

“Nothing else in that answer matters past the word once.”

“Lacey, whatever you’re thinking—”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Angry tears stung my eyes. If he kept this from me, then what else had he been keeping?

“Okay, then why did you call me, love?”

“How could you go out with her?”

“Do you want to hear the reason or are you going to interrupt me again?”

“You could have mentioned it the other day when I brought up the things she said to me.” I brushed at my eyes as the tears fell, and took a deep breath. “You could have explained it.”

“I mentioned not talking to Milly in anything but a professional manner, right? You haven’t listened to me regarding my order either.”

“We can talk about how I found out this information later.”

“You’re right. We will be.” Liam cleared his throat and let out a long breath. “One night, as I was leaving, Milly couldn’t get her car to start. She called Triple-A but she didn’t want to wait alone, so I kept her company. The driver told her it would a two- to three-hour wait to get her back home again, so I offered to bring her. On the way, we stopped and grabbed food. It wasn’t personal at all.”

“Do you really expect me to believe you?” I scoffed.

“If I thought it was worth mentioning before now, love, I would have a long time ago.”

“Don’t you dismiss me, Liam, as if I’m overreacting.”

“I’d never dismiss your concerns, but you are overreacting. I’m doing my best to answer your questions but you keep—”

“Why should I listen?”

“Lacey, if you interrupt me one more time—”

“I’ve got to get back to work.” I clicked end, hanging up on him and interrupting him at the same damn time, but it didn’t matter.

I took the rest of my lunch break holed up in the private bathroom. I removed the plug, washed it, and stuffed it into my purse. I was furious at myself for believing someone like Liam wanted to be with me. He came to America for a business opportunity, not for me, I reminded myself. Angry tears poured down my cheeks, but I didn’t bother to brush them away. I let them release some of my frustrations, but I didn’t feel any better when they dried. I’d been beating myself up lately. Liam had been there for everything. Why was I questioning it all? Because I wasn’t good enough. Three more hours of work loomed ahead of me. I needed time to think and process. I took off the next three hours, since I didn’t have a boss around to refuse my timesheet. Now I can get through the rest of the afternoon and drink myself into oblivion tonight.

* * *

Liam

I had no idea what Milly could have conveyed to Lacey in a professional environment but I’d been livid after the phone call from work. She’d questioned me about something so innocent, and yet she made it seem like I chose to spend time with Milly. That woman was brilliant as an associate but she was mean and superficial. I wouldn’t spend another bloody second with her if I could help it, but she excelled at her job. They both did. Why the hell had I believed this setup would ever work? As soon as I saw Lacey, I should have informed our human resources department of the situation and request they relocate me again. But no, I didn’t want to do that. I was so close to Lacey physically, so close to everything I wanted the past few years. Why is she rebelling over everything we’ve built? She’d pushed against all the rules. I wasn’t sure how to get us back on the same page without pushing her further away, but I’d figure it out. I checked my phone. Three hours until Lacey got home from work. Well, she’d have one hell of a surprise waiting for her when she arrived.

* * *

Lacey

I pulled into my driveway, and my stomach knotted at the sight of Liam’s car. So much for drinking and doing nothing else tonight. Sighing, I got out and met him at my front stoop. He lit a cigarette as I approached.

“I don’t want to talk about Milly or anything else.” I didn’t allow him the opportunity to greet me. “I’m killing the bottle of wine in my cabinet and going to bed.”

“I hadn’t really planned on talking much.”

“Why are you here?” Ouch. I didn’t like the hidden meaning laced in his words. Not talking usually meant some sort of punishment.

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