Page 50 of The Wrong Boss

Gathering all the bits of bravery left inside me, I turned my head to look at my boss. Well, my boss’s boss. The man who’d changed the direction of my life.

Dark eyes watched me as my heart rattled in its cage. It wasn’t fair that this man still had an effect on me. Even though I knew I couldn’t have him—and I was afraid of the consequences of his discovering about Evie—I still felt an undeniable pull toward him. His broad shoulders leaned back against his chair as he arched an eyebrow at me. Long fingers came up to cup the side of his face. An electric tension pulled tight between us, fizzling and sparking with unspoken desires. I felt like I had all those years ago, sitting on the barstool next to his. Like all the world ceased to exist because an undeniably beautiful, powerful man had me in his sights.

His eyes glittered with…amusement?

“Well?” he said.

I blinked back to myself. It wasn’t just my boss that was staring at me;everyonewas. Clearing my throat, I looked up to see Kaia frowning at me. “Um,” I said. “Sorry?”

“Gillian’s mother is sick, and she has to sit out the retreat this year. I’m putting you in charge of catering. Gillian will walk you through what’s required, including dietary requirements for various guests and coordination with a new catering company this year. I asked you if you think you can handle it.”

“O-oh,” I stammered. “Right. Yes, of course.”

“Good,” Kaia said with a decisive nod, turning back to the screen. On it, a list of tasks was assigned to various staff members. The meeting rushed on while I sat there, wondering what the hell I’d just agreed to.

The executive retreat would be a great way to prove myself early in my new job. The promise of financial stability and career advancement still glimmered like a mirage in the distance. My days here were limited, but I kept fooling myself into trying my best to be a star employee.

But going away for work meant organizing childcare, which necessarily involved putting more strain on my cousin and her husband. It meant leaving my daughter on her own when I already felt like I didn’t spend enough time with her as it was.

Would she resent me for putting work first? How could I juggle being a good mother to her, providing, and being present?

Did I even have a choice?

There were too many unknowns for me to start worrying about whether I was scarring my daughter for life by going away on a business trip. I was spiraling. More pressing was the fact that the father of my child was sitting next to me, and I had to work up the courage to blow up my nice, comfortable life by telling him about it.

Shaking off the familiar worries, I squared my shoulders and forced myself to listen to Kaia’s briefing. When Cole took over and detailed the VIP guests that would be in attendance this year, including his own father, I diligently wrote down notes that were mostly gibberish and did my best to avoid the trap of staring into his eyes.

Boss, employee. Old flame that had died down to cold ash. That’s all we were to each other. If I felt the heat of a hidden, red-hot ember, that was my own fault.

I had to fortify myself against my own feelings. I had to dig in and put up my defenses. What mattered wasfinancial stability and my daughter’s well-being. A wayward attraction to a man who was wildly out of my league shouldn’t have even registered.

After the meeting, I sat down at my desk and checked my calendar. I noted that the last day of the retreat was the Sunday before Evie’s spelling bee.

And it felt like a sign.

I’d accept the responsibility for the retreat. I’d do the best job that I could, and then, when we were back in Manhattan, I’d finally ask Cole for that meeting. I’d tell him he was a father.

I had three weeks before my best opportunity at stability blew up in my face. And all I could do was prepare for the detonation.

EIGHTEEN

COLE

When the emailwith my travel arrangements down to my father’s resort came through, Kaia happened to be knocking on my office door. I waved her in and listened to the clip-clop of her heels on the floor as she approached my desk.

“We’re all set for the retreat,” she said. “Carrie’s got the catering in hand, but she’ll have to head down a day early to meet with the new caterers. She’ll be on the same flight as you in the morning.”

“Fine,” I said. I was heading down early to meet with my father. He’d requested my presence for a round of golf tomorrow morning, which was his way of saying he wanted to talk to me about something important. He hadn’t elaborated. It was probably business related, something he wanted to get passed by the board that would require my input. Half the board was in my father’s pocket, but the other half of the members were holdovers from a merger that had happenedbefore my time at the company. They were prone to dissent, even when it was in their best interests not to. It was important that they were wined and dined and made to feel special. “Are the new caterers up to speed all the dietary requirements for the meals? Sanders is on that low-sodium diet.”

“I can confirm with Carrie, but I believe she’s handling it,” Kaia said. “She’s been an asset so far.”

I grunted, agreeing. Once I’d gotten over the shock of seeing her, I’d realized how good she was at her job. My various travel itineraries had been flawless since she’d taken over. She’d even come up with an optimized route to LA with a chartered flight that cut my travel time by two hours and allowed me to fly in comfort. It was marginally more expensive than the first-class commercial flights I’d been booking before, but the time savings were worth it. She brought the proposal to me and when I approved it, said she’d work on the rest of my usual flight routes.

If I’d had any doubts about her competence, they’d been obliterated this past month. I knew that beneath the professional veneer, she had a sharp tongue and a fiery personality—but I hadn’t seen any of it since the fender bender that had happened when we were picking up the wedding invitations.

I missed it.

Kaia jotted down a note on her tablet. “The only other thing I need from you is confirmation about the final night’s dinner entertainment. Their quote was over budget by twelve percent.”

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