Page 25 of The Grump I Loathe
“It’s just nice to see you smiling like that again. I haven’t seen you look like that since before the div?—”
My phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket, frowning. “It’s Grace’s school,” I said. “Gotta take this.”
8
EDDIE
Ihurled myself out the front door of the massive skyscraper, plowing past two guys in fancy suits.
“Sorry!” I tossed over my shoulder as they made various disgruntled noises.
Cassie honked, waving from the street where the car idled. She got out and we switched sides as I threw myself into the driver’s seat.
“Did you run all the way down the stairs?” she asked, buckling into the passenger seat.
“No. I took the elevator. It’s just that the lobby is like half the length of a football field,” I complained, out of breath. “Connor’s gone out to some meeting, so I need to get this done now.”
“Did the school say what happened?”
I tugged on the front of my borrowed blouse. “Only that Alannah was in some sort of trouble, and they couldn’t get a hold of Dad or Valentina.”
“The nanny?” Cassie wondered.
“She has a new one.” I tugged on my blouse again. “Apparently, she doesn’t have all her paperwork in order yet to be allowed to pick her up. Where am I taking you?” Cassie needed a drop-off at a furniture store since I was taking the car.
“Granite’s,” she said. “Head downtown.”
“You think what I’m wearing is professional enough for the office?”
“Yeah, why?”
I grimaced. “Connor told me my job apparently comes with a wardrobe budget. But the way he said it was like mybusiness attirewasn’t good enough for him.”
“Excuse me, you look amazing,” Cassie insisted. “Maybe his problem is you look too amazing.”
“Pretty sure it was meant as an insult.” Gah! Dealing with him was giving me whiplash. One second, he seemed like he might be reasonable, giving in on the idea of team meetings, and the next he was complaining about my clothes! “I don’t even know why I care. I can hardly stand the guy.”
“Maybe because he doesn’t annoy you as much as you’re letting on?” Cassie suggested. “Maybe all the sniping you two do is your weird way of flirting.” She nudged me. “Are you actually enjoying your little back-and-forth with the boss?”
I snorted. “Connor and flirting can’t even exist in the same sentence. This isn’t some playground bullshit.”
Cassie smirked, tugging on my hair. “He’s like a boy pulling your pigtails, and you’re the girl putting sand in his lunchbox.”
I merged into the left turn lane. “The guy wouldn’t know flirting if I ripped my shirt off and shimmied across his desk.”
Cassie burst out laughing. “Nowthatwould probably get you fired.”
“I’m serious! He’s the least-fun, most buttoned-up person I’ve ever met in my life. Andhe’sthe one who instituted the no-dating policy in the office.” Darius had walked me through the code of conduct. “So I have no idea whyhe’dbe trying to flirt.”
“Okay, well, maybe the comment was just a throwaway.”
I grumbled.
“Whydoyou care, though?” Cassie said, echoing my own question. “You’ve never talked about any other boss this much before.”
I considered the way arguing with him made my heart pound. I didn’t want to unpackthator the way I could have picked his ass out of a fitted trouser lineup from staring after him so often. Instead, I cranked the radio. Cassie gave me a look. “What? I love this song.”
“You just don’t want to admit that your hot, grumpy boss is?—”
