Page 69 of Kissing the Boss (Fairy Tale Quartet 2)

But as I approached the office, Shyla looked even more frantic than when I’d left. She hovered in the doorway, wringing her hands.

When she glanced my way and saw me, she cried out her distress and hurried forward.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry,” she chanted.

“For what?” I asked, carefully handing the tea to her. “What happened?”

She cringed. “I thought she’d asked you to come back to work for us, and you didn’t say she hadn’t, so…”

I heaved out a breath, already well aware where this was headed.

“When she came in and I told her how nice it was to see you again, she had no idea what I was talking about. So I told her I saw you here this morning, and she growled her son Broderick’s name for some reason before charging out the door and heading toward the stairwell. That was about thirty seconds ago.”

“Oh… Oh no.” Realizing she must’ve figured out Brick was probably the only person here who’d so quickly offer me a job after she fired me, I started toward the stairwell as well, calling over my shoulder, “Thanks for letting me know.”

When I pushed through the doors, I could hear the pounding of high heels on the steps a floor above me. I raced after them. But by the time I burst onto the third floor, winded and my thighs burning from the run, she’d already marched most of the way down the hall and was slowing at Brick’s office. Before stepping inside, she paused and turned her head my way as if she could sense my approach.

Her eyes narrowed.

My pulse jumped into my throat.

But I straightened my back and continued toward her. Not two seconds before I reached her, she whipped her attention from me and glared into the office.

“What is she doing here?”

I followed her into the room as she stepped inside.

Without taking his eyes off the screen of his computer, Brick cupped his hand around his ear and said, “Satan? Is that you?” He lifted his gaze to her, darted it to me, then shifted it back to his mother before he jumped as if startled. “Oh! Mother. Sorry, I thought you were someone else there for a second.”

Lana pointed a finger toward me without looking my way. “If you don’t fire her this instant, I’m cutting you out of my will.”

Brick snickered as he rocked back in his chair. “Thought you said you were cutting me out when I was eighteen and got my first tattoo.” He lifted the sleeve of his suit jacket just enough to reveal a portion of his tattoo on his forearm as if to remind her of it.

Lana lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes. “You’ll regret this, Broderick. Mark my words.”

With a shrug, he glanced toward me. “I don’t know; she makes a damn good cup of coffee.”

Lana sneered at the coffee cup, sitting half full on the corner of his desk, before she swatted out a hand and smacked it to the floor. “You’re an idiot,” she told him, “just like your father was.”

Spinning away, she narrowed her gaze on me.

“You may think no one sees the real you, but I do. You’re not as sweet and innocent as you play, little girl.” She stepped closer, lowering her voice so no one could hear her but me. “But, then, I guess your dad did see it, since he left you nothing but a few stray scraps.”

As

my throat closed over the pain of her truth, she smirked knowingly, then roughly bumped her shoulder against mine as she left the office, making me stumble a step back.

Brick waved her good riddance. “Always lovely to see you too, Mother.”

I gaped after her, watching a couple guys in the hall jump out of her way as she stormed past. Then I turned slowly back to my brother.

But he only lifted his hands before wiggling his fingers. “Donuts?”

“Right.” I shook my head, trying not to let Lana’s words get to me or the insinuation that my daddy hadn’t loved me, and I lifted the bag of donuts before stepping forward to hand them over.

“Yes,” he groaned, opening the sack, only to pause and inhale deeply before he reached inside. “Perfect.”

“Are you okay?” I finally asked, though he seemed perfectly content, stuffing as much donut into his mouth as he could fit.

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