Page 56 of Think Outside the Boss

Is the woman trying to kill me? My scowl deepens without conscious thought. Of course she’s dating. The woman is a fucking twenty on a scale of ten.

“Oh?” I ask, making my voice casual. Behold, world, my acting abilities. “How did it go?”

“I’m not sure I wanted it to have been a date in the first place.” Shaking her head, she looks down at her hands. “I was a bit angry at you, and I was thinking about how you said I’m afraid of men. Of things I can’t control. So I said yes when he asked me.”

My eyes widen. I don’t think she realizes it, but her honesty is breathtaking, and just as beautiful as she is. “You wanted to test yourself?”

“I suppose so, yes. Not to mention I don’t know anyone in New York, and I want to make friends.”

“You know me,” I say. Her quirked eyebrow makes me smile, and I hold up a hand. “All right, all right. I suppose I don’t really count?”

“Not really,” she admits. “No offense, but I don’t see myself calling you for help if my heater breaks down and my super doesn’t respond.”

“You could, you know. I’m only a few blocks away.”

The look she shoots me makes it clear she thinks I’m ridiculous. “I live in a shoebox.”

“So? That should make repairs easier, not more difficult,” I say. She shakes her head, like I’m missing an obvious point. I brace my arms against the table. “We can be friends, Freddie.”

“You’re my boss. Well, technically my boss’s boss.”

“Sure, we’re friends outside of the office. I thought that was a given.”

Her smile widens. “Friends.”

“Friends,” I agree. “So if you need someone to show you around New York or take you to the Met, you can ask me. Not to mention I could get you past the line at Medusa.” The improbable words fall from my lips, despite the fact that I have no free time, and what time I have I give to my son.

“Is this because I mentioned I had a date today?”

“The two are unrelated.”

“Right.” She laughs, shaking her head so the dark locks fly, tangled from the snow and the wind. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re jealous, Tristan.”

“I would never stoop so low,” I say. “The emotion is beneath me.”

“Oh, of course it is. Too common?”

“By far.”

A smile plays across lips I can recall kissing all too well. “Now that we’re unofficially friends, there are a ton of things I want to know about you,” she says.

I groan, looking up at the neon lights in the ceiling. “I’m regretting this already.”

“I’ll start easy, don’t worry. You’re just fascinating to me.” The sincerity in her voice is unexpected, seeping through my cracks. “Tell me why you go to the Gilded Room.”

“I’ve already told you.”

“I feel like it wasn’t the entire truth.”

I drag my gaze back to her, to eyes that are sparkling with humor and friendliness, and find myself actually considering answering the question. Even if the response isn’t one that’ll paint me in the best of lights.

A shadow next to our table stops me. “I’m sorry, guys, but we’re closing in a few minutes.”

“Oh,” Freddie says with a frown, like she’s disappointed she doesn’t get to talk to me more.

We can’t have that.

“Thanks for letting us know,” I tell the employee. “We’ll be out before then.”

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