Page 51 of Grumpy Boss's Secret

She blinked. I smiled despite myself, the corner of my mouth curving upward.

“Nope, not dead. Still kicking.”

My stomach growled. I’d slept a long time. I might as well get out of bed and start driving. I got out of bed and took a shower. The warm water soothed me and helped wake me up. Then I got dressed and started to pack up the room. While cleaning up Potato's food and water dishes, my phone rang.

Instantly, I thought of Ian. I pulled it from my pocket, my heart racing. Mom. I immediately started crying. I answered the call with shaking fingers and held the phone to my ear. "Hey, Mom,” I said.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, instantly reading my tone even though my voice had only been a little shaky. “Are you okay?”

No. I was less okay than I had ever been in my life. Where to begin?

“No,” I sobbed. “I’m not, Mom. I quit my job. I’m on my way to California.”

“You... what…why?" she stammered. “Honey, what happened? Do you want us to come get you?”

I smiled through my tears. Only a mother would offer to drive across the country to get someone with a car.

“No, I’ll be okay,” I said, technically speaking. “I’m in a motel with Potato right now.”

I left out the part where I was planning on driving again.

“What happened, sweetheart? What happened at your job?”

I bit my lip. I hadn’t told her anything about Ian. Reckless hookups with your boss weren’t exactly something one was eager to discuss with one’s mother.

“I…”

I didn’t know where to begin. It had nothing to do with the job. How could I explain why I was leaving without telling her everything about Ian? Memories rushed at me, bringing a fresh spurt of hot tears. And the baby. She had a granddaughter.

I hadn’t exactly daydreamed about telling Mom I was pregnant under circumstances like this.

I couldn't tell her yet. I didn't want to tell her without explaining everything that had happened with Ian, and I wasn't ready to do that yet.

“I’m not ready to talk about it yet, Mom,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

There was a brief pause.

“It is because of your boss?”

Damn, Mom. Mind-reader. Psychic. Then I remembered that we’d talked about how intimidating Ian was. I remembered how much I’d disliked him. I’d thought about quitting just because I disliked being in the same room with him.

My eyebrows rose, taking in the reality of how much my feelings had changed. I didn't want to be in the same room with him again for entirely the opposite reasons. I could feel the pause becoming heavier and heavier with suspense. I inhaled.

“Kind of,” I said. “I’m not ready to talk about it, Mom.”

"Okay," she said. I knew her lips were pressed together, and she was frowning. She was thinking about it even if I wasn't talking about it.

“I’ll call you again tomorrow,” I said. “I love you.”

“Honey, wait,” she said. “Where in California are you going? Do you have an apartment?”

“I’ll just find a hotel when I get there,” I said. “And then some furnished apartment somewhere.”

Anything would be fine.

I remember when a furnished apartment with a bad colour scheme felt like a problem.

“Well, okay, I’ll start looking for a place for you,” she said. There was a brief pause. “What’s your budget?”

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