Page 27 of Turning the Page with My Grumpy Boss

He was standing before a small house—the one the address dictated, no doubt—and his expression was contemplative. Apparently lost in his own thoughts, he didn’t even hear Tessa as she approached.

“Hey, is this house what you wanted to show me?” She said a little breathlessly. “It’s a very cute house, but I’ll admit I’m still a bit lost.”

Daniel turned to her, and his expression softened slightly. “Hey, I’m glad you could make it. I’m really glad to see that Pippin seems to have made a full recovery.” He leaned down to scratch behind Pippin’s ears. “I just—I thought we could talk.”

Tessa’s heart sank. Usually, when anyone started a conversation with the phrase “I thought we could talk,” something difficult always followed. Had she misread their conversation last night? Maybe the way she had acted had pushed him away. Her heart hurt at the thought, which surprised her. She was usually so good at disconnecting and walking away. Used to it, at least.

“Sure. Yeah, we can talk.” Tessa looped Pippin’s leash around her hand nervously.

Daniel reached up and readjusted his beanie, seemingly just as nervous before he spoke. “This—well, it’s actually the house I grew up in, believe it or not.”

Tessa took that in. It didn’t seem like this was leading to a polite “step off,” so she was cautiously optimistic. But she wasn’t quite sure what the purpose of this little detour was supposed to be. “It’s… nice.”

Daniel smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it? But, well, the truth is that things weren’t always so “nice” behind closed doors.” He let out a deep breath. “My mom was really the glue that held us together. She was kind. Wonderful. After her passing, though, my dad changed. Or maybe he just let out the darker side of himself. The grief—it changed him.”

“Changed him how?” Tessa asked, though she feared she already knew the answer.

Daniel rubbed at his face and looked away from her for a moment, seeming to gather his thoughts. “He was always a drinker. But when my mom died, it got worse. He would disappear for days at a time. And when he was actually around, he had a quick temper.”

Something flared inside of Tessa. To think that a man would raise his temper to his son, who had just lost his mother—it was unthinkable. Still, she remained silent, letting Daniel continue.

“It got hard being around him. He was always so angry and drunk. I didn’t really understand at the time. I just knew that I needed to get away. So, as soon as I was able, I took the job at Turn the Page. It was a place my mom and I had always gone together. We both shared that love for reading. And then, I turned eighteen, and I was out of there the moment I had my stuff packed up.”

“Have you talked to him since?” Tessa asked gently.

Daniel blew out a breath. “Here and there. He sometimes comes to the pub in town, though he prefers to frequent ones in the next town over. He at least has the sense to feel some shame about his downfall.” He turned back to her. “That’s why Turn the Page is so important to me. It was my saving grace. It’s why I was so protective of it in the beginning. So, well, prickly.”

Tessa chanced a slight smirk. “And here I thought you just didn’t like me.”

Daniel’s expression softened further. “I think I always did. I just needed some time to realize it. But I’m sorry… that I am a bit guarded. It’s hard, you know?”

Tessa nodded at that. “I can’t say I relate completely to what you went through. But I have my own baggage. Moving from town to town when I was young, it made me guarded as well. I felt like the moment I really opened up to someone, they would be gone from my life. And it would hurt. So I just… stopped.”

Something flickered in Daniel’s expression. “Well, I feel like you can have a new start. Here. And maybe you can stick around. I sure wouldn’t mind.”

Overcome with an emotion she couldn’t quite name, Tessa stepped forward and took Daniel’s hand. “I think I’d like that. It gets old, moving from town to town. Never putting down any roots. I think I am growing tired of it. This place has changed me. I see why you love it so much. It took care of you. And it’s been taking care of me too.”

Daniel smiled and reached out to cup her face in his large hands. “I thinkIwould like that too. You know, I never wanted anything to change in this town. It had always been comforting, and I didn’t think I needed anything different. But you were just different enough.”

Tessa couldn’t deny that hearing that made warmth swell in her chest. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips tenderly to Daniel’s. The kiss was sweet and gentle, full of promise. In that moment, she knew that she would stay. To hell with the job offer. She had everything she needed right here.

Chapter twelve

Daniel’shandshoveredoverthe keyboard as he stared at the blinking cursor. Lately, it seemed like the words had just begun flowing out of him. He had Tessa to thank for that, he figured. Ever since they had started working on the manuscript together, he had been filled with inspiration. He felt more connected to the character whose adventures he was detailing. Moreover, he was proud of the changes he’d made.

The character of Tessa added a bit of light to the work, a breath of fresh air for the main character and, he hoped, for the reader. He had to admit he had modeled the character off of the real Tessa down to a T. He hoped she would love the character as much as he had grown to.

With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair, adjusting his beanie on his head. This felt good. This felt really good. Without giving him time to rethink it, he pulled out his phone and dialed Tessa’s contact.

She picked up on the first ring. Daniel always liked that about her. She didn’t play mind games. She was always genuinely herself, damn the consequences.

“Hey, need me to pick up a shift?” Her voice sounded distracted, and when Daniel heard a bark in the background, he wondered if she was taking Pippin for a walk.

“No, nothing like that. I was actually finishing up the first draft and—”

“Hey, wait! Slow down. You’re almost finished? That’s incredible!” Tessa’s voice was pure enthusiasm now. She didn’t even seem to notice that she had cut him off.

Daniel bit back a smile. He wasn’t used to hearing praise so unbridled. But Tessa had been rather good at that of late. “I think it’s thanks to you, really. But listen, I was wondering if you wanted to meet later and maybe go over some of the final chapters.”

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