Page 2 of Most Eligible Boss

It had started subtly. He started asking who I was texting when I’d be responding to messages from friends. Then he started asking to read messages. Soon, he was tracking my location via an app on my phone. Before long, I had to explain everywhere I stopped, and the accusations started to get out of hand.

I had to leave if I had stopped for a cup of coffee and the line was too long. If I stayed in the coffee shop for more than ten or fifteen minutes, he would accuse me of being there with somebody on a secret coffee date.

On the other hand, he had always been free to do as he pleased- including weekend rendezvous with his ex-girlfriend. She had once tagged him in an Instagram post at a concert on a Saturday night when he claimed to be away on business.

I waited until he came home to ask him about it– he accused me of “cyberstalking” him and trying to limit his friendships.

Despite his temper and controlling demeanor, he’d only ever been violent with me once, shoving me through a doorway during an argument when I was trying to leave. He had been apologetic afterward and even promised it would never happen again- but by then, I knew that we had crossed a threshold (literally) that we could not come back from. I began to plan my escape.

New York City was to be my fresh start. Despite all the scary warnings you receive as a young woman from a small town moving to one of the largest cities on Earth, the Big Apple had come to feel like a safer alternative than my small-town Ohio home.

I’d forge a new life here and create my own definition of true happiness, whether I found the kind of love my Uber driver had or not.

“This the place?” the driver asked, pulling me from deep thought. I glanced out the window to the tall, brick apartment building and smiled. It was the place in the photographs I’d been daydreaming about.

“This is it!” I said. I reached into my purse, pulled out a cash tip, and handed it to him. “You’ve been amazing! I hope you have a great rest of your day!”

He exited the parked car and helped me pull my suitcases from the back. “Do you need help carrying them up?” He asked. I shook my head no, politely, and smiled as I took a handle in each hand.

“Thank you so much for offering, but I think I have it from here!” I smiled.

He turned, returned to his car, gave me one last farewell wave, and took off. I started toward the front door of the building, towing my luggage on its wheels behind me. A young woman with a bright smile appeared as I approached the front door.

“Hello!” she said, running out to assist me with one of the bags. “You must be Jill?”

“I am!” I said, offering my free hand for a shake, which she gladly took.

“I’m Aleshia! My apartment is just below yours. The landlord, Juanita, is out of the city for the next month, so she’s had me doing all the welcomes and showings. I’ve lived here the longest of any residents, so she trusts me most, I guess.”

I laughed. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you! I’m excited to see my new home in person. I’ve only seen it through photos. I moved here from Ohio.”

“Oh,” Aleshia said. Her voice trailed off, shocked as if there was something she was afraid I didn’t know.

“Are you aware of its size?” she finally asked.

“I was sent the measurements, but honestly, I’m really bad at that stuff. It looked decently sized in the photos, though?”

By that time, we’d made it into the elevator and were within seconds of walking through my front door.

“Cameras can be deceiving,” Aleshia said, clenching her jaw, indicating I should brace myself for an unpleasant surprise.

She walked me to the front door, stuck the key in the lock, and opened it with a click. She swung the door open and stepped aside, allowing me to enter first.

As Aleshia had tried to warn me, the apartment was tiny. What had seemed like a normal-sized unit in photographs was barely more than an efficient space. I couldn’t believe how tiny it was.

No. I couldn’t believe how expensive it was.

But it was New York City, after all. I shook off my disappointment and looked around again with new eyes. It was tiny, but the exposed brick in the apartment gave me many options for decorating and making the space my own. The big box store furniture and household stuff I’d ordered had all been delivered and was waiting inside for me to put it together, put it away, and make it into a home. Although small, this was the hub of my new life– and it was perfect!

I turned to Aleshia with a wide smile. “I love it!”

She sighed, letting her shoulders relax. “I’m so glad!” she said. “I was getting ready to field some major disappointment!”

I looked around again at everything I had waiting for me to assemble. My new sofa, bed, and dining room table lay in pieces next to the tiny loveseat I’d ordered. There were two chairs, too, that I knew I’d have no space for.

“I’ll have to return some stuff,” I said with an embarrassed laugh. “Does UPS do pick-ups here? And do I have to be present? I start my job on Monday.”

“If they need someone to be present, I don’t mind signing for it; I work from home. I tutor kids abroad in English online. Where are you starting on Monday?”

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