Page 18 of Grumpy Boss in Love

I grinned. “Who’s Ryan?”

Elliot’s smile faded away, and he returned to the solemn man I was used to. “My brother. He’s dead. Today is his birthday.”

“Oh…” I breathed. So that explained why he’d flown off the handle this morning. Now I felt bad for giving him attitude. “I’m sorry.”

Maybe he intended to hide the flash of pain I saw in his eyes, but I caught it. “Me too.” As if snapping out of the emotional maelstrom he’d gotten caught up in, he cleared his throat. “So, is Caroline the reason for your sudden change in style?”

My lashes lowered to hide my eyes. I was ashamed that I allowed someone to rattle my confidence as I let Caroline, but she was the manager of the department in which I hoped to secure a permanent job. Sucking up seemed like my only option presently.

“She mentioned that I stuck out like a sore thumb and that no one will take me seriously in the business world.” I sighed. “I want to be taken seriously.”

Elliot studied me in the intense way he usually did. “Standing out is a good thing.”

That was what I thought until I became the outcast of Caroline and her minions. The other interns turned against me too because, like me, they were trying to win her over. “That’s the least of my worries. Caroline and the other interns are speculating that you and I are… you know…”

“No, I don’t know,” he said.

I pursed my lips, not even wanting to say it out loud. “They think you’ve got a thing for me.”

Elliot’s gaze snapped to my face.

My laughter filled the car. “Which is ridiculous.”

Clearing his throat, he agreed with a mumbled, “Absolutely ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but not everyone believes that. Caroline hates that you seem to be giving me extra attention. In case you haven’t noticed, she has a huge thing for you.”

He quirked an eyebrow. The sliver of annoyance that I felt at the thought of Elliot being interested in Caroline was disturbing. I pushed it aside and told myself that my emotions were jumbled because I was stressed.

“Caroline thinking that you and I are involved does me no favors. It makes all of my sucking up to her futile. I’m desperate to gain a few points here. If you go back to despising me like you did when I was in your class, that would be great.” I gave him a toothy, hopeful smile.

He shook his head. “Seriously?”

I nodded. “Maybe Caroline will stop torturing me.”

“Torturehow?” he demanded.

I held up a finger. “None of your business. Forget I said anything. I will not be known as the girl who tattled to the boss. Not great for my rep.”

“Ruby —”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle. You know what? This is a weird conversation to be having with you. How about you just help me out by ignoring me at the office and let’s drop this?”

“As you wish. And I don’t despise you. I never have.”

I snorted. “Could have fooled me.”

Elliot hit me with a scowl that saidshut the hell up and let’s go back to silence. Fine by me. Still, it was a little comforting to know that he didn’t hate me… and maybe I didn’t loathe the very air he breathed either.

Especially not after the glimpse I’d gotten of a different man beneath his cold demeanor. Recalling the raw pain I’d seen in his eyes earlier, the realization hit that maybe he had reasons for being such a grouch. My interest in him was piqued. However, I gathered now wasn’t the appropriate time to satisfy my curiosity.

7

RUBY

Isurveyed the room full of people who were all laughing, chatting, and sipping drinks. I’d learned that Westwood Collective put on huge seasonal parties for the staff. We gathered in the ballroom of the Hilton. Super fancy. Everyone was dressed to match the elegant atmosphere.

Tonight, the Westwood Collective staff seemed colorful and relaxed. At the office, there was a constant tension in the air with everyone on edge and even afraid to breathe it seemed. What was the difference tonight? Elliot Westwood was MIA. Everyone breathed easier when they weren’t under the scary, frigid stare of the CEO.

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