Page 38 of Grumpy Boss in Love

My landlady had given me a heads-up. She said I was a nice girl, and she hated to do it to me, but she had no choice but to give me a month’s notice. It was okay though. I’d be able to pay rent within thirty days. I was lucky enough to have found a new roomie. She was coming to check out the place on Friday.

Right now, I had to get myself together so I could reach Westwood Collective on time. Before I got into the shower, my phone rang. I thought it was Megan calling to ask if I got home okay, but it wasn’t her. I frowned at the name flashing across my screen.

Alicia was the girl who was interested in rooming with me. We met two weeks ago when she almost mowed me over in front of the apartment building. After laughing about our near collision— I was having too many of those lately—I learned that she was a new student at the same university I had attended and she was looking for an apartment.

It was fate that led her to this building because I was in desperate need of a roommate. Juggling the rent alone for most of my final year of school had been tough, and it still was.

“Hey, Alicia. How’s it going?”

“Ruby, hi. It’s not going so great.”

I frowned. “Sorry to hear that.”

“I’ve had a change of heart about the apartment.”

She had a change of heart and mine instantly plummeted into my stomach. “Oh… no…”

“Yeah. I found something a little cheaper. I’m sorry.”

Of course. My apartment was on the safer side of town, so it was a tad pricier than what most students could afford. However, I’d managed okay for the first three years of school by splitting the rent with roommates. However, they’d all left after a while for somewhere cheaper.

“It’s okay, Alicia, all the best.”

“Thanks.”

After hanging up, I looked skyward and heaved a sigh. “Seriously?”

No roommate meant that I had to vacate the premises to find something cheaper too. I was on the verge of eviction. Not to mention that I still had to pay for the repairs on my car. As I considered all my expenses and the lack of money I had to cover them, Elliot’s offer started to sound appealing.

The last thing I wanted to do was run home to Nebraska because I couldn’t afford to live on my own in Chicago. That would prove everyone’s point about me being too young to achieve the goals I’d set. Would getting hitched to Elliot on paper really be that awful? I hated that I was even considering it.

* * *

By the time I reached Westwood Collective two hours later, I’d been worn all the way down. I trudged through the lobby soaking wet after getting caught in the rain when I got off the bus. How I missed Rusty, even if the car was a piece of crap.

Shivering and miserable, I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the fifty-seventh floor. I didn’t even care that Caroline, the menace, would berate me for being late. What I was about to do would hopefully rescue me from her clutches in the near future anyway.

When I reached Elliot’s private suite of offices, I passed Simone’s desk and held up a cup of coffee. “Hey, Simone. Got the boss’s coffee.” I had to use that as a cover to see him.

Simone assessed me with a frown. “Ruby, you’re drenched.”

“Yup.” I looked like a bedraggled cat, and I didn’t care. The day that Ruby Bennet didn’t care about her appearance was a sad day. I was really down in the dumps.

She gave me another sympathetic look. “I’ll let Mr. Westwood know you’re here.”

“Thanks.” I waited, listening to her side of the conversation.

“I’m sending her in now,” she said.

Of course, Elliot was eager to see me. He was awaiting my answer.

“Go on in,” Simone said with a smile.

Blowing out a long, sorrowful breath, I went ahead to sign over my soul to Elliot Westwood… temporarily.

14

ELLIOT

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