Page 92 of Grumpy Boss in Love

“Elliot.” I gazed at him, heart thudding a hundred miles an hour. I hadn’t seen him in weeks. Despite the gifts, he stayed away and gave me time. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “I miss you.” His gaze roved over my face. “You look good.”

So did he. Way too good. Damn him. “Thanks.”

“How’s the new job? Audrey treating you well?”

I frowned. That’s right. I forgot that they were acquainted through business. “The best.”

“Good.” He took the flowers I had in one arm and said, “I’ll walk you to your car.”

Sighing, I followed him and glowered at his back. “Don’t you have a company to run, Prince Westwood?”

He glanced back with a grin that made my heart flip-flop. “I abandoned the ship early to come and hopefully annoy you into taking me back.”

I pursed my lips to bite back my smile. Elliot in a playful mode was just… incredible. We stopped at my car, and I gazed up at him. Admittedly, I missed him like crazy too.

“Have dinner with me,” he said. “Tonight.”

Nibbling my lower lip, I considered. It was tempting. “I’ve reverted to my no dating policy…” I shrugged. “For now.” The space and time that I needed had extended into a much longer period than we both anticipated. “I’ve decided to focus on building my career and my reputation. Some of the clients, the men in your CEO sphere, when they recognize me, give me these knowing looks as if they think I’m going to hop into bed with them too. Honestly, I won’t be surprised if one of them proposes a business marriage because that’s what I’m known for now.” I shook my head. “This was exactly what I was afraid of.”

Elliot’s face twisted into a dark mask. “Give me names. I’ll deal with them.”

My lips parted as I stared at him, stunned. “What? No, you can’t… I don’t need you to protect me.”

“I want to. It’s my fault.”

“It isn’t.” I rested a hand on his arm because he looked about ready to flip and wreak havoc on every man in the city. “It’s okay, Elliot. I’ll be fine.”

His expression was pained as his eyes moved over my face. Then he opened my door, which I’d unlocked.

I smiled and slid in. “Thanks.” As he put the bouquets in the back seat, I said, “Elliot, you have got to stop sending me gifts. The flowers, chocolate, jewelry, clothes, and shoes…”

He straightened and turned to me with disbelief. “You’re turning downshoes?”

My eyeballs did a full rotation. “Alright, I live for the shoes but seriously, my apartment is only so big. I’m running out of space.”

“Fine,” he said.

He stepped back and shoved his hands into his pockets as I started my car. Before I closed the door, I glanced at him and I saw the sad, lonely Elliot that I’d glimpsed under his stoney exterior months ago. My heart constricted. I still loved him… so much.

“How about a rain check on that dinner?” I asked.

He blinked and the smallest smile lifted his lips as he nodded.

* * *

My eyes were glued to the oversized envelope I carried, so I almost tripped over the rug when I walked into my living room. The divorce papers were inside. I’d finally had that dinner with Elliot, and we discussed it. He’d been reluctant, expressing that we didn’t have to rush. When I asked him why he felt that way, he sheepishly admitted that he wanted to stay married because he loved me, and he believed that I still loved him.

Of course, I did but why should we stay in a union that started as a business arrangement? I hated the idea. Just the sight of the envelope was causing anxiety, so I threw it onto the coffee table. I’d stress over it later after I unwound after a long day.

After a shower, I sprawled on a sofa, ready for my fix of prime-time drama. I ignored the feeling of loneliness that tried to seep in. Each time I sat in my living room, I remembered Elliot. After we fell into a real relationship, he often snuggled with me on this couch to watch my shows with me.

The first few times, he complained about me forcing him to watch soap operas. The complaining gradually stopped because he became so invested in the shows and knew the storylines better than I did. I chuckled at the memory, which triggered a mental slide show of moments we had together. Then I started to tear up…

Wiping away a tear that escaped, I picked up my phone to call him. I couldn’t do this anymore—playing hardball, trying to convince myself that I needed to stay away from Elliot and focus on my career. What we had was too special. Besides, what good was success without happiness and having someone to share my life with? Someone to love and who loved me back…

I unlocked my phone and was bombarded with notifications. I’d forgotten to turn up the volume, so I missed a ton of calls from my sisters and co-workers. There were also text messages asking me if I watched the interview.

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