Page 74 of Grumpy Boss in Love

I liked Eleanor and Alfred. Guilt pricked at me.

“Technically, it wasn’t a con because Ruby and I legitimately got married. In the end, the Wilsons are indeed selling their property to a married couple as they wanted. And I’m going on a business trip. I didn’t plan a romantic getaway. I invited Ruby spontaneously because I felt bad about not being in the country for her birthday.”

“Why?” Ben threw his arms up and gave me a quizzical look. “She has celebrated plenty without you. I’m sure she would have been okay with your absence. Or is this more about you wanting to be with?—”

“No psychoanalyzing,” I snapped, pointing an angry finger. “It’s irritating.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Fine. So, what happens with your contract wife after you get the Wilsons’ property in your hands?”

“Ruby and I get a divorce or an annulment.” I shrugged. “Whatever she prefers.”

“After you’ve gone and blurred the lines by sleeping with her? Then you tell her you want to date.” Ben rested his cheek on his palm to study me. “I don’t think this is going to end well, man.”

“We’ll be fine. We like each other. She’s good for me.”

My cousin sat back and nodded. “That part I agree with. You’re different. Less miserable.”

I took no offense because he wasn’t wrong. I had been significantly happier since Ruby took on a bigger role in my life. When I only saw her in my classroom, she made the days I had encounters with her interesting. I’d been going through the motions before, barely feeling anything. Dating her and spending quality time with her showed me that life was worth living.

“What if you fall in love with her?”

My head swiveled to Ben. He swirled his glass and watched me with raised eyebrows. “I don’t… You know that I…” Don’t do love.

My skepticism about that depth of sentiment toward anyone ran deep. I was the product of an affair, one of the major factors in the destruction of a marriage. Of course, I thought true love was bullshit. Or it faded quickly, at least.

Ben’s relationship with his wife was the only stable union I knew of and that was because his wife, Jessa, might as well be a saint. In every other marriage I had insight into, the couple became miserable after a few years.

Well, the Wilsons seemed to be solid after decades together, but I had only seen them together a couple of times, so that didn’t count. I’d keep my stance. I didn’t do love. Of course, I’d also been adamant about not dating most of my adult life. And what was I doing now? Dating Ruby and it was my idea. So maybe there was a possibility of my mind changing…

Ben’s eyebrows hiked up some more at my silence. He was trying to read me. I hated it.

“You know, the fact that you have to think about it could mean that subconsciously?—"

“Just stop,” I said.

“What?” He shrugged.

“Don’t go all psychologist on me, Ben. I’m not in love, okay? That sentiment is a load of crap. Ruby and I click, and things are great the way they are between us. Simple.”

He held up a palm. “Fine, fine.”

“Sure, I’ve developed deeper feelings for her. I can’t deny that, but it isn’t…” Son of a bitch. Because of my escalated pulse rate and the sudden sweat beading on my forehead, I was getting anxious. Ben put me on the spot and now I doubted my emotions.

Could the care I said I felt for Ruby be… more? I recalled weeks ago how I had panicked and felt as if my world would end when I couldn’t find her in the river.

Lifting my bottle, I chugged. Ben wore a knowing expression as he studied me.

“Shut up,” I snapped.

“I didn’t say a word.”

“You said it with your face.”

“You’ve reverted to first-grader comebacks. I struck a nerve.”

My eyes narrowed to slits. The smug bastard. Agitation on the rise, I glance at my watch. “Jessa must be finished with dinner by now. I should go check.”

Once a month, I had dinner with Ben and his wife. Jessa insisted. She said I was a better influence than Ben’s other friends. Of course, I was. I wasn’t constantly trying to relive my frat boy glory days like the rest of his crew.

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