Page 76 of Grumpy Boss in Love

I smiled at that. Ruby always made me feel as if I was worthy of being in her vibrant presence. Getting up, I headed to the glass doors leading inside, but I stopped. Turning around, I strolled back to Ruby and gave her a peck on the lips. Her eyes, like golden pools in the morning light, softened and her lips curved into a smile. She looked satisfied, so maybe I was getting the hang of dating.

Thirty minutes later, I was dressed and heading out to my business meeting. I’d be done by noon, so there was plenty of time to spend with Ruby. Then tomorrow, her birthday, we’d spend the day together and head home in the evening since we had work on Monday. It was too short of a getaway but maybe I could plan something better for another time.

“Don’t you look spiffy,” Ruby drawled when I stepped out of the bedroom.

She was curled up on a sofa, and she got up to walk to me. With an approving assessment, she smoothed my lapels. Running a finger over my tie, she beamed. It was a gold and teal silk creation with a cashmere pattern and a matching pocket square. It was a gift from Ruby a couple of days after we decided to officially date. It was a simple gift that I cherished because no one bought me anything. I’d gotten equally colorful and exciting socks to match.

Grinning back at her, I said, “I’ll be gone for a few hours. In the meantime, maybe you can do some shopping.” I pulled my wallet out and handed her my card. She didn’t take it, just stared at it wide-eyed.

“Elliot, do you just hand your black card to anyone?”

I shrugged. “No…” I frowned. “I thought a shopping spree would be a nice pre-birthday gift. You love shopping.” I got a glimpse into her closet and the woman had so many clothes and pairs of shoes that there was barely enough space for them. Besides, I trusted her… I’d really come a long way in the trust department.

Ruby laughed. “I won’t deny that, but I don’t want to go out on the town while you have to work. I’d rather spend time with you. Maybe we can go shopping together. We can create one of those modeling scenes where I try on a bunch of outfits, and you choose the best ones. Like in the movies.”

I chuckled. Of course, Ruby had to do everything with dramatic flair. She turned down access to my credit card to spend time with me. That was a first. My heart constricted as I took in her upturned face. “Sounds… fun.”

She smiled broadly and tipped on her toes to kiss my cheek. “Good luck at your meeting. I’ll eagerly await your return.”

That moment hit me with a shocking realization. I needed this — the companionship, the feeling of being accepted and cared for, and having someone special to share my life with. I wanted it with Ruby for more than the stipulated time of our marriage contract. Dare I say that I wanted it indefinitely?

It was a stunning recognition, one that I couldn’t take time to process now. However, I planned to put aside my fear and let her know what I wanted with her.

29

RUBY

Anxiety twisted like a knife in my stomach. Every other minute I felt like I wanted to throw up and being at work under the grueling thumb of Caroline didn’t help. I’d been distracted all day, so I wasn’t on my A-game.

The dragon lady had every right to reprimand me for my mediocre performance, even if she was a bit too cruel. She even cornered me to grill me about Elliot. Again, she demanded to know how I knew the boss before I started interning at Westwood Collective.

Of course, I had to bob and weave around the answer, which made me look guilty. Of what, I wasn’t sure. I just knew that Caroline was on to me and Elliot. Not to mention that it was getting increasingly hard to hide the fact that we were involved on a deeper level.

I was sure that I gazed at Elliot with too many stars in my eyes during those board meetings that I got to sit in on sometimes. I couldn’t make it any more obvious that I was into him, which was why I was so anxious.

Elliot asked me to meet him at his place for dinner. That would be nothing to worry about if he hadn’t been acting strange since we got back from London. I was convinced that he wanted to break up with me.

The uncertainty! It was driving me mad. As I massaged my aching temple, my phone rang in my handbag. The muffled sound pulled me from my internal panic and the sounds of the cafe filtered back in. Taking a deep breath, I returned to the world outside my head. I sat at a table, waiting for Megan. It had been a while since we hung out due to our busy schedules.

Maybe it was her calling to cancel our lunch date. When I dug my phone out of my bag and saw the name on the screen, I sucked in a sharp breath that sent a jab of pain through my heart.

Henry.

Cassandra gave me our father’s number when I expressed the possibility of wanting to speak with him someday.

I hadn’t worked up the courage to call him. But she’d also given him my number, and he’d been calling since Sunday, my birthday. The fact that he remembered when I was born was shocking. My finger lingered over theaccept callbutton, but I just couldn’t press it. The phone rang out and went silent.

Dropping my head in shame, I muttered, “I’m such a coward.”

“The executive world has driven her crazy. She’s talking to herself.”

My head snapped up at the familiar voice, and my smile was already blooming. Megan stood beside the table, grinning at me. Laughing, I got up and embraced her.

“More than crazy,” I said. “Look what they have me wearing.” I stepped back and spread my arms.

Megan clutched her chest and gasped. “Gray!Ugh.Ruby, what have they done to you?”

“They’re evil!” I returned just as dramatically, then we erupted into laughter. A few diners looked our way with amusement. And that was why Megan and I were such good friends… She was me with red hair. Birds of a feather.

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