Page 77 of The Grumpy Boss Agreement

I gape at her for two more seconds. She rolls her eyes again and then heads toward the marker.

I’m left trailing after her, wondering what hidden depths she has that I might never know.

19

Savannah

I am leaning over Meg’s shoulder as the teenage volunteer points to a sketch of a set she’s completed.

“We just need a bunch of colored construction paper to build the back wall. And then we can cut pieces of construction paper out and glue them to a chair to make the Wicked Witch’s bicycle.”

Halfway through her proposal, I notice Charlie running down the center aisle. Straightening up, I tell Meg, “That sounds great. Can you make sure you email these to me?”

Charlie runs straight to me, stopping just before he hits me. I grin and crouch down.

“Hey! Can you go over to where the other kids are practicing? They should be running over their lines.”

“Okay!” Charlie says, sprinting away toward the stage, eager to join the circle of kids sitting cross-legged there. He struggles to climb on the stage and I hold my breath. Jess notices him and scoots over to give him a hand up.

Once Charlie scrambles on stage, he races to the first gap in the circle and drops to the floor. Smiling at his antics, I shake my head.

“That kid has too much energy.”

Cole comes up behind me, holding Charlie’s coat. He tosses it on the seat beside himself and looks at his son.

“Charlie’s been wound up since dawn. It’s too bad he doesn’t take naps anymore.”

I can feel myself smile.

“We’re glad you guys made it, even if you’re not exactly on time.”

“Yeah.” His eyes turn to me, probing. “Listen, I know we talked about it, but I just want to say, about the other day…”

My face flames as I remember just what he’s talking about. My lips and nipples tingle with the memory of his sweet tongue.

I’m intimately aware of what a bad idea it was. I really should know better.

I shake my head vehemently. “Nope. No need to talk about it again.”

One of Cole’s eyebrows arches. “Oh?”

Embarrassed, I cough a little.

“We’ve been over this. I know all the reasons you’re going to list off. You’re my boss, you’re still in sexile, you’re bound for London. We can’t let our hormones tell us how to act. That’s the gist of what you’re about to say, isn’t it?”

Cole smirks. The expression is cold though. His eyes lack the usual sparkle that makes my legs quiver.

“That’s about it.”

“Then we’re in agreement. No need to argue the matter further. Don’t get me wrong. Making out with you was the hottest thing to happen to me in a long time. But it was a bad idea nonetheless.”

His brows descend and he looks at me as if he is wondering whether he can actually trust me or not. “I see.”

“Good!” I put on my most saccharine smile. “In other news, I hope you’re feeling handy today. While the kids rehearse, the adults have the pleasure of building the sets. Come on.”

I lead him around the seats to the side door. The backstage area already has a couple of men and a handful of women discussing how best to divide up the work.

“Hey everyone! I brought another set of hands.” I walk into the middle of the loosely gathered circle of bodies, sizing everyone up. “Hannah and Sara, you’re artistic. Can you start constructing the papier-mâché animals? Jared, you and Cole are probably the strongest ones here. Can you two use hammers and drills to help build the big boat? Artie and Beatrice, you are both detail-oriented. Can you help fill in the frame of the boat with some painted construction paper once they’re done?”

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