Page 112 of My Lucky Charm

She smirks. “So, I basically saved him.”

“Pretty much.”

Her eyes meet mine. “You really would’ve punched him?”

“I really would’ve,” I say honestly. She laughs, and it feels good. “I didn’t hear everything he said, but I heard enough.”

“Enough to know he was my boss,” she says.

“Enough to know you were right—he is a bad person.”

“He really is,” she says. “Which is why I think it’ll be easier to forget the way he made me feel about myself.” Her face falls. “At least I hope so.”

My stomach twists. I’d love to take a crack at punching that jerk’s face for what he did to Eloise. She beats herself up for it, but he was the boss, and he obviously abused that position. Between the two of them, he was the one in the wrong.

“And also why I’m going to do the very best job as your assistant.” She wipes the damp space underneath her eyes. “I can prove to Jay and everyone else that I’m good at this. A total professional.”

Right. A professional. Which is what I want . . . right?

Her phone buzzes. “Oh, it’s Beth.” Her eyes jump to mine. “We need to decide about the endorsement.”

“We?”

“Sorry. You,” she says. “You need to decide.”

I assume this will go a long way in helping rebuild her self-esteem, make her see that she really is good at this job, with or without her tool of an ex-boyfriend. “Do you get a commission?”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter, I—”

“Do you?” I cut in.

She sighs. “I mean, yeah. It’s whatever. They included that in there. Technically, they found you and the picture because of me. I think Beth sweetened the deal so I’d work extra hard to get you on board, but really, it’s fine, it’s—”

“I’ll do it.”

She stares.

“What?” I repeat. “I’ll do it.”

“Gray . . .”

“Send over all the details to my manager,” he says. “Have you been in touch with Malcolm yet?”

“I think Beth reached out, but I haven’t, no.”

“I’ll send you his information.”

She looks suspicious.

“Take the win, Eloise,” I say. “You deserve it.”

Poppy and Scarlett reappear with our meals, Scarlett’s plate a tower of heart-shaped pancakes, ending the conversation.

It’s fine by me because the whole exchange has me feeling more unsettled than ever. Eloise is resigned to keeping things professional, but everything about today has me feeling exactly the opposite.

And all I want is to have her hand back in mine again.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

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