Today was the perfect day, though-sunny, light jacket weather, and I was quitting. Yep, I wasn’t even giving two weeks’ notice. It was the first rebellious thing I had done in years, and it felt oh so good. Almost as good as that spring break trip to Florida where I inherited the tiny heart tattoo on my butt. Well, maybe. Miles gave me a hefty signing bonus for starting right away and the balance in my bank account did make me feel pretty euphoric.
I headed straight for my cubicle and set Henry on my desk while I filled my bag with the few personal items I’d kept there. The framed picture of Chloe and me doing our best duck faces was really all I cared about. Henry took the picture from me and pointed to Chloe. “I love Co-ee.”
Chloe was already in love with him too. He was seriously adorable. He cried yesterday when we left. And this morning when I showed up early to start my duties as his nanny, he was all smiles and full of hugs and kisses. His uncle, on the other hand, was relieved to finally get some time to write. I had to say I was happy to give it to him. I needed that book.
“Do you want to hold the picture for me?” I asked Henry.
He hugged it to his chest.
I had just placed my stash of protein bars in my bag when overly shiny Stephen appeared in my cubicle. His comb-over this morning looked more like a swirly Q plastered to his forehead with gel. I pressed my lips together so I wouldn’t bust out laughing. I was so going to snap a picture of it and send it to my friends.
Stephen smacked his lips, making a sound that made me want to wretch. “You’re late,” he said with way too much satisfaction. “And,” his beady eyes landed on Henry, “this isn’t bring-your-child-to-work day.”
The idiot didn’t even realize Henry wasn’t mine, though I would claim him in a heartbeat, especially after he pointed at Stephen and said, “You have a tail on your head.”
There was no holding back my laugh. Henry joined in and giggled too, repeating to me, “He has a tail on his head.” He was right. It did look like a rat tail.
Stephen turned so red he almost looked purple. He ran his hand over his hair, which only made it worse. He had used so much gel it made his hair stick straight up. While he tried to smooth his hair down, he spluttered, “I’m going to have to write you up for this.”
“You do that. I quit.” Wow, did that feel amazing to say.
Stephen’s jaw dropped. “Is this some sort of practical joke?”
I picked up Henry and gave him a squeeze. “Looks like the joke’s on you. You may have to do some actual work until you can find my replacement. Good luck with that.” I grabbed my bag and strode right past Stephen. “By the way, you have spinach in your teeth . . . again.”
He covered his mouth with his hand and muttered, “I hope you don’t expect a good reference.”
I laughed as I walked away. “Believe me, I would have never asked you for one. In your last email, you spelled absences abscesses. And no, I won’t be ‘comming’ to the training meeting. You might want to invest in a spell checker.” How he graduated from college I had no idea.
“For that, you’re fired,” he yelled.
I waved to him from behind while two of the other personal bankers stood, envious, and silently clapped for me. We all hated him. I bowed as best I could with Henry in my arms.
After I was done grandstanding, I kissed Henry’s head. “Let’s go say goodbye to Evelyn.” She was the one person I would miss. We hopped on the elevator and Henry insisted on pushing the button for the second floor. I never quite understood why kids loved to push the elevator’s buttons, but Chloe had as well. She’d had a meltdown when she was four at the doctor’s office because I accidentally forgot and did it myself. After her exorcist event, I never touched another button until she was ten.
In Evelyn fashion, she was all smiles when I got off the elevator holding my new charge. Evelyn grinned wider when she recognized Henry. “Is this who I think it is?”
“I’m Henry,” he was quick to answer in his adorable accent, leaving no doubt who he was.
Evelyn came around her desk in a happy tizzy. “Please tell me you and the debonair Brit are dating? I had a feeling about you two.”
With a shake of my head I dashed her hopes. “Sorry, but,” I paused for dramatic effect, “I’m his new nanny and personal assistant.”
She playfully smacked my arm. “You’re kidding me.”
“No. I just told Stephen I quit.”
She placed her hand across her heart. “Oh, I would have loved to see that.” She wrapped her arms around me and Henry. “I knew there were better doors for you to open. But I’m going to miss you, sweetie.” She kissed my cheek. I was sure she left a red lip stain. She loved her lipstick.
“I’m going to miss you too. I wanted to make sure I came to say goodbye, and,” I reached into my bag, “I wanted to give you this.” I held out a framed sketch I had drawn a while back of the sunflower fields near the bank that she loved to comment on. I was going to give it to her on her birthday next month, but this seemed like a good time.
She took it and tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She pulled me to her. “You are a talented, sweet woman. Thank you, dear.”
“You’re welcome,” she had me choking up. “I’m going to miss you.”
She patted Henry’s cheeks and then mine. “You will be missed, but I’m happy for you. You deserve better than this place has treated you. I do hope the handsome Brit will realize what a gem he’s getting.”
“Not sure I qualify, but so far so good.” The money was amazing, and did I mention he gave me a luxury SUV to drive? I was sure it was his sister’s, but he said as long as I worked for him, it was mine to drive. He probably didn’t want me carting around his nephew in my eyesore that now sat in his garage.
“Oh, honey, you are a rare find. Make sure he treats you as such.”
“He has to be better than the wicked boss I had here.”
She nudged me with her elbow. “If you’re lucky, he’ll be a tad wicked.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not going to be like that between us.” I had signed a contract guaranteeing it. No need to mention that, though.
“I wouldn’t be too sure. I saw the way he looked at you.”
I had noticed too. “Well, I better get going. I need to get Chloe registered for school in Carrington Cove.” She was home with my mom now who was helping me pack. The plan was to move what little furniture I had into my parents’ garage since the guesthouse was fully furnished. It was going to be like living in Pottery Barn. I would need to keep reminding Chloe and myself it wasn’t going to last, so not to get used to it.
Evelyn tilted her head. “You had to see he was attracted to you.” She wouldn’t let it go.
“It’s strictly business, I promise you.” Addendum A in the contract clearly stated it. To avoid impropriety or scandal, there will be no romantic involvement between the two parties for the period outlined in section two. Both parties willingly agree to these terms . . . Blah, blah, blah.
“Let me know how that works out for you. Strictly business,” she laughed to herself. “I give you two months before you start getting down to business.”
“Evelyn.” I blushed.
“Mark my words, honey.” She gave me one more pat. “Keep in touch.”
“I will.”
Henry waved bye-bye and we headed downstairs to turn in my ID badge and walk out for the final time. As soon as we got off the elevator, we were approached by the harried Vice President, Mr. Stanley. Otherwise known as Mr. He-wouldn’t-know-a-good-employee-if-she-bit-him-in-the-butt. I was honestly surprised to see him so out of sorts. Normally he strutted around in his designer suits trying to look as distinguished as possible. He was one of those men who loved mentioning how many times a week he played racquetball and that he only ate whole foods. I would give it to him—you wouldn’t know he was well into his fifties except his hair was more silver now than brown.
“Aspen,” Mr. Stanley said, relieved. “I’m glad I
caught you. Can we speak for a moment?” He eyed Henry carefully.
“What about?” I was playing it cool.
He cleared his throat. “I just heard the unfortunate news that you’ve decided to leave. I hate to lose such a valuable employee.”
Valuable? I wanted to laugh, but all I could do was stare at him blankly.
He tugged on his collar. “Why don’t we talk in my office about your career goals and what it would take for you to stay.”
Henry was starting to fidget, so I set him down and took his hand. The wonderful way his hand felt in mine gave me all the courage I needed. “Mr. Stanley, you never appreciated how valuable I was to this organization, and sadly, neither did I. But now that I do, I see I’m worth more than this place.”
Mr. Stanley stared, dumbfounded.
“Here’s my badge. Have fun with Stephen.” I turned with the biggest smile on my face and never looked back.
Chapter Nine
After putting Henry down to sleep, I knocked on Miles’s office door. It had been a long day and I was ready to call it a night. I had forgotten how much work it was to take care of a toddler. They were hardwired to get into everything and had no fear, which was a dangerous combination. On top of taking care of Henry, I had to get Chloe into school and pack up all our clothes, which were currently in disarray in our new home. I had left Chloe to at least put hers away while I brought Henry back to put him to bed. He didn’t go willingly, which made me sad. I would have thought he’d be anxious to see his uncle who we had only seen briefly this morning. Miles said he kept weird hours, but he hadn’t mentioned how long.
“Just a minute,” Miles called.
I could hear him turning his whiteboard around before he answered the door. You don’t know how badly I wanted to sneak into his office and read every word on the board. I mean, I signed his NDA, so I wouldn’t tell anyone. Though I’m sure my friends would ask.
Miles finally answered the door and my stomach swooped again. I hoped I would become immune to him soon. It didn’t help that his chiseled features were sporting sexy stubble and his countenance lit up when he saw me.
“Aspen.”
Why did he have to say my name so tenderly? I held up the baby monitor, trying not to think about it. “Henry is sound asleep.” After four stories and a song, but I didn’t bring that up. “But I wanted to make sure you had this in case he woke up and you didn’t hear him.” I had to admit I was kind of concerned that Miles wasn’t the most attentive parent and was having a hard time adjusting to his new role.
Miles took the monitor. “Thank you. How was he today?”
“Busy.” I smiled. “But he’s an angel. You’re a lucky man.” I hoped he knew that.
Miles ran his hand through his tousled curls, looking unsure. It pricked my heart, but I couldn’t exactly blame him. He’d been through a lot in the last several weeks. Anyone would need time to adjust.
“Well, good night,” I said when he didn’t respond. I turned to go.
“Aspen, would you like to come in for a minute?” he asked nervously.
I pointed down the hall. “I should get back to help Chloe unpack.”
“Yes, of course . . . but,” he paused and rubbed the back of his neck, “I would really like to discuss a few items I need taken care of tomorrow.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“I promise to only be a few minutes.” He opened his door wider, inviting me in.
I skirted past him, making sure I stayed as far away from him as possible. I didn’t need any whiffs of his intoxicating cologne. It was bad enough I had to be subject to his good looks and heavenly accent. Not to mention his beautiful words. I had already put Silent Stones in its place of honor on the nightstand in my new room.
Miles squinted at me as I passed by, probably wondering what was wrong with me, but didn’t point it out. “Please have a seat.” He waved toward the two simple wooden chairs that matched the style of the home in front of his neatly organized desk.
I took the one closest to the door and he surprisingly turned the other toward me and sat down close enough that our knees practically touched. Why couldn’t he have taken his own chair across the desk from me? There was no avoiding his mind-numbing scent now. I gripped the edge of my seat and started taking shallow breaths.
Miles raised a brow over my behavior. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”
I placed my hands in my lap and lied. “No. Nope. Not at all.” How many times did I need to convey that? I was such an idiot.
Miles’s lip twitched, but I could tell he was holding back a full-blown smile. He leaned forward and rested his hands on his legs. “I’m happy to hear that. I do hope that you will be comfortable here. Does the guest house have everything you need?”
That and more. I planned to take a long, hot bath in the soaker tub tonight. We hadn’t had a tub since we lived with my parents. And I could go on for days about the stylish and comfortable furniture. Reading in bed was going to be so much more pleasurable now. And the extra space alone was a treat. It was three times the size of our apartment. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“Please let me know if you require anything else.”
The only thing I needed right now was some distance between us. Each debonair word he spoke was making the numbing agent around my heart fade, leaving a stinging effect I wasn’t too fond of. If only I could scoot my chair back without him noticing. Maybe I could lie and tell him my back hurt and I needed to get up and walk around. But did I really want to go down that rabbit hole? He would probably offer to buy a more ergonomically correct chair. I’d noticed how easily he threw around money. Like when I offered to have Henry eat with me and Chloe since he wasn’t fond of the chef-prepared meals that Miles preferred, Miles offered to give me a weekly allowance for food on top of all the other perks of the job.
I tucked some hair behind my ear. “I appreciate that.”
He tilted his head as if he could read me like a book and knew how uncomfortable I was around him. More like how uncomfortable I was because I wanted to be comfortable around him. “I do hope we will be friends.”
I shifted in my chair. “I thought you wanted to keep a purely professional relationship between us.”
“I do,” he was quick to say. “But,” he leaned in closer, “coworkers can be friends. Can they not?”
“You’re my boss,” I stammered.
“I do hate that term. I would much rather think of us as partners.”
“Partners?” My voice hitched up a notch.
“You are helping me raise my nephew and run my business, which is why I wanted to talk to you.”
“Great. What can I help you with?” I needed this meeting to end ASAP before I passed out from all the shallow breathing I was doing.
His demeanor said he knew he was having an effect on me. He was probably used to it. After all, women did hand him their panties. Not sure why that was a thing. I mean, were they handing him used underwear? That was plain gross. Or did they buy a spare pair? In that case, what a waste of money. Nice undies weren’t cheap, which was one of the main reasons I switched to granny panties. They were economical and comfortable. Six in a pack, you couldn’t beat that.
“We’ll get there.” He held out his hand. “Let us first agree to be partners and friends.”
I stared at his hand, biting my lip. My head was saying proceed with caution, like, lots and lots of caution.
“Come now, what are you afraid of?” He extended his hand farther.
Him. Definitely him.
“Aspen,” he whispered.
My eyes drifted up to meet his thoughtful gaze. He was studying me like a final exam. “I don’t think it was by chance that we met.”
“I don’t either,” flew out of my mouth before I even knew I thought it.
Miles liked my response very much based on the way he leaned in closer. “Perhaps we could start there then.” He inched his hand forward.
My hand started creeping its wa
y toward his. Miles tried not to stare at it, his eyes fixed on mine, begging me to trust him. I wasn’t sure why it was so important to him. My hand did eventually land in his. But he didn’t grasp it right away. It was as if he was giving me the chance to rescind if I wasn’t ready. How he knew me so well, I wish I knew. When my hand remained, his gently but firmly enveloped mine. It was no ordinary handshake; it was more like fusion—two things coming together to create a single entity. It caused massive stinging sensations, and worse, a clue to where the key to my heart was hidden. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know where it was, so I pulled away.
Miles exhaled audibly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I responded though I wasn’t sure what he was thanking me for.
He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Let’s get down to business now, shall we?”
That sounded safer. “Yes.”
“My publisher has informed me that I need to be more diligent about keeping up my social media presence and answering my electronic fan mail. I was hoping you could help me with both.”
“Sure. Do you have a form letter you send out or do you respond personally?”
“I have a template you can use, but if the email is particularly touching, feel free to improvise.”
“That could be dangerous.”
He chuckled. “I trust you.”
Again, that could be dangerous. “Do you have a site I can log in to?”
He reached over and retrieved a MacBook off his desk and a piece of paper. “You can use this for any business you conduct on my behalf.” He held up the piece of paper. “I’ve listed all my logins and passwords.”
I took both items. “Do you have any ideas about how you would like to present your brand online?”
My Not So Wicked Boss (My Not So Wicked Series Book 3) Page 7
