Boss I Love to Hate: An Office Romance(21)

I swallowed the lump in my throat before speaking. “I’m nowhere near a good stand-in, but I know this awesome place that has the best rolled ice cream. What do you say?” I leaned in, tipping my head toward hers.

She nodded, and then, after a beat, she gave my hand a tight squeeze. “You’re so much better than Uncle Brad. He just gets really weird about this stuff, and it makes me feel weird because he’s weird. Then, everything is weird.”

I nodded. Boy, did I know it.

I playfully tugged the end of her hair and then bumped my shoulder against hers. “I know. I’ve worked with him long enough to know he is just plain weird.”

Sarah laughed, which lifted the mood.

I leaned into her, ducking my head to get closer. “And I want to let you know that, from this moment on, we are friends, and you can call me about any question or any thought or about random things. Because I’m a girl, and I have sisters and nieces and cousins, so I understand.” I threw her a conspiratorial look. “Don’t worry; I won’t tell your uncle.”

Sarah smiled. Then, she took a step forward, erasing the space between us, and gave me a soul-crushing hug that shocked me. As she relaxed in my arms, I rubbed her back, holding her tighter against me. To be so young yet to have experienced such tragedy made my heart hurt.

When I lifted my head, I noticed we weren’t alone. Right behind us, down the aisle, Brad was staring with narrowed eyes. Except he was no longer looking at Sarah. He was looking at me.





Brad

“Ice cream?” I peered down at my Rolex. “Not sure we have time for ice cream right now.”

We walked out of the drugstore and down the street, back to the office. Both girls had their arms linked and were practically skipping down the sidewalk in front of me. I couldn’t help but smile, especially when my day had started so horribly, and now, my Sarah seemed happy, so content.

People dressed in their suits and business attire rushed past us to get to work. Where mostly everyone was carrying their cups of coffee, I was carrying bags of sanitary pads.

The crying fits and hormonal outbreaks seemed to have stopped—for now, at least—and now, I needed to get back to the office and do some real work. Today, I needed to contact my sources about Titan Printing. It would seem as though the deal was off the table, that they were no longer looking for a buyer, even though their bottom line and talks in the industry said they’d be bankrupt within six months. I needed to seal this deal. Titan was on my wish list, and I was eager to acquire them.

“You can pick up a tub of ice cream on the way if that’s what you want.”

“Does this mean I’m out of school the whole day?” Sarah’s eyes brightened. “Because, if I am, I want to walk around downtown or something.”

“By yourself?”

She obviously didn’t mean by herself. She was twelve.

“Yes, by myself,” Sarah sassed.

To be young and think you could fly and do anything you damn well pleased. Nope. Not happening.

“No.” I shut her down quick. Just when I thought my day was looking brighter, I sensed Sarah’s pouting face beside me, but I ignored it.

I had to get back to work. My morning meetings were canceled, but that didn’t mean I could cancel my afternoon meetings as well. Charles and Mason were out of town, which meant that I had to keep the machine running.

“But, Uncle Brad,” Sarah whined.

“No,” I snapped, stepping through the revolving doors.

Twelve-year-olds thought they could rule the world and that bad guys didn’t exist when, in actuality, in every corner, there was a predator. I read the paper every morning, and I watched Dateline.

“Most definitely not. You brought your backpack with you. Your homework—you can do that.” I tipped my chin in Sonia’s direction. “Maybe Sonia and you can go out to lunch while I work.”

That seemed to brighten Sarah’s mood, and Sonia nodded beside her.

“Of course. Sarah, I’d love to take you out to lunch.” She bumped her shoulder against Sarah’s like they were suddenly best friends.

I wanted to be jealous of their immediate connection, but I couldn’t. It was too nice, seeing a smile on Sarah’s face.

“Then, we can get some ice cream.” Sonia eyed me with a smirk. “I’ll grab the corporate card.”

I shook my head as we entered Brisken Printing Corp. and passed by security.

“Hey, Tommy.” Sonia waved to the security guard, an older male with salt-and-pepper hair in a navy-blue suit and tie. Then, she proceeded to wave to two more people who passed. “Jenny. Christine.” She tipped her chin and greeted other people as we entered the turnstiles, heading to the elevator.

When we entered the elevator, I turned toward her. “Do you know everyone here?”

She rolled her eyes. “No. Just people who’ve worked here forever. Tommy has been here for twenty-five years.”

I frowned. I’d thought his name was Ted. “I know Tommy.”

She raised her eyebrows in a challenge. Why is it that my secretary knows when I’m bullshitting her?

Her tone was condescending and all-knowing—her typical Sonia tone. “Then, why don’t you smile or say hi? Because I guarantee you’ll want to know his name when you’re in trouble. Sometimes, you have to move out of that bubble world of yours.” She turned toward Sarah and smiled. “What kind of food are you into?”