Page 56 of Unlocking my Boss's Heart

What a stark contrast to the night she left the hospital. What had happened?

“So, it’s not over between us? You just need more time to think?”

She bit her lower lip, remaining silent.

“Is that what you really want?” I pressed.

She nodded. “I’m looking forward to my first assigned case as a new lawyer,” she said, her face masking her true emotions, like an employee would to her boss.

I nodded back, hiding how much her decision crushed me behind a stoic expression. Jamming my hands into my slacks’ pockets, I turned away, looking out at the city. Its usual vibrancy now seemed to mock me. With how often women pursued me, who would have thought the day would come when I would be rejected—or, as Celia just did, placed on hold until she decided it was time?

The door closed silently behind her. She had left.

What did this temporary hiatus mean? I had never been in a situation like this.

Did we date other people, meanwhile? Did we not?

Closing my eyes, I felt the loss deep in my entire being. This wasn’t how I’d pictured ending that conversation with her. My dreams had ended with her sitting on my desk and me kissing her as I so desperately wanted to.

As the day went on, I continued to struggle with understanding this “rethinking of us” because it sounded like theendof us. I had always either dated or not. I found it hard to resist the impulse to walk to Celia’s desk and ask her to reconsider.

Finally, I exhaled loudly.

On the other hand, considering the chaos my usually organized life had recently experienced, perhaps a break would be better. That didn’t mean I was giving up forever. Once the situation with Reeva was sorted out, I would be in a much stronger position to argue my case with Celia.

I hoped…No, I shouldn’t be concerned about her starting to date someone else. My thoughts were taking me to dark places. I needed to accept this hiatus for her sake, to allow her time to consider all the implications of us being together. As a senior executive, any rumors about Celia and me would affect her far more than they would me. Some of the women in the office already believed that her relationship with me had landed her the job.

Were women’s emotions irrational? As a man, it was easier for me to compartmentalize. Even with my father’s heart issues, I managed to maintain focus at work. I found a way to block out worries and thoughts. But with the women here, especiallyCelia, it seemed they couldn’t separate one thing from another—everything was interconnected.

After work, I got to my car, tossed my cell phone into the cup holder, started the engine, and turned up the radio. As I pulled out of the underground parking garage, my phone began to vibrate. I glanced at the screen and saw Johan’s name flashing.

I picked up the call. “What’s up, bro?”

“Hey, all good here. I just thought I would tell you what I heard from Mom so that we can be on Dad’s case together,” Johan said.

“What?”

“He skipped taking his blood thinner medication after the first surgery, which likely caused the recent blood clot.”

“Damn! I hope he understands now that he can’t skip that medication?” I asked, the edge in my voice betraying my frustration at my father’s stubbornness.

“He does now. Mom didn’t know, but she’s on top of it.” He paused and asked, “So, how are you?”

“I’m cool, just dealing with work stuff,” I replied tersely.

Johan tsked. “I know your work usually gets you fired up, not sounding this gloomy and irritated by it. Now, if you’d said ‘dealing with Reeva’ in that tone, I might have believed you. What’s really going on?”

Johan’s summary of my character was spot on. It made me smirk.

“I just had a falling-out with Celia. But we’ll resolve it soon,” I added that last part, knowing my brother sometimes liked to stick his nose where it wasn’t wanted.

“Want to talk about it?”

I didn’t answer, slowing down as I approached the stopped cars at the green light ahead. Even with my windows up, the sound of honking from frustrated drivers in the gridlocked traffic was loud.

“Come on, tell me,” Johan urged, impatient with my silence. “I bet she’s upset that Reeva is claiming she’s having your child.”

Turning the steering wheel to change lanes, I said, “That’s an understatement.”

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