Page 101 of The Boss Problem

I laughed and took another sip of my drink. It was delicious and refreshing. “I’ve never been called adventurous before.”

“You canceled an event with Henry to be with me,” Sean said, tracing lines on the back of my hand, running down the length of my arm. “That says adventurous to me.”

I nodded and gave a tiny shiver. “That felt … unsettling … but I want to be with you,” I said, looking up and meeting his eyes.

“I’m glad because I definitely wasn’t letting you get away tonight,” he said while I looked pleased.

I took a sip of my drink. “I think you’re changing me, and I like the new Chloe.”

Sean laughed. “Just so you know, I liked the old Chloe too. It was the reason I hijacked your date with Will in the first place,” he added while I laughed.

He looked at me like I was the most special thing he’d ever laid eyes on. The way he hung on to my every word made my heart flutter. What was this? Even if I wanted to reconsider my stance on relationships, Sean was my boss, and I knew for a fact that he didn’t do relationships.

When our food arrived, we dug in slowly.

“Can you tell me something?” Sean asked, a whiff of his expensive cologne reaching me. His jaw was tight, and his brown eyes were bright. “When you spoke with Henry, you said something about heading out on April 18? Because it’s the firstwarm weekend this month, and I was going to take you sailing with me that weekend.”

I froze. Sean was making plans for us. For weeks from now.

This was unexpected.

“I would have loved to, but this is something I can’t reschedule.” I lifted my chin. “I recently found something out … something about my dad.”

I took another sip of the mojito, the sugar and alcohol making it easier to speak. “For the past ten years, after Dad left, I thought he’d gone to California, where his parents had a home. Well, I googled his name, like I usually do every year around his birthday, and this time, a new social media account popped up.”

I swallowed and blurted out the words. “It was on a dating website.”

Sean’s eyes were intense, and my pulse was thundering as I went on.

“Anyway, without speaking with him, I found out Dad lives in New Jersey.New Jersey, Sean. Just an hour’s drive away from us. And he couldn’t find the time to pop over …” I shook my head, dispelling the angry thoughts. “Anyway, lately, I’ve had this idea. Even though he’s been out here and not attempted to meet us or find out how we are …” I held my breath.Not even on Christmas or Thanksgiving for the past ten years. “I was hoping he could get over here to see Henry graduate in four weeks. I’m pretty sure Henry would love that.”

He leaned forward and grabbed hold of my hand, his fingers squeezing mine. “I think that’s a great idea, Chloe. I didn’t have the experience you did of growing up with a sibling, but …”

He sat back, his eyes focusing on the windows next to us as he drew in a deep breath. Something deep and dark resurfaced in his mind because, when he turned to me, his eyes were stormy.

“I’m finally getting used to the idea of accepting Erin. For the past few weeks, I’ve heard occasionally from Erin and found ithard to ignore the interest with which she asked questions about New York and the life here. I couldn’t help myself and asked her if she was considering moving here from Miami.”

He reached for his cuff links, fiddling with them before he raised his head and spoke again. “Erin said she was, having looked at renting a storefront to continue her taxidermy business, but it would be another year or two before she could afford it.” His eyes cut to me. “It was the first time I had done something genuinely kind, I realized, when I offered to make the down payment for a storefront she liked.”

“Oh, Sean,” I said.

It was a change for him—I could see that. A wonderful change because if Erin stuck around, it also meant Lucas would have more people to love him.

I ran my hand slowly up and down his arm. “I think what you did was amazing.”

The corners of his lips moved up in a small smile. “Erin hasn’t accepted—yet. But I can do better by her. Just like I hope you can reach your dad … and if you need any help, well, I’m here for you. Private investigators included.”

I smiled at that. I didn’t plan on using a PI—heck, I couldn’t afford any—but I was glad for the opening to talk about something else.

“Tell me about Erin,” I said, reaching for a second bite.

Sean was silent for a while as he moved his steak around on his plate. “My mom, well, she cheated on my father with another man. When Dad found out, he was devastated. She left us, and I heard later that she had another kid. Erin. Years later, at Dad’s funeral, Erin got in touch with me. I was suspicious of her back then and didn’t really encourage her. But now, my behavior back then seems repugnant. I’m glad she’s giving me another chance.”

“What about your mom?”

“Well, she didn’t marry Erin’s biological father either. She’s alone now, well into her seventies. She’s not someone I talk about much. I haven’t forgiven her for what she did to my father.”

“Cheating on him and leaving you?”

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