Page 124 of The Boss Problem

“Yes, well …” I struggled with my emotions for a bit. “There’s something to be said for Henry and me being independent, isn’t there?”

She chuckled. “Yes, Chloe. Yes. Is this new and improved Chloe all thanks to Sean?” Tess asked after a bit.

“Nonsense,” I said immediately, and she laughed.

“Sean’s been a good influence on you,” she said. “Are the two of you serious? It sure seems like that to me.”

I scoffed at that. If there was one thing I could bank on, it was our expectations from our relationship.

Purely physical.

I sat down on the couch, staring at the coffee table. The table where Henry had explained a soccer game to Sean. Sean had even come to our doorstep to make sure Henry was okay after the college emergency incident. Sean had unyieldingly, patiently been there for me. Right from the day he’d given me a job when there wasn’t a position open.

Tess was still talking. “So, have you thought about what it will mean that you won’t leave New York for Boston when Sean is still here?”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. As the thought hit me, I realized something else.

I didn’t want Sean to ever leave me.

The idea was shocking.

We’d decided we weren’t going to be in a relationship. I’d wanted exactly that. An emotionless fling. But life, so often,made me feel like I was mountain climbing without a safety harness. And lately, it felt like Sean and I had been mountain climbing together without harnesses, and that felt okay. That felt doable. The mountain conquerable, the safety harnesses unnecessary because we were together.

I was in love with him.

Did I admit this to him? And if I did, what if he just upped and left? What if this was wading into the dangerous territory for him, bringing back memories of his bad relationships? Did I have the courage to be alone, without Sean?

53

SEAN

Chris, my driver, was guiding the sleek black Rolls-Royce through the crowded Manhattan streets. The vehicle glided through the bustling roads lined with towering skyscrapers and a slew of yellow cabs. The traffic was relentless with horns blaring all around us, only intensifying as we approached 59th Street.

“Have I told you that you’ve been looking better lately?” Chris mentioned as he turned the car smoothly from one lane to another.

I laughed. “Are you talking about the new buzz cut I got?” I asked, running my fingers through my very short hair.

Chloe had been very approving of the new look.

“No. You’re happier,” Chris said. “And I’ve seen you with your buzz cut before. Maybe six years ago.”

I didn’t remember, but Chris had an excellent memory. I latched on to the other bit of information. Happy. I remembered telling Chloe she could be happily single when I met her. What a fool I had been. She made me so happy by being with me. She wasn’t meant to be single, and with a woman like her around, neither was I. But Chris and I never discussed such things.

“Thanks,” I said. “I hadn’t realized it was that obvious. The credit goes to Chloe.”

Chris nodded, like it was something he’d known already. “She’s great,” he said. “Honest and friendly.”

That was the shorter version of it. I could add a lot more—gorgeous, made me feel better whenever she was around, mind-blowing in bed—but this wasn’t the time for it.

“I’ve known you for over a decade, and yet I don’t know where you got that scar above your eyebrow from,” I asked Chris.

He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to forget about that one. I was riding with my friend who was slightly drunk. He didn’t notice the pickup truck sliding to the next lane, and before we knew it, we flipped, the car in the air.” He turned the steering wheel as he deftly maneuvered the car to the right. “I was lucky I was wearing my seat belt. Otherwise, I’d have a lot more scars than just this one.”

“That must have been traumatic. Did your friend do okay?”

Chris shook his head. “He didn’t make it,” he said.

Damn.No wonder he’s such a stickler about me wearing my seat belt, I mused, looking at Chris with feeling.

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