Page 33 of The Boss Problem

When you worked on the thirty-fifth floor, you had a choice of things to look at beyond a great, expansive sky.

“Never.”

“What a pity when you have such a beautiful view,” I added, remembering spending early mornings looking out at the view after I placed his breakfast and drink on the table.

“Maybe someone like you might convince me to admire that too.”

“Maybe,” I said, realizing with a pang of regret that Henry was close to the van already. I’d have to hang up soon. I let out the back ramp for our van and waited. “Could I think about your request for a few days before I give you an answer?”

“Sure. I want to say take as much time as you need, but I only have a month left with Lucas.”

“I’ll get back to you tomorrow. I find that it is usually best to sleep over things before I decide.”

“Are you afraid of being impulsive, Chloe?”

“Very. I can’t afford to be.”

He was silent. “What happens when you’re impulsive, Chloe?” he asked, his voice low.

I didn’t speak for a few moments. “I do things that I regret. I decide to marry the wrong man, for example. Or I’d tell—” I bit my lip.

“Me the truth about why you were so flustered that night I needed the Spider-Man figures?” he asked, completing the sentence for me.

I blew out a sharp breath. “You remembered?” I asked finally.

“When it comes to you, I seem to have the sharpest of memories, Chloe.”

We were still for a few moments while Henry stopped a few feet away to wave at a friend across the street.

“You know, there’s a lot more to you than I imagined when I met you at the café,” I muttered.

“You imagined me and my life?” he demanded.

“I tried to,” I confessed. “I tried to picture what kind of life someone like you might lead.”

“What parts are you disappointed in?” he asked, his voice tinged with urgency, as if that were suddenly all that mattered to him.

“Nothing,” I admitted, feeling surprised by my answer. “So far, I’ve found nothing lacking. And that realization stuns me.”

I heard him clear his throat.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

To my right, Henry slowly rolled up the back ramp into the van while I waited. Some vans had automated systems with buttons to help a wheelchair in, but ours was manual.

“Oh, and, Ms. Nichols, you don’t need to worry about me asking you about why you were flustered that night.”

“I don’t?” I asked, feeling surprised at this turn of events.

He hummed in assent.

“Because I know you’ll tell me the truth someday. When you trust me. Which you will, Chloe. There’s no escaping that.” And with that, he hung up.

18

SEAN

The large mahogany table gleamed under the lights. I sat at the head of the table, my gaze sweeping the two men and the one woman who were seated around it. The CFO, the head of marketing, and the VP of strategy had just finished discussing budget allocation and potential risks related to our newest initiative to expand into Asia. Everyone was eager to leave, except for Dex Smithson, the head of marketing.

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