Page 3 of Flirting with my Billionaire Boss

“That sounds nice. Think it’ll be easy for me to get a job there?”

He glances over his shoulder and then switches lanes.

The traffic here is horrible. Soon we’re at a standstill. “There’s a grocery store that always has job postings on their bulletin board. There are usually ads for places to stay too if you need that.”

“I sure do.”

“You’ll probably find something there. They aren’t big on technology in Blue Mountain. It’s gotten better since the vacation rental market picked up though.”

“What are the people like?”

“Warm and friendly. My uncle is a groundskeeper for this big billionaire family that owns most of Blue Mountain. You might be able to find a job with them.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Most rich people are stuck up like Markus. Not really my idea of who I want to work for.Maybe the local grocery store needs a cashier, I think before I nod off to sleep.

Five minutes later, I get woken up by my phone ringing. It’s Markus. I hit ignore and lean my head against the window again. Except I can’t sleep, and my heart is pounding again.

A text message comes through.

Markus: Where are you going? I can see that you’ve left the airport. You need to get back here right now or you’re going to be sorry. I didn’t say you could leave.

Panic tears through me. I forgot to turn off the GPS tracking on my phone. We don’t use it very often, so I didn’t think about it. Markus has me trained to tell him when I’m going at all times, so we’ve never had a need for the GPS before. I turn the location setting on my phone off and avoid answering Markus’s text.

When three more threatening angry texts come through, I shut off my phone. There, now I can breathe again. I’ve never dared to be this brave before.

A couple of hours later, we’re in a completely different world. Quaint shops line the street, and we pass a firehouse and a library.

“We’re here,” my driver says to me.

I yawn and stretch. “Can you drop me off at a coffee shop or something?”

“You got it.”

He pulls up to a coffee shop, and I get out with my luggage. I pay him the two hundred-plus fare and add in a decent tip, and he waves goodbye. There is zero chance that Markus will think of searching for me here. It looks like I’m in the middle of nowhere.

He must be so furious that I’m not responding to him. I feel like a little kid who’s disobeyed her parents and is waiting for their wrath. Markus is terrifying when he gets enraged. Usually, when that happens, I placate him. I tried standing up to him once. It didn’t go well at all. I ended up apologizing to him for it. I know that sounds messed up, but most people didn’t understand what it was like to be married to a guy like Markus. It was a matter of survival. I was willing to put up with it for years, but now it’s a different story. Because there’s a baby involved. My kid. And I’m not going to let anything hurt him or her. I’m all this baby has, and I have to be strong for it.

I pull open the door to the coffee shop and walk inside. It’s a cozy place with couches scattered around the room. I order a mocha latte and then sip on it while lounging on one of the couches. Is it safe for me to be drinking this much caffeine? I’m not sure how much is okay, so I’d better limit it to just one cup.

A woman who looks to be my age with a smile and her hair in a perky blonde ponytail walks up to me. “Hey, do you care if I sit next to you?”

“Not at all. Have a seat.” I scoot over to make room for her. “What's your name?”

“I'm Stella. And who are you? I haven't seen you around here before.”

“That's because I've never been here before.” I stick my hand out. “My name is Callie.”

Stella shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you, Callie. What brings you to Blue Mountain?”

I force a smile. “You know…” I hesitate. How could I put this? “Men.”

“What? You have a guy here?”

“No,” I admit. “I’m running away from one.” It sounds crazy to say out loud. But Stella doesn’t know Markus, so it’s not like she can tell him where I am.

“Aren’t we all?”

“I don’t usually tell random strangers my problems. The truth is, I'm looking for a fresh start. I just found out I’m pregnant, and my husband doesn’t want kids. I know if he finds out, he’ll want me to get an abortion, and I don’t want that.” There’s something about Stella that puts me at ease. She’s nice to talk to.

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