Page 64 of Stuck with my Boss Daddies

Even Samantha, ever the town’s coffee queen, had some dating horror stories from before she moved to Medford.

And somewhere between my second drink and Lila reenacting a particularly embarrassing encounter between Aurora and Owen, I realized…

I was having a blast.

I wasn’t overthinking everything. I wasn’t stuck in my head, obsessing over the past or worrying about the future.

This wasreallynice.

I laughed until my ribs ached. Lila and Morgan had me practically in tears with their dramatized reenactment of Medford’s annual Fall Festival disaster, which apparently involved a runaway hayride, a rogue goat, and a very unlucky mayor.

Aurora nearly snorted her drink when I admitted I’d once locked myself in The Foundry’s walk-in fridge for a solid five minutes before figuring out the release handle.

And when Samantha stood to get another round, I grabbed her wrist. “Nope. I got it.”

She raised an impressed brow. “Look at you, stepping up to the plate.”

“I’m thriving,” I announced grandly, standing up a little too fast.

Okay,thrivingwas a strong word, but I was definitely buzzed and happy, which was close enough.

I wove through the crowd toward the bar, grinning when I spotted Todd Rivers already lining up our drinks before I even made it to him.

He was there.

That thought hit me ice-cold.

I didn’t know his name at the time, but he was the bartender the night I went home with Samuel.

Did he remember?

As his eyes met mine, I could sense the knowledge in his all-too-mischievous grin. “So… how’s life over at The Foundry?”

The way he said it—low, teasing, with just enough implication to make my stomach clench—made my buzz wobble.

I swallowed. “It’s, uh… good?”

“Good,” he echoed, like he was testing the word. “I’ll bet. Not every day a girl finds herself working alongside three of the most sought-after men in Medford.”

I stiffened.

Todd must’ve noticed because his grin widened. “Not that I’m judging. Just saying, peopletalk.”

Heat prickled at the back of my neck.

My heart, so light and carefree moments ago, suddenly felt heavy.

I shouldn’t care. Lila didn’t. Aurora didn’t.

But still…

For all the progress I’d made tonight, for all the genuine joy I’d felt with these women, this was exactly what I’d been afraid of.

The whispers. The sideways glances. The talk.

Because he was right. Peopledidtalk.

And I wasn’t sure if I was ready for what they were saying.

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