Page 61 of Her Big Fat Hunky Billionaire Boss

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. He wouldn’t listen.”

Lydia held up a hand. “It’s okay, Marion. This is Mr. Warren. He owns the paper.”

“Oh.” Marion flattened a hand to her chest. “I’m sorry Mr. Warren.”

Damian was too upset to even care. He glared at Lydia. “You fired Kat?” He hadn’t meant to shout, but it ricocheted through her office like a bullet.

Lydia flinched. “Please close the door when you leave, Marion.”

Once the door was closed Lydia placed her hands on her desk. “I’m sorry Mr. Warren, I had to let her go.”

Damian clenched his jaw. “Why did you fire her?”

Lydia blanched. “She wasn’t a team player.”

“That’s nonsense and you know it.”

Lydia seemed to assess the situation. She straightened her spine. “I did not realize you had a vested interest in Katherine’s employment here.” She looked like she was choosing her words carefully. “If you want her hired back, I can see what I can do, although our budget would not allow me to keep Marion on as well.”

Great. If he insisted on Kat being hired back, he’d be responsible for a little old lady being fired. He sighed. Since when did he care about these things? He’d grown soft. “Don’t fire Marion.” He rubbed his temples. Maybe he could find a way to keep them both on. The newspaper could make more money if they had their own printing operation. “Give me some time to figure things out.”

Lydia nodded. “I can do that.”

“I’d like to meet my brother. I’ve cleared my calendar, and I want to spend some time with him.”

Lydia’s face flushed. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” He was back to yelling, and he deliberately lowered his voice. “I have a right to know him.”

“Wes is special.”

“I know he has Down syndrome. That doesn’t mean he can’t understand the situation.”

“I was hoping—”

“I don’t care what you were hoping,” Damian interrupted. “I’m not leaving here until I’ve established a relationship with my brother.”

“Half-brother.”

Damian shot her a glare, and Lydia wilted. “Okay.”

“I’ll be spending the day with him tomorrow.”

Lydia sighed. “Okay,” she repeated.

He shoved his hands into his gloves. “Where’s Kat? Did she get another job?”

Lydia swallowed and shifted in her seat. “She’s waitressing at Dale’s.”

“Thanks.” He stepped out of her office and shut the door. He nodded to Fred as he passed by his desk.

“Good day,” he said to Marion.

He pushed the door and walked out into the cold. He walked down the block to Dale’s. As he approached the diner, he could see Kat through the windows. She wore an apron and was gathering up plates from a table. Her hair was pulled back into a bun. It looked good on her. His heart squeezed. He’d missed her more than he realized.

He entered and Kat’s gaze connected with his. She nodded curtly. “Damian.”

Suddenly he felt tongue-tied, like a kid facing his first crush. “Kat.”

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