Page 51 of Dating the Boss
I curled to my side and stared out the window, holding the phone to my ear. “Good night, Daniel.”
He breathed into the phone, and I waited for him to say something. Anything. Seconds passed. And then the call disconnected.
I tossed my phone on the mattress beside me. “Well, fuck you too.”
But damn if my belly didn’t flutter when I heard the ding of a text shortly after. I snatched it back up, hoping Daniel had messaged to say in text what he couldn’t over the phone.
Harry:Hey, stranger. Wat’s up???
“Ugh.” I tossed my phone back down and pulled the blanket over my head. I didn’t want to talk to Harry or any other guy. I just wanted to be alone.
Because that was another flaw of mine. When I liked a guy—likereallyliked him—I didn’t want anyone else.
Chapter Twelve
Daniel
“That’s it.” Regina slammed her empty glass on the table after downing the contents and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “You need to stop moping around, or I swear to god, I will smite you.”
“Smite me? What are you, some cheesy comic book villain?” I took a drink of beer and moved my gaze throughout the restaurant. We’d gone to Mike’s Bar & Grill, one of my favorite places to eat when I wanted a good burger. The interior was open and bright, and the bar area had high-top tables and large TV screens, almost like a sports bar but more upscale.
“The last time I saw you this glum was when…” Regina snapped her mouth shut. “Never mind.”
“When Olivia cheated on me?”
She gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah. Sorry.” She then leaned on the table, causing the long braid she wore her hair in to fall forward. She looked like she was going for a lady lumberjack look that Sunday with the plaid shirt and faded jeans. “Tell me what’s going on, Dan. Cut the bullshit.”
“You always could see right through me.”
Regina had a way of reading people. She’d even warned me against Olivia too after they’d first met.
“That girl gives me a bad vibe,” Regina said. “Like a damn snake disguised as a cute bunny. You get distracted by the fuzzy fur and cuteness and don’t even see the fangs ’til it’s too late.”
I had gotten mad at her for saying such a thing, and we’d gone weeks without talking because of it. But it turned out, she’d been right all along.
“Damn straight I do.” Regina snatched a fry from my plate and pointed it at me. “And don’t you forget it. Now.” She dipped the fry in ketchup before eating it. “Tell me what’s going on.”
A man with light brown hair caught my eye from across the room, and I did a double take. Disappointment filled my chest when seeing it wasn’t Reed.
“Is it possible to fall for someone you barely know?” I asked.
Not that I loved Reed or anything. That would be way too fast. But… I felt something for him, and it was intense.
“Could be infatuation,” Regina said, narrowing her eyes in consideration as she nibbled on another fry. “That can be mistaken for love. But I do think it’s possible to fall for someone quickly. Sometimes people go on a first date and know they’ve met the one they’re gonna marry by the end of the night. Some people think that’s stupid or cliché or whatever, but fuck ’em. The only one who truly knows how you feel isyou. The heart doesn’t care about time. If you find someone who makes it beat different than before, I say go for it.”
“And if you can’t be with that person?”
“Why the hell not? Are they already married?”
“No.”
“Dead?”
I snorted. “No.”
“Then I don’t see why you can’t be with them.” She peered at her empty glass of beer before stealing mine and taking a sip. “So. Tell me. Who do you think you’re falling for?”
“No one,” I said. “It was only a question.”
