Page 22 of The Boss and the Adoption Mess
"I know you’ve always wanted to work there, but seriously: think about your mental health. This Mr. Bones works with Gabriel, so you’ll run into him from time to time. What will you do? Greet him politely? Or plot a way for him to accidentally fall out of his office window?"
"Accidents happen…" I shrug, but Chloe immediately shoots me another reproachful look.
"I’m just saying." Sighing, I twirl my glass in my hands. "It’s a good transitional gig. Even if the pay isn’t as good as working for Gabriel himself, at least it covers all the bills."
"You’re taking on too much," Chloe says, sighing, and slips her hand under my chin, lifting it slightly. "I don’t want you to break because of this. Just because you act so strong doesn’t mean I don’t already know how fragile you really are." She lets go, smiling sadly.
"The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong at the broken places," I roughly quote Hemingway. I love that line and use it whenever I can.
"That’s great on a postcard, but this is real life."
"If life worked like that, I’d be back in Scotland helping my parents," I murmur, lowering my gaze.
"Where do you see yourself in five years?" Chloe always manages to ask the questions that make me really think.
"I wish I knew. Right now, I’m standing at a fork in the road and don’t know whether to go left or right." I grab a sugar packet, pour it onto the freshly polished counter, and make two small piles.
"Seriously?" Chloe mutters, sighing heavily. I draw two lines from the piles and connect them. The line points toward me.
"I’m standing here, and I have to decide whether to go there… or the other side." I tap the piles, scattering sugar crystals.
"Very illustrative, but I’d have gotten it without the sugar," Chloe smirks, standing across from me.
"Left is the easy path. I go back to my parents, help rebuild Green Beauty, marry Christopher, have ten kids… a simple, beautiful life. Or right—the hard, rocky road." I draw squiggly lines through the sugar trail. "London. High rent. Bad air. Crappy job. Gabriel."
"Your very best and dearest friend Chloe, from whom you always get free drinks and the latest gossip," she quips, leaning on the counter and wiggling her eyebrows.
"What's this I hear?" a voice suddenly chimes in as Tony emerges from the back room by the bar. He grins at us, clears his throat loudly. "Oh, it’s you, Kim. Well, you can certainly drink as much as you want here. Chloe’s friends are my friends."
He’s already heard it’s me, but I suspect he just wanted to slip into our conversation. Even now, I notice how fascinated he is with Chloe. His dark blue shirt fits well; the black bow tie gives him a bold, youthful look. Dark blond hair falls casually, and his freshly shaven face highlights a wide, charming smile. Slim, athletic, big hands, and an even bigger heart. He’s about half a head taller than Chloe, whose wild curls reach him only so far. He looks no more than twenty instead of twenty-five. But give it a few years and he’ll have his full glow-up. Women will be swooning, and he’ll probably still be chasing her. You can’t force love.
"Well, that’s a relief," I say, raising my glass in a toast as he flutters around Chloe like a moth to a flame.
"My taxi’ll be here soon. I should get going…" I finish my drink and set it aside. "Sorry about the mess." I point to the sugar Chloe’s wiping up.
"Already taken care of. Good luck, sweetie. Text me if anything happens, okay? And don’t forget your meter."
"That happened once and never again." I pull the glucose meter from my pocket, attached to a lanyard. As long as my bag is with me, so is the meter. All readings in the green—nothing can go wrong.
"You have to leave already?" Tony beams like a Cheshire cat. I don’t think anyone’s ever been this happy that my taxi is arriving.
"Yes. Job interview. You’re wishing me luck too, right?" I ask, even as Tony gazes at Chloe like she’s the only person in the world. He’s probably just realized he’s got a good fifty minutes alone with her. Not paying attention to me anymore.
"Good luck." Chloe doesn’t seem as enthusiastic, but she’s holding it together. Someday she’ll probably give Tony a chance. Sweet how infatuated he is—but if he toned it down a bit, maybe she’d notice him more. Why are we women like that? Crazy.
I leave theMidnight Loungeand see my taxi waiting. Early—hopefully a good sign.
The ride’s short, and I’m back at EDL. I really didn’t want to return, but here I am. With a little luck, I won’t see Gabriel today.
With a little bad luck… I’ll run straight into his arms.
Just as I step out of the taxi, little Rosie walks past and stops a few steps away. She looks at me, confused, as I get out and close the door.
"Hello." Short. Friendly.
"Hey," I greet the tiny munchkin. Man, she’s adorable. Hard to believe Gabriel is her uncle. She tilts her head and then beams at me.
"You're the lady who let me eat cereal, right?" She seems to remember me. The taxi drives off, and I crouch down so we’re eye to eye.
