Page 29 of Boss of Attraction
I nodded, my stomach churning. “I need to quit my job now.”
Sam set her bowl on the coffee table and then stood. She grabbed my arm to stop me from pacing. “You don’t need to quit.”
“Yes, I do. I’ll never be able to look at him again.”
She tried to suppress a smile, but her eyes betrayed her amusement. “Come on. It might not be as bad as you think. Maybe he didn’t see it, or he’s cool about it.”
I scoffed, sinking back into the chair. “No, he saw it. There’s no way he didn’t. I even used emojis, for God’s sake.”
She laughed, unable to contain it any longer. “Well, emojis do add a certain level of commitment to the compliment, don’t they?”
I shot her a glare. “This isn’t a joke. He’s my boss. My professional life is now a dumpster fire.”
“Okay, okay,” she said, attempting to compose herself and then returned to the couch. “Maybe he’s the type to take it in stride. You know, stoked but unbothered.”
“I hope so, but I should go draft my resignation letter now.”
“Just go into the office, act normal, and see if he says anything. Maybe he didn’t even read it. Maybe he was drunk too.”
I sighed, considering her advice. “Yeah, maybe. But if he read it, I can’t even imagine the awkwardness. I’ll be the laughingstock of the office.”
She grinned mischievously. “Or maybe he’s flattered, and he’ll ask you out. Romantic, right?”
I shot her another glare. “Your sense of humor is not helping. He’s straight.”
“Just trying to lighten the mood.” She chuckled. “But seriously, don’t jump to conclusions. You’ll be fine. Now, eat that avocado toast and get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day, and who knows, maybe it’ll all blow over.”
I nodded, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“And for the record, there’s no harm in appreciating a good-looking boss.” She stuck a slice of cucumber into her mouth.
I managed a weak smile. “Easy for you to say when you’re not the one who sent him an embarrassing text.”
As I reluctantly headed to the kitchen to make that avocado toast, I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that Monday was going to be a day to remember.
The next morning,I walked into the office with my stomach in knots, half-expecting an intervention banner and a choir singing a ballad about my drunken escapades. The office was surprisingly quiet, but as I turned the corner toward my cubicle, Sean was standing next to Camille’s desk.
Trying to play it cool, I attempted a casual nod, but it came out more like a nervous twitch. His eyes met mine, and for a moment, an awkward pause lingered as we both didn’t say anything.
“Morning, Declan,” he finally greeted.
I mumbled a barely coherent response and hurried to my little alcove, desperately avoiding eye contact with anyone else. I set down my bag that had my resignation letter inside and then sat at my desk and woke my computer. My computer screen became the most interesting thing in the world as I fumbled with my keyboard, trying to appear engrossed in my work.
“Declan. Got a minute?”
My back stiffened and then I swallowed, not turning around to face Sean. “Sure thing.”
I took a deep breath, mustered some courage, and decided to confront the awkwardness head-on. I followed him to his office, and we stepped inside. He walked to his desk and sat. I stood nervously just inside the door as I waited for him to speak.
“How are you feeling this morning?” he asked and leaned back in his chair.
Besides my heart hammering in my chest?“Good. Crazy wedding, huh?”
Sean grinned. “For some of us.”
Oh, god.“Yeah. Did you have a good time?”
“Besides Mary trying to set me up with her communications director? It was nice.”
