Page 72 of The Billionaire's Assistant

“You think I don’t know that?”

“I’m not that bad.”

“No, you’re not, but you’ll need something to distract you. Come with me to my book club on Thursday.”

“You’re still going to that?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t I?”

I smiled. “No reason.” It fit him perfectly to sit around and discuss pretentious books. I did need something to keep my mind off Ben. “What are you reading?”

When he told me the name, I groaned. “Isn’t that one of those novels that makes no sense, but everyone pretends to grasp the deep meaning?”

“Possibly.”

At least reading it would give me something to do that night, and lately everything seemed incomprehensible to me. “Fine. I’ll come with you. What time?”

“Eight. I’m not sure where we’re meeting yet. Let’s have dinner before and go together.”

“All right.” Anything to distract me was good. As it was, I already needed something to keep me from walking out to Ben’s desk and insisting he tell me how he feels.

“Call me if you need me before then,” Ford said.

“I will.”

“You can call Worth too, you know?”

“I do. Really.”

“Bye, Miles.”

When I ended the call, I tried to look through some documents my research team had sent, but they might as well have been written in hieroglyphics. Was this really what it was like to be in love? How did anyone get any work done? All I could think about was Ben. Even before he found out what I’d been hiding from him, he’d been an incredible distraction.

If only there was something I could do for him, some gesture. I thought for a few moments, but everything seemed too much. More clothes? Some jewelry? A car?

No, that was all way too much. He’d liked the coffee even if he hadn’t said anything. Flowers? Too cliche. Unless….

34

BEN

The next day, I kept looking at Miles’s door after I returned from lunch. I even started to get up a few times to go talk to him, but I sat right back down each time. I wasn’t sure what to say.

I believed Ford, but would Miles still feel the same way after I’d walked out and refused to talk to him? Did I really want to risk trying again if he did? Was it easier not to know?

I thought about the coffee that had been waiting on my desk the day before. I was sure Miles put it there. The mug was from his office, and the coffee was the special blend he insisted on. He used it at home too. I remembered drinking it while he’d made breakfast and had to blink back tears.

Midafternoon, Miles stopped briefly at my desk to say he was going out.

I checked his calendar. “You have a meeting with Lisa in thirty minutes.”

“Cancel it.”

“When will you be back? I can try to reschedule.”

“I don’t know how long my business will take. Clear my calendar for the next few hours.”

Where was he going? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t. Talking to him was still hard. I felt too many things: anger, grief, desire, love. I needed to think before saying anything else. Even asking a simple question could lead to me topics I wasn’t ready to discuss.

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