Page 5 of Sexy Bad Boss

“Uh, well...” I glance up to where I made a fool of myself and quit my job. I pushed him away—was it my fault he fell over the deck railing?

“I know that look, Myra. If you’re thinking it was your fault, you’re wrong.”

“Maybe. I’m not sure what happened.”

Above us Spot sticks her head over the deck and bleats. Almost like she’s laughing at us.

“It was probably the goat.” James sighs. “I swear my legs got tangled up on something. It makes sense that damn animal would try to kill me.”

“She didn’t try to kill you.” I shake my head.

“How do you know?”

“Because she’s only a goat.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good enough excuse.” He groans again and shuts his eyes. “I’m just going to rest until the ambulance gets here.”

“No, no. You have to stay awake and keep me company.” I hover over him. Can’t let him fall asleep with a possible concussion. Isn’t that what they say? “Just for a little while.”

“Okay. Why don’t you jog my memory and tell me what we were talking about up there?”

“How much do you remember?” I shift to sit beside him and take his hand. The one that isn’t swelling.

“I was talking to my parents. Mom was giving me a hard time about my lack of love life. Then you and I…” He screws up his brow and turns silent for several seconds. “What were we talking about again?”

“Okay.” I hum to myself. At least for tonight I don’t have to face any more awkward conversations about resigning or falling for my boss or why he isn’t impressed with either situation. “Well, we were talking about that big meeting you have on Monday morning, and how you want to push it to Friday.”

“I wouldn’t have said that,” he says. He sounds exhausted, unlike himself.

In the distance, I pick up the wee-waa of sirens. “Not much longer. The paramedics should be here any minute.”

“You’ll change the meeting to Friday? Rearrange the rest of my schedule? I might need a day or two to recuperate.”

“I’ll have your new schedule ready for you in the morning.”

“And you’ll make sure the goat is safely locked in its pen?”

“Yes.”

“Can’t have it running around loose, taking out old ladies and little kids.”

“Of course not.” I can’t help chuckle, though it comes out strained and feverish. “And I will call your family.”

“But not my mother. I don’t need her trying to baby me.”

“Not until we know what you’ve hurt and how badly.”

“Good.” He squeezes my hand. “Promise me you’ll never consider running off and leaving me. I don’t know how I’d cope without you.”

For someone who doesn’t remember our conversation, he cuts right through to the heart of matters. My heart dips. Maybe he’ll remember tomorrow, and I’ll have to face the fact that everything has changed. He’ll look at me differently, but not as a man who wants me.

The sirens get louder and then shut off abruptly. I can hear voices from the front of the house, and the woman on the phone tells me the EMTs have arrived. I squeeze James’s hand and then let it go. “I’ll go meet them and bring them around the back.”

“Okay,” he says. “But don’t be too long.”

“I won’t.” I climb to my feet. “A few minutes more and we’ll get this mess sorted.”

He tries to nod. Winces. Groans.

“Hold still. Until they assess the damage,” I tell him. “I’ll be right back.”

As if it will be that easy to work out where we stand now. Or to write up my resignation and rehash why I threw myself at my boss. If he remembers that pathetic attempt I made at all. What I wouldn’t give to pretend this never happened. But it did. And now I need to work out how to handle the fall out.

Starting with rescheduling every bit of James’s life for the next week.