As soon as I sat down, Ian turned toward me. “Gary told me the good news. You’ve rescinded your resignation.” He sounded more than pleased.
I gave him a close-lipped smile.
Gary raised his glass of water to me. “To our girl.” He looked between Ian and me. “May this be the beginning of the most successful chapter Chandler Media has ever known. I’m expecting great things from this partnership.”
Ian raised his glass to me. “I second that.”
I ignored him and raised my own glass. “To Gary—the best boss a girl could ever ask for.” And that’s where I slipped. A single tear escaped. I wiped it away, but not before Ian noticed. I wasted no time in turning to my dessert for comfort. I tried not to focus on the conversation going on around me. I was ready to go home, and it wasn’t too long after dessert that I made my move to do exactly that. Unfortunately, Ian had the same idea. We ended up walking out at the same time.
His car was parked behind mine, so he followed me. “We should celebrate. Let’s go get a drink,” he suggested.
Was he for real? “I’m not a big social drinker.” I reached for my door.
He walked toward me grinning. “I didn’t say it had to involve alcohol.”
“Hmm . . . Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
He stepped closer.
It made me all sorts of uncomfortable. My senses were drawn to him. And the way his cologne lingered in the air was my undoing.
“Why not, Kelli?”
I bit my lip. “Because you’re going to be my boss.” Okay, so I lied.
“I just saw you kiss and hug your current one goodbye.”
“He’s like a father to me.”
“I remember someone telling me once or twice that I sounded like her dad.”
I forced myself not to smile at the memories. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
His smile faded. “Why can’t you acknowledge we knew each other and that we share a past?”
“In my experience, it’s not good to dwell on the past. Good night, Ian.” I opened my door.
He gently grabbed my arm before I could get in. “So, you’re saying you don’t remember anything?”
I pulled my arm away from him. “No. I’m saying I remember everything.”
“GARY AND HOLLY REALLY INVITED you both over for dinner?” Amanda asked.
I called her as soon as I got home. I was a little thrown off by the evening, and all I could do was lie on the couch and stroke my lazy cat. My head was spinning, and I felt nauseous. “Yes, can I just say, awkward?”
“But you’ve decided to go back to Chandler?” There was a fair amount of hope in her voice.
“I’m sure I’ll regret it, but yes.”
“How did your new boss take the news?”
“He seemed genuinely happy about it. He even asked me to go out after and celebrate.”
“Well, that’s certainly interesting. What did you say?”
“Amanda, please keep your conjecturing out of this. He’s not interested in me that way. And I’m certainly not interested in him. He’s going to be my boss, for goodness’ sake.”
“You are so naïve sometimes, Kelli.”
