Still, I refused to pay twice, and they escalated to harass me at my work number. Josh overheard the call and asked me for an explanation. I told him the story, unable to meet his eyes. I felt awkward and had no expectation that he’d care—after all, my parents didn’t, and at that time, I’d been working for him for only a few months. But he merely nodded and drafted a terseletter on the Huxley & Webber stationery for me to mail, and the jerks never bothered me again.
I still can’t find the words to describe how I felt. The only thing I remember is that my hands shook a little, and my eyes stung with unshed tears of gratitude. My heart might’ve started to warm toward him for giving me the gift of his trust.
My hyperawareness is too bad, though. It’s futile to feel anything for my boss, no matter how much my belly flutters around him. He’s a playboy who seems absolutely unable to settle down. One beautiful woman after another hangs from his arm—and undoubtedly shares his bed. They don’t last, though. A month is the max, then he cuts them out of his life completely.
When they can’t get through to him on his cell phone, they reach out to me at Huxley & Webber. Although he pretends he knows who I’m talking about, more often than not, he doesn’t. Whenever I bring one up, a hint of impatient confusion almost always flashes in his deep gray eyes.
I must be a secret masochist, because I Google all those women to see how they stack up. Every single one is worthy of his attention. Those chiseled cheeks. The pouty mouths glistening with expertly applied lip gloss. The perfect hair and toned bodies I might be able to achieve if I gave up food for the next decade, and legs that look like they should be measured in furlongs. Priceless haute couture gowns and sky-high heels that make my feet cramp in sympathy.
Even if I could measure up, he’s likely going to end up as Katt’s man. She’s set her sights on him, and my fraternal twin sister has never failed to get a man she wanted. She’s gorgeous, with a bone structure that could make Venus weep with envy. And she has a superpower to make her golden hair lie sleek and straight, whereas mine rebels constantly into unmanageable curls.
She was on all the prominent fashion magazine covers before she hit seventeen, and everyone says the baby blue of her eyes is of angelic purity. She’s more comfortable in formfitting couture dresses and stilettos than a T-shirt, shorts and bare feet, which is my wardrobe of choice when I’m not working. At twenty-four, she’s about to launch a second career as an actress. I’m sure she’ll reach levels of success I can’t even imagine, just like she has with modeling.
She often mentions that she’s waiting for Josh to have his fill before settling down with her. Otherwise, he might “become restless,” which is “the last thing” she wants. Apparently, she knew he was the man for her when she first hired him to review and negotiate her modeling agency agreement. I had no idea he was her lawyer back then, since my family never involved me in anything related to her career.
But even if she hadn’t told me all that stuff, I could tell there was something between them because even when he’s out with other women, he’s still seen with my sister, their photos gracing her Instagram. I’m not sure when he’ll get tired of dating around, but once that happens, he won’t just be my boss. He’ll be my brother-in-law.
Not just out of my league, but forbidden forever.
The idea sends a sharp pang through my chest, but I maintain a serene smile. As Mom often told me, I need to know my place, although I still haven’t figured out exactly where that is. Doubt Mom has, either, but she’s satisfied as long as I’m out of Katt’s way.
It’s best if I’m by his side as avalued assistant. He makes sure to rate me highly on my quarterly and annual evals, enabling me to get the best bonus and pay raise I’m eligible for. Not going to ruin that by acting like a teenager in throes of her first crush. I call himbossto remind myself of the only thing he can ever be to me.
It makes more sense for me to aim for a man who’s in my league.Chad is great,I tell myself, looking at the diamond ring. He’s reliable…nice…has a good sense of humor. He’s also attractive enough, and competent in bed. And being with him is making me more diligent about flossing, so that’s, you know…also great. Healthy gums arealwaysa bonus.
Even my bestie Max seems okay with him. Well, she did text me,You sure?after I shared the news last night, but she probably wanted to make sure I wouldn’t regret my decision. She thinks I should aim as high as possible. Except I don’t want to break something by overextending myself.
Exhale. Expel all the heavy thoughts.
I start working. Josh expects me to handle everything on his calendar, including some of his personal agenda. It’s nothing egregious—just reminders about his relatives’ birthdays and poker nights with his brothers so that he doesn’t forget, no matter how busy he is. He’s devoted to his family, and would do anything for them. Everyone in the legal trade knows the Huxleys are exceptionally tight, and you simply do not mess with them if you don’t want to antagonize the entire gang.
“Morning! Here are the supplies you requested,” comes a cheery voice. “Thanks for your patience. They finally made the delivery this morning.”
I look up from my monitor and smile into the friendly green eyes of Kenna, the office admin. She’s one of my favorite people at the firm. As usual, the lithe blonde is in a cute sleeveless top and slacks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in a dress or a skirt. She places a thick stack of legal pads, a box of pens and some sticky pads on my desk.
“Thanks, Kenna.”
“Oh, no problem.” She starts to leave, then stops with a gasp. “Is that…?” She blinks, gesturing at my ring.
“Yeah. Chad proposed.”
“Seriously?Lemme see!”
My cheeks warm as I extend my hand so she can study the hardware.
Her eyes sparkle. “Oh wow, that’s amazing. Love the cut. It’s soyou. How romantic! Congratulations.”
“Thank you. It couldn’t have happened without you.” Kenna referred me to Chad after my dentist retired last year.
“Oh, pssht.” She waves me off with a big grin. “I’m just happy for you. Iamgetting invited to the wedding, right?”
“Of course! You’ll be one of the first once we finalize all the details.”
“Awesome. Again, congrats. I want to hear all the deets, but I gotta get this stuff to Jeremiah.” She gestures at the huge stack of papers.
I nod and wave her bye. Jeremiah Huxley is not someone you keep waiting. A name partner and Josh’s aunt, she sort of scares me. And that fear is almost universally shared at the firm.
My phone buzzes with a message.
