Page 62 of Hating the Boss

“Of course, you would. She’s your sister.” I nodded, leading her to a nearby wooden bench.

We eased into it, our arms untangling, but our bodies still brushing against each other. A string of contact I didn’t want to be cut.

“What are your career ambitions?” I asked, tilting my head.

“When I’m not being a fake fiancée?” She raised a brow and let out a laugh.

It was a warm sound that I welcomed eagerly after the heaviness of our conversation.

The heaviness of her life.

“I don’t know…” she shrugged, looking across the park at a man tossing a frisbee to his large golden retriever. “It seems like such a silly thing to think about. I’m just trying to make ends meet and get out of the debt of hospital bills. Dreaming about jobs seems foolish.”

I swallowed hard. So that was why she needed the money so bad. It wasn’t for fancy clothes or purses or hair appointments. It wasn’t for expensive brunches or trips to Tiffany’s for diamond earrings. She needed it to survive. To help her sister.

I suddenly wanted to give her every penny I had.

“Well, entertain me…” I nudged her gently with my shoulder.

She hesitated for a second before biting her lip, like she had just eaten something indulgent. I wondered when was the last time she had thought about herself.

“I like cooking, but that’s not really a passion,” she said thoughtfully. “I like to paint and draw, but I’m not very good. My watercolors always bleed together and my lines could be sharper…”

“What do you think you’re good at? What makes you feel good?” I asked, locking my gaze with hers.

“Helping people.”

Of course. That would be her answer.

Sarah wasn’t like anyone I had ever met, putting everyone before herself, even if it meant agreeing to a ridiculous deal posed by her boss. While it had its perks after hours, I knew she had accepted it because she wanted to help her sister and their situation.

“Well, have you looked into working for charity?” I suggested.

“I don’t know…I’ve spent so much time in cancer wards. What they do there is life changing, but I often find myself thinking about the families. Maybe it’s selfish, but I saw how much my parents struggled. They could have really used support, and I don’t mean just financially. It’s incredibly taxing watching someone you love deteriorate. There aren’t enough resources on how to cope.”

I could sense the passion behind her words. It was something she had thought about a great deal, seeing it firsthand.

“Don’t get me wrong. Cancer is an unremorseful, horrible disease that takes people too soon. It’s an unfair hand to be dealt with, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I just know how much it affects everyone…”

“I get it,” I said with a nod.

“If I’m being honest, I think I’m scared to be back in that world again…” she said, looking down at the pavement. “I don’t know if I can handle it, but I also know how much I could help people…”

During her internal debate, a plan began to hatch in my mind on how to help her follow her passions. Maybe, I could start a charity and she could run it. I could see her passion and I knew her work ethic.

I had seen people turn their greatest trials into triumphs, and Sarah would be no different if she just believed in herself. With a heart like hers, so many people would benefit just from knowing her, let alone receiving the help she had to offer.

After spending this morning together, I learned more about her than I had in the previous weeks working together. This fact ate away at me, knowing I knew so little about her, yet had been intimate with her several times. It had never bothered me with other women, never wanting to know much about them besides how they felt with their lips felt wrapped around me…

This guilt was a new feeling.

It had to mean something.

“There’s a gala next week,” I said suddenly, my words leaving my mouth before my mind caught up. “I was planning to go stag, but since we are together…”

I winced slightly, wishing I could take back the words that fell so naturally from my mouth. We weren’t together. Our relationship was for show, even though today felt so different…

“Maybe you’d like to join me?” I asked, unsure of what to do with the nerves fluttering around in my throat. “It’s for a charity you might like.”