“Yep, those are the ones,” Leanne said. “Thanks.”
Between the food and the presents and the cake, plus the mandatory game of tag that developed while the kids were all high on sugar, everything was chaos for the next couple of hours. And I loved it. I still never wanted kids of my own, but I had to admit, it was fun getting to be the crazy aunt and play with my nephew and niece, chasing them and their friends around the yard while Matt and Leanne cleaned up the picnic table and brought the presents inside.
At the end of the evening, though, as the last of the kids were sent home with their parents, I had to admit, I was pretty exhausted. I flopped down on the couch in the living room. “I don’t know how you do it,” I said to Matt as he poured me a glass of wine and handed it across the coffee table to me, then sprawled out on the opposite couch.
He laughed. “Nine years of on the job training,” he reminded me.
“Still,” I said. “That was a great party, but oh man.”
“It would have been more difficult if the weather hadn’t cooperated,” Matt said. “Can you imagine having all of that chaos inside the house?” We both shuddered.
Leanne laughed as she came down the stairs. “Well, fortunately, the weather cooperated, and even our two monsters wore themselves out. Both are sound asleep already,” she said, dropping onto the couch next to me. She patted my leg. “Thanks so much again for all your help today. Couldn’t have done it without you.”
I grinned at her. “Sure you could have—it just would have been even more crazy!” I said.
“True,” she agreed. “But I was glad to have your help, either way.”
“So how are you feeling about going back to work tomorrow?” Matt asked.
I groaned. “I’ve been avoiding this conversation all day.”
“You know we’re just worried about you, honey,” Leanne said.
“I know, I know.” I sighed and finally shrugged. “I’m nervous, I guess,” I told her. “I don’t know if things are going to work out. And I hate the idea of having to go
job hunting again already. But at the same time, I guess I’m still just hoping it works out. I like working with Daniel, and I like being his advisor. This is the kind of job I’ve always dreamed of. I really feel like I’m making a difference, and for once in my life, I feel like this job actually challenges me.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if it doesn’t work out. It’s really going to suck.”
“I’m sure things will work out, if you want it that badly,” Leanne said soothingly, clearly tuning in to just how upset I really was about it all.
Matt, though, was frowning at me, his lips pursed. He shook his head. “I don’t know, Abby. I still don’t think going back to work for this guy is the best plan. It was bad enough when it was just the media talking about you because you were his new hire, but to then see you in the news because your boss beat up the guy who held your position before you?”
“He’d never beat me up,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Sure, I’m not saying that,” Matt said, holding up both hands placatingly. “But I don’t know, it just seems like there’s a lot of drama there. And I don’t think it’s fair that you have to worry about your ability to ever find a job with a different company, all because of your boss’s antics at this job.”
“I know.” I sighed. “But I want this job.”
“We know that,” Leanne stepped in, giving Matt a meaningful look. “And I guess all we can do now is see how things work out.”
“Just be careful,” Matt said.
I tried to grin at him, but even I could feel how tenuous it was. “I’ll be careful,” I promised. Because what else could I say?
The truth was, though, the more we talked about all of this, the more nervous I felt about all of it. What would happen when I went back to work for Daniel? I’d felt attracted to him from the first day I had worked for him, but I had told myself that there was no way I could ever get involved with him. He was sexy, sure, but he had a reputation of being an absolute playboy. Not the kind of guy I wanted to get involved with.
Besides, I had known all along that getting involved with him, my boss, could affect my future in so many ways. I wanted the business world to take me seriously. One day, I hoped to be a CEO of a company. That meant I couldn’t let the media find out just how interested in my boss I was. But it was inevitable that they would find out if I pursued something with Daniel McGregor.
He was the media darling of Chicago, one of the hottest young bachelors in the city. And a billionaire, to boot. The media was all over him, whether they were hanging around outside his office building trying to get the latest gossip or following him from club to club snapping pictures of him dancing and drinking with various women.
There was no way that Daniel and I could keep a relationship a secret, no matter how careful we were. So I knew that there was no way we could ever get involved with each other.
But all of that had gone out the window the first time he had touched me. It was just the brush of his fingers on the back of my wrist, but I hadn’t been able to deny the attraction I felt for him. The next thing I knew, I was kissing him. And he was kissing me back.
No, I knew exactly where things with Daniel would lead. We hadn’t managed to keep things strictly professional before, and there was no reason to think we’d be any better at it this time when I went back to work for him.
I had to try, though. I still felt embarrassed when I thought about those stupid articles in the paper, about how Daniel had been fighting to defend my honor, like I was some helpless maiden from a fairy tale or something. I hated that I had been reduced to that. So much for being taken seriously by the business community.