Grumpy Boss

“Well,” she said, lips turning into a thin line again. “How do you find working for that man?”

I cleared my throat, shifted in my chair, and forced myself to meet her very intense stare. That woman looked like she wanted to crack open my head and drink my brains with a crazy straw—and I had no doubt she could do it, too.

“He’s difficult,” I said, choosing to go with truth, since I knew she’d see through my bullshit.

“That’s putting it nicely,” she said, and a very small smile cracked her face. It had the effect of softening her features a touch and made her seem almost human. “I noticed the way you looked at him. And he gazed back as well, when you were sitting down. I know Rees very well, and I know what that look means.”

I tried to think back to the last ten minutes, if I’d given anything away, but I didn’t think I had. Lady Fluke was perceptive though, and mixing that with her apparently intimacy with Rees meant she could practically read our minds.

“I’m trying to keep things simple,” I said, dodging her accusation without lying, exactly.

“Of course,” she said, and for the first time since I sat down, she seemed to relax. “I wanted to say, please, be careful with Rees. He hasn’t had an assistant in so long, and I think he desperately needs one. And perhaps a nice, pretty woman will do him some good.”

“Ah, thank you, I think,” I said, blushing like she’d just called me the most beautiful girl in the whole world. I was smitten with Lady Fluke, like a child looking up to a mentor, and it was definitely insane.

“But don’t fall in love with him, dear,” she said. “I’ve seen it before. You think you can soften him, and maybe fix him, but I promise, there’s nothing to fix. That man is what he is, and he’ll never change.”

“I don’t plan on loving him,” I said quickly, hands up in the air. “I mean, not even a little bit.”

“No?” Lady Fluke’s smile tightened. “So why did Kevin send me a text message this morning about Rees having a relationship with you?”

I felt like my entire body turned into a balloon, filled with helium, then popped in one desperate explosion. I slumped in my chair, wishing I really could collapse into myself like a dying star.

“It’s not like that,” I said.

“I’m sure.” She cleared her throat, finished her tea, and sat up straighter, if that was even possible. “Tell Rees I’ll look at Alfie’s proposal, but no promises. And as for you, heed my warning. Don’t fall in love with that man. It will only bring you trouble. For as much as I think he’s a good person, he’ll never change. You’ll find yourself with a broken heart if you try it.” She stood then, like a panther uncurling from a tree branch. She stepped forward, put a hand on my shoulder, and smiled—like a bright light in a dark room. She walked off then, leaving me alone at the table.

I leaned forward on the elbows and thought I might cry.

I didn’t love Rees and didn’t plan on it. So far, I found him attractive and interesting, but difficult, demanding, and a little too comfortable grabbing my rear end. And yet her words echoed, and I felt as though she’d seen something, perhaps something I hadn’t noticed myself yet.

Rees returned a moment later and sat down next to me. “How’d that go?” he asked.

“Fine,” I said, not able to meet his gaze.

“She tore you apart, didn’t she?” He laughed a little and ran a hand through his hair. “She does that, you know. Did it to me the first time we met. I felt like she looked into my soul and found me lacking somehow. And then she told me exactly how I could fix it.”

“It wasn’t like that,” I said, shaking my head. “She told me she’d look at Alfie’s papers.”

“That’s good,” he said, nodding. “Alfie will be pleased.”

“That’s what we came here for, isn’t it?”

He turned and looked over his shoulder toward where Lady Fluke left. I saw something in his expression then—a yearning, or a sadness, and I realized that this really was about making amends with her. Despite everything, they were friends, and I got the sense he didn’t have many of those.

“Right,” he said. “That’s it.” He stood again and held out a hand. “Shall we, assistant?”

I took it and let him help me up. “You’re not going to try and fondle me again, are you?”

“Not unless you ask,” he said. “I’m not in the mood to have my genitals smashed in today.”

“Good,” I muttered, and smiled a little to myself. He walked back through the dining room and I followed, the Lady’s words still playing through my mind, over and over: don’t fall in love.