The Boss Project by Vi Keeland

Merrick’s grip on the steering wheel visibly tightened. “Will’s not looking for anything serious.”

“Maybe I’m not looking for anything serious, either. In fact, it’s been a while, and a hookup sounds sort of appealing.” At this point, I could barely keep myself from laughing. Merrick’s face was red. He was so mad. What had started as a light and happy trip to Kitty’s suddenly became heavy and quiet. I felt bad and cracked, laughing as I spoke. “I’m teasing. I’m not interested in Will in that way.”

“Why the hell did you say all that?”

“It looked like it was pissing you off. I thought it was funny. Were you…jealous, Merrick?”

Merrick cleared his throat. “No.”

I smiled. “Uh-huh.”

“Why would I be jealous?”

“I don’t know. Why would you be jealous?”

“I think you’re misreading the situation.”

“Mmm-hmmm.”

Merrick rolled his eyes. But he was also no longer white-knuckling the steering wheel.

“How’s Kitty?” I asked.

“The nurse told me that right before she went under the anesthesia, she asked the doctor if he could fix her up to be like a fifteen-year-old virgin again.”

I covered my mouth and laughed. “She’s such a trip.”

“I think it’s probably funnier when she isn’t your grandmother.”

“I’m sure. But she sounded great when I spoke to her. Although she’s definitely very anxious to come home.”

He nodded. “I wish they would keep her longer. She’ll probably be released tomorrow morning.”

It was after midnight when we got back to Kitty’s house. The house was dark except for the light streaming from the hallway, but it was enough to illuminate the living room.

Merrick tossed the keys in the bowl on the table by the door and put his hands on his hips. “You gonna turn in? I’m going to have a glass of wine first, if you want to join me.”

I set down my purse. “I’d love that.”

Neither of us turned on any more lights, so when we sat together on the little couch in the dim room with our wine, it felt intimate. I traced my finger around the top of my glass, thinking how long it had been since I’d enjoyed this feeling.

“Thanks again for picking me up,” I said.

Merrick smiled. “My pleasure.”

I tilted my head. “We’ve come a long way from our first meeting, if you’re saying it’s a pleasure to be in my company.”

He smiled again. “I guess we have.”

I sipped my wine and stared into the glass. “Want to know a secret?”

“Do I have to share one too?”

I laughed. “No.”

“Then sure.”

“You used to make me nervous.” I shrugged. “Not just during my interview when I wasn’t sure if you recognized me or not. But even after that.”

“How come?”

“I guess because I wanted to prove you wrong—that I wasn’t incompetent. And part of me wasn’t sure I could.”

“You’re good at your job. You’ve already given me things I can do to improve the work environment, and everyone seems to love you.”

“Thank you. I feel like I’m good at my job again. I don’t think I realized how much the events of the last six months had shaken my confidence. It’s logical that finding out your fiancé is cheating would make you doubt relationships and the opposite sex, but it did so much more than that. It made me doubt things I’d been so certain of—like my professional abilities and my ability to make simple decisions. I think I felt like, if I had been so sure of my relationship that I was going to marry someone, what else could I be wrong about? Does that make sense?”

“It does.” Merrick was quiet for a minute. “So I don’t make you nervous anymore?”

I shook my head. “Not really.”

He winked. “I’ll have to try harder.”

I smiled. “Give it your best shot, bossman.”

Merrick chuckled. He leaned down and took off his shoes before kicking his feet onto the coffee table. “So who did you see this week?”

I rattled off my appointments in order as I mentally went through my schedule. I knew I’d met with sixteen people, so I counted on my fingers. At fourteen, I tapped my pointer to my lip, trying to figure out who I was missing. “Oh, I know. I forgot John McGrath. He was my first appointment when I got back. And Colette Archwood. She was my last session before I left today.”

Merrick frowned. “How did things go with Colette?”

Confidentiality kept me from telling him that her days with Crawford Investments were numbered, and it also kept me from mentioning what she’d said about him and Amelia. So I answered vaguely.

“She was actually pretty open and forthcoming.”

Merrick hung his head. “Oh boy. I guess I should be grateful you came back tonight if she was open with you.”

I smiled and sipped my wine. “You’ve mentioned that you think she hates you.”

“Not think, know. Mostly because she’s told me as much. If I remember correctly, that was right before she spit in my face.”

My eyes widened. “She spit in your face? Or do you mean she was so upset when she was yelling at you that she spittled?”