Bossed: A Steamy Office Romance by Kate Gilead

Author:Kate Gilead [Gilead, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-05-24T16:00:00+00:00

Mom and Blake talk as the coffee brews. I listen without saying much. They talk about local people whom his parents know, mostly people Mom’s age or older. Blake doesn’t know many of them very well himself, having spent his adult life in California, but they manage to find a few people in common.

When the coffee machine is making its gurgling, almost-ready noises, Mom gets up and goes behind Blake to get some mugs down from the cupboard.

Behind his back, she turns and glares at me, and then points at the coffee machine. She’s telling me to get up and get his coffee for him.

I suppose it’s the least I can do. Besides, having made him coffee many times at work, I know exactly how he likes it. Triple cream, triple sugar.

I put the mug of coffee in front of him on the table and he thanks me, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze. He smiles up at me with such tenderness, it makes me even more confused…if that’s possible.

He takes a sip of his coffee. “Mmm, that’s good,” he says. “So, Elaine…would you feel up to telling me a little bit about your late husband? I’d love to hear what he was like. You know, just…whatever you feel like mentioning. You too, Jenny.”

What’s this now? He couldn’t have picked a more welcome subject to ask Mom about. Most people avoid talking about people who’ve passed on, as if talking about them hurts their survivors. Or worse, they change the subject if the bereaved bring it up.

What they don’t realize is that, sometimes, the bereaved find comfort in talking about departed loved ones. Remembering them, talking about them, celebrating or even expressing anger at them…all of that helps the healing process.

I don’t know if Blake knows that, or if he’s just being polite.

But Mom’s fairly glowing now, regarding Blake with doe eyes, as if the sun is shining straight out of his ass.

Oh. My. God!

“Oh… he was a first-rate man,” she says, glancing at me. “Just a terrific husband and father….oh dear! I wouldn’t know where to start!”

Right then, Dog strolls in out of nowhere and tries to jump up into Blake’s lap. He gets up there, then loses his balance and falls right back off, paws flailing.

“Rrrrowwrr?” Dog says to Blake from the floor, blinking up at him.

“Hey, kitty,” Blake replies nonchalantly, as if enormous black cats jump into his lap all day long. He leans back and pats his leg. Dog jumps back up there and Blake holds onto him so that the cat doesn’t fall off again. Dog puts his paws on Blake’s chest, then sniffs his nose delicately.

Then he rubs his cheek against Blake’s.

What the hell? I know it’s silly of me but I don’t want my cat to like a man who’s about to break my heart.

“That’s Dog,” Mom says. “He’s not usually this, um, affectionate with strangers.”

I can’t believe this is happening.

“He seems to like me for some reason,” Blake says. “Um…did

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