I Don’t Date My Grumpy Boss

[pba_chapter_break]Chapter 1[/pba_chapter_break]

Hil

“I think I just got someone killed," I said with blood draining from my face.

“Hil, is that you?" Dillon’s concern for my well-being was something I had grown to love her for.

“It's me. What have I done?"

“Where have you been? I've been worried sick! Where are you?"

“I'm in a hospital," I said, looking around at the other concerned people in the waiting room.

“No, I mean, what city are you in? Are you okay?"

“I'm fine. I lent someone my car, and they were in an accident. My phone got an alert saying it had been rear-ended and an ambulance had been called. Dillon, I think someone tried to run me off the side of a cliff."

“Hil, you have to tell me where you are."

“I don't know where I am. It’s a small town in Tennessee. But I'm fine. I just needed to hear your voice. You can't tell anyone you’ve heard from me."

“Remy has been asking me about you. He said that your father is worried."

“You definitely can't tell him. Promise me you won't."

“Hil..."

“Promise me!"

“Okay. I promise. But you can't just disappear like that again."

“I won’t. But I have to do this. I need to prove to them that I can make it on my own."

“Didn’t you just say someone tried to run you off the side of a cliff?"

“I'll be fine, Dillon. I can do this."

“I was told that my mother was brought in," someone with the hottest southern accent said, pulling me away from my conversation with Dillon.

I looked up to see a guy at the reception desk twenty feet in front of me. He had jet-black hair, broad shoulders, and an athletic build. I could only see him from behind, but I was drawn to him. And when the guy who drove me to the hospital rushed to him, I got up to join them.

“I have to go."

“Don't disappear on me again. You have to tell me where you are."

“I'll call you soon. I promise, Dillon."

I ended the call and joined the two guys at the reception desk. Marcus, the one who had driven, turned to me as I approached. “Hil, this is Cali. Dr. Sonya is his mother.”

The taller built guy looked at me. As he did, my knees wobbled. There was something about his smell and the way his eyes peered into mine that made me weak.

“Why was my mother driving your car?” the gorgeous man snapped.

I stepped back, taken off guard. Certainly, I could understand why he would be upset. I might be too if I was in his situation. But couldn't he see that I was concerned as well?

“She had admired my car when I first arrived at the bed-and-breakfast. She had mentioned it a few times, so since I was supposed to be leaving today, I asked her if she'd like to take it for a drive. Should I not have? Is she not a good driver?”

Staring at me, Cali relented.

“No, that's fine. She's as good of a driver as anyone. You couldn't have known what would happen. I'm sorry, what was your name again?”

“It's Hilaire, but everyone calls me Hil,” I said, offering him my hand.

Taking my chubby hand in his, he held it for longer than I had expected. The way he peered at me made me feel vulnerable. It was like he could see into me. I had no secrets when he looked at me like that.

“It's good to meet you, Hil. I guess I should apologize for what happened to your car.”

“Don't be absurd. That's what insurance is for. I'm just hoping your mother will be alright.”

Cali let go of my hand and turned away, breaking whatever connection we had. It hurt to feel it go. The downside to growing up the way I did is that I didn't get the chance to meet guys like Cali. As protective as my father was, I didn’t go to school. I never had anything but tutors. I never got a life.

When my father figured out that I started liking boys, he didn’t make a big deal about it. But guys became another thing for him to protect me from. I felt like his little princess. But not in the way that felt like I would find a prince. It was in the way that told me that I couldn't be trusted to do anything. That was a part of the reason I was on this trip, to prove that I could survive on my own.

If I were being honest, another reason was that guys who looked like Cali that made me feel the way he did were far and few in between. At twenty years old, I was still a virgin. That would never change living under my father's protection. I had to get away. But now I was in a hospital in the middle of who-knows-where -Tennessee, unsure of what to do, where to go, or how to get there.

“Thank you for coming, Marcus. But you don't have to stay. I'm sure you have a lot to do. I don't want to keep you from it,” Cali said, not looking at him.

“No, I can be here for as long as you need me. She’s your mother, but I cared about her too.”

“Thank you. But Claude and Titus will be here soon. There's no need for you to stay,” the built guy said dismissively.

“No, seriously, I can stay as long as you need me.”

Cali turned to face him with a look that could have been chiseled in marble.

“Marcus, go. I'll let you know how she's doing. I'm sure Hil will need a ride back as well.”

I jolted back hearing my name said in the same dismissive tone. Did he not want us here? Was he upset with me? If it hadn't been for me, his mother wouldn’t be in the state that she was.

I put my hand on Marcus’s shoulder.

“We should go. I'm sure that Cali will update us when he knows more.”

Cali turned to me with relief on his face. I wasn't sure why. Was there something going on between the two. Did they have history?

I turned back to Marcus to get a better look at him. He wasn't my type the way Cali was, but he was still very attractive. He was nowhere near as built as the Adonis standing next to him, but he was fit and shared Cali's dimples.

“I can take you back to Dr. Sonya's,” Marcus said, too sad to meet my eyes.

“Thank you,” I said as if I didn't want to stay as much as he did.

“I'm sorry again about what happened to your mother,” I said, capturing Cali's attention but not his gaze.

He barely acknowledged me. Staring at him, I desperately wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him that his mother would be alright. But there was a prickly armor covering him that I couldn't penetrate.

Was he acting that way because he could see that I was attracted to him? I didn’t know much about boys, but I did know that guys as hot as him were never interested in curvy girls like me. Maybe he was being so cold because he didn’t want to give me the wrong impression. Or, maybe he was just disgusted by me and wanted me to go away. Either way, I had to go.

Leaving as Cali requested, Marcus and I were silent as we drove back to the bed-and-breakfast. The entire way, he looked as confused by our interaction with Cali as I was. Thinking about it again, I wondered if he had actually rejected me. I had a tendency to be insecure about my weight. Cali didn't seem like a bad guy. Was there a chance that he just wasn’t very talkative? Did he have a history of being quiet?

Speaking of histories, did he and Marcus have one? Was there a reason things seemed tense between the two? What was going on there?

“I need to apologize for the way Cali reacted. He isn't usually so...” Marcus paused.

“Quick to get rid of people?”

Marcus laughed. “No, that part is typical Cali. He’s usually a little nicer about it, though. You shouldn't take it personally.”

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Do you take it personally?”

Marcus's mouth opened, but he didn't speak. It took a while for him to speak.

“Sometimes. He and I went to the same high school. Cali was on the football team and had girls throwing themselves at him. We didn't exactly hang out in the same circles.

“But our mothers are friends, so we were often forced to spend time together. I always felt like such an inconvenience for him. I guess nothing changes.”

“So, Cali had a lot of girlfriends?” I asked, unable to hide my intent.

Marcus looked at me, joining the long line of people who could see straight through me. He chuckled.

“Funny enough, although there was an endless line of girls after him, I never really saw him with any of them. He is more of a brooding, loner type.”

“He mentioned two guys joining him. I take it that neither is a boyfriend?” I asked hesitantly.

Marcus laughed again.

“No, Claude and Titus are his long-lost brothers.”

“Long-lost brothers?”

“Yeah. Last fall, Titus's girlfriend passed around a DNA test, and it turned out that the three of them share the same father.”

“Oh, wow!”

“That's exactly what the rest of the town thought. It was a real scandal. Cali's mother was one of the people everyone couldn't stop talking about. ‘Did the three of them all have the same father? How are they so close in age? Who was this man?’ None of the mothers said. Supposedly, they wouldn't even tell their sons. Cali and Dr. Sonya we're pretty close until then. Now, Cali spends most of his time back at university.”

“Cali attends college?”

“Yeah. He's on the football team. He and Titus both. Last season, Titus set the record for yards run in his position, and Cali set the record for yards kicked.”

“That's an athletic family.”

“Apparently,” Marcus said with a painful ache in his eyes.

“I take it that you don't attend university?” I asked, assuming that he was around my age.

“I wasn't blessed with the natural ability that so many people in this town have. If it was in the water, I certainly didn't drink it,” he said, offering a smile.

“No, but I've tasted your pastries. You don’t need to play football when you can make stuff that tastes like that. I know people who would kill for one of your chocolate croissants,” I said genuinely.

Marcus blushed. It was enough to make me think that he was interested in me. It only took a moment of picturing him naked before realizing that I saw him more as a brother than someone I would want to get into bed with. Cali, though, just thinking about him felt like someone was squeezing my heart. Was this what it meant to ache for someone?

“I appreciate you saying that,” Marcus said, pulling me from my increasingly elaborate fantasy of Cali. “Baking pastries is how I relax.”

“I would trade an arm to be good at anything as much as you are at baking. I couldn't tell you how to boil an egg.”

Marcus laughed. He must have thought I was joking. I wasn't. Growing up, we always had housekeepers and chefs. For a short while, we even had a food taster. It's a little hard to learn how to survive on your own when there is an endless supply of people who are paid to do things for you.

Switching topics for the remainder of our forty-five-minute drive, he told me about growing up in a small town. It was very different from how I grew up in New York. I asked him if he had ever caught fireflies in a mason jar. He laughed and said that he had.

“The next thing you’re gonna tell me is that you and your friends would fish down at the creek.”

He looked at me embarrassed.

“No, seriously?”

“You don't understand how few things there are to do here. But, have you ever tried it? It's actually pretty fun.”

“I guess. It's got to be better than awkwardly playing with kids that your parents set you up on a play date with.”

“Your parents set you up on playdates?” he asked, looking at me confused.

“Yeah. Don’t people do that in small towns?” I asked, trying to fight off the embarrassment and shame I felt from needing my parents to find me friends and failing.

“No. I’ve never heard of that.”

“One of the glories of being home-schooled, I guess,” I said with a shrug, wanting desperately to change topics.

Thankfully, Marcus looked away without responding and silence returned. My inability to make friends was another of my sore spots. If it wasn’t for Dillon, I would be a fat girl locked in her room every day covered in Cheetos dust. Yeah, I really needed this trip.

When we arrived back at the bed-and-breakfast, Marcus asked me if I would need anything now that I didn't have a car. I told him I would be fine. He then gave me his number and told me to call if I needed anything. I was grateful.

I was trying to be independent and self-reliant, but the truth was that I didn't know what I was doing. What was I going to do now that I didn't have a car? More than that, what was I going to do without cash?

If you're trying to take the kind of trip that I was, you can't rely on your father's credit card. Credit card purchases could be tracked. If I used it, my father would know exactly where I was.

Alternatively, you could take the family car that doesn't have a tracking device in it, pocket a few stacks of cash that your father keeps hidden around the house, shut off your phone, and go whatever you want.

That was the option I chose. But I also kept the cash in my car thinking that's where it would be safest. Should I have thought about that before allowing Dr. Sonya to take it for a drive? Clearly. But how could I have guessed that my car and all of my money would end up at the bottom of a mountain pass?

What was I supposed to do now? I had no car, I had no cash, and if I wasn't mistaken, Dr. Sonya had someone else scheduled to check into my room tonight.

It wasn't like I didn't have any options. If worst came to worst, I could always use my credit card or call home. But I didn't want to do that. For once in my life, I wanted to show my father that I wasn't completely helpless. I could take care of myself. But the more time that passed on my little adventure, the more I started to think that I couldn’t.

Entering the bed-and-breakfast, the faces of four people immediately turned towards me. They looked like two sets of couples dressed for an adventure vacation. Wearing hiking boots and with large backpacks on the floor next to the couch, I reasoned that these were the visitors that Dr. Sonya had said would be replacing me. I wasn't sure what to say to them, so instead of saying anything, I hurried past them to my room.

Behind my locked door, I collapsed onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. I felt so lost. I had to do something, didn't I? I couldn't just lay here hoping everything would work out. Didn't self-reliant people take action? Didn't they anticipate what would happen next and prepare for it?

Paralyzed, I laid there for more than an hour considering what I should do. I knew that Dillon would help me if she could, but that wasn't our relationship. I was the one who had adopted her. Dillon had been the daughter of my favorite housekeeper. After my parents arranged a playdate, I decided that she would get the life I wished I had.

When she graduated from high school, I convinced my father to start a scholarship program and then made sure that she got it. I also made sure that her dorm room at college was furnished with everything she would need. The scholarship included spending money so she didn't have to get a job, and she got a clothing allowance so she could find a great guy and have a happy life.

I didn't do this because I wanted anything from her. She is my friend. I just want her to be happy. I'm sure that she would help me now if she could. But she was in New Jersey, and I knew the exact amount in her bank account. Asking Dillon for help wasn't an option.

Hearing a knock on the door, I snapped out of my downward spiral. Quickly pulling myself together, I sat up. It had gotten dark since I had laid down. Scrambling to my feet, I flicked on a light.

“Yes?” I said, suddenly face to face with Cali’s chiseled cheekbones.

“I was wondering if you're gonna be checking out soon?” he said with an unmistakable weight on his shoulders.

I didn't want to burden him with my trivial problems. He had enough to deal with, thanks to me.

“Yes. Of course. I guess I just lost track of time.”

“It's just that there's someone scheduled for this room, and I still have to clean it...”

“I understand.”

“If you need more time...”

“No. I don't have much. I can be out in a few minutes.”

Instead of replying, his gaze rolled over me. It gave me a warm feeling that settled deep inside of me. Tightening his lips, he gave me a nod and returned downstairs.

Well, this was it. I was going to have to make a decision. Tossing the few things I had into my bag, I took a last look at myself in the mirror and left the room.

“I'm out,” I told Cali when I found him in the kitchen.

“Okay, thanks,” he said, scurrying up to the room behind me.

With nowhere to go, I joined the guests in the living room. It was a comfortable space. The furniture had pictures of birds on the upholstery. There was an ornately designed throw rug under the coffee table in front of it and shelves surrounding the space with books and knickknacks from around the world.

I wondered how it was to grow up in a place like this. It felt like a home filled with love. I knew what that was like. My father was intensely devoted to his family. My mother, my brother, and I were everything to him. It was the rest of the world that had a reason to fear him.

It only took twenty minutes for Cali to return and escort the new guests to their rooms. He looked at me and our eyes made contact for a moment. But that was it. He was busy. I understood. How was he supposed to know what I was going through? Besides, he had real things to worry about.

Thirty minutes later, when he returned to the living room and found that I hadn't moved, I felt embarrassed. I couldn't look at him.

“Is everything okay?” he asked me, drawing my eyes to his.

Staring at him, tears welled in my eyes. I was being ridiculous. I knew it. I had options. I had nothing to complain about. But here I was crying while a person who could be losing his mother remained strong.

“I'm sorry. I'll get out of your hair now,” I said getting up, grabbing my bag, and hurrying to the door.

“Wait. Stop!” he ordered, halting me. Facing away, I couldn't look at him.

“You don't have a car. Where are you going?”

“I can call for a ride.”

“If you could do that, you would have already. Do you have anywhere to go?”

“Really, you don't have to worry about me. How's your mother?”

When he didn't answer, I turned to face him. Pain rippled through him.

“The doctor says that she'll eventually be alright. But I could barely stand to see her like that. She's always been so full of life, you know? To see her lying there with tubes attached to her, I couldn't take it.”

Without thinking, I rushed to him and gripped his shoulder. If I had thought before I did it, I might not have. When he didn't pull away, I was glad I had.

“The doctor says she's gonna be alright?”

He nodded.

“That's really good. I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that.”

As if regretting he had given me a peak under his mask, he quickly straightened up and pulled away.

“Thank you. And, I'm so sorry about what happened to your car. My mother has insurance. It will take care of it.”

“Seriously, don't worry about it. You just worry about your mother and everything else I'm sure you have going on.”

“I'll be fine. But you didn't answer my question. Do you have anywhere to go?”

I wondered what I should tell him. I had already said that I would be fine. He hadn't accepted that answer. Deciding I should tell him the truth, I shook my head no.

“Then, you'll stay here,” he said kindly.

“But the room is gone.”

“You'll stay in my room,” he said confidently.

My mouth dropped open as I stared at him, wondering what he was suggesting. He quickly clarified.

“I'll stay in my mother's room. My room isn't much but...”

“No, thank you. I'm sure it'll be more than enough,” I said as relief washed through me.

“You'll need to give me a few minutes to straighten it up and maybe change the sheets,” he said as his fair-skinned cheeks turned red.

“Don't go through any trouble.” I implored.

“No, just give me a minute. I'll be right back,” he said hurrying up the stairs.

I watched his ass as he left. Wow!