Page 5 of Maid for My Billionaire Boss
Now my goal was to get a fresh start with people Itrusted,my way back to sanity was to be closer to my inner circle—the people who knew me before I was rich. I was surprised she made the move back with me. I thought for sure she would use the move as a reason to break up, but somehow, she managed to leave her life there.
I was grateful for that.
However, it seemed no matter what I did to smooth the transition, she was headstrong about making us both miserable. I was beginning to think our mutual love for each other wasn’t going to be enough, and maybe we needed to admit we’d grown into different people. I still cared about her though. I wasn’t the sort of guy who blew through relationships, and I also wasn’t going to add any fuel to her issue, so I blankly stared back at her.
“I’m confused,” she went on in a little softer tone, but the expression she held revealed she wasn’t at all confused. “I had wanted to spend the weekend in LA with my friends. I don’t understand why you made reservations here.”
“We already talked about this. Remember? I can’t get away this weekend because my business partners are coming. Once I get through the next couple of weeks, we can take off for a whole week if you want.”
She pushed her bottom lip out in a way I used to think was cute, but lately I’d been seeing so much of it, I started to get defensive every time I saw it.
Not today.
I turned, heading back to my desk. “Let’s not fight about this. How about we grab a coffee?” I offered since the one I had made ended up watering my hardware.
“I want to go to LA.”
Disappointed about the direction of this conversation, I also wasn’t shy about holding her eyes when I frankly stated, “You can go if you want, but I can’t get away.”
“What’s the catch?”
Her lips curled at me from across the room, but I stubbornly didn’t echo her expression. If she couldn’t understand how important this next week was for me, there wasn’t anything I could do to explain it to her. I had hoped she would be there to support me. If she insisted on acting like a child, maybe it would be better if I sent her away.
“No catch. I want you to have a nice birthday. You can take my jet and stay at my house in Beverly Hills.” I didn’t offer it like a trap, but part of me hoped she would refuse and insist on staying here to support me.
Her chin inclined and her pouty lip receded. “Well, how about I stay for the dinner and leave the day after that?”
So much for support.
It seemed like a reasonable enough compromise, but something about it still stung. I tried to make the fact we would spend her birthday on separate coasts less awkward. “Maybe if everything goes well and I get done soon, I can join you early next week?”
“Yeah,” she said a little too casual. The way she pulled her shoulders back and took a few steps nearer, closing the gap between us, showed she was happy now.
“So, did you want to run out for coffee?” I offered, willing to put her birthday weekend aside to spend some time with her now.
“Nah, I’m going to try to get in for a hair appointment since I’ll be leaving Saturday. It’s short notice.” Her eyes washed over my desk, and she added, “You said this is a crazy week for you, so I might as well let you work.” When she replanted her gaze on me, her voice sounded happy. “But I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner, right?”
“Of course.” I held her gaze, wanting to tell her how much I hated this.
Hated the distance growing between us.
Hated the avoidance of certain topics.
Hated the way we were fighting.
But as much as I wanted to tell her that, she seemed so distracted. As if to prove my point, she pulled out her phone. Probably already texting her friends back in LA. I wasn’t jealous. I was happy I could be the one to put the smile back on her face, but even then, I could feel things changing. The distance between us felt like a gaping hole.
“All right, see you later.” She leaned over on one foot and planted a chaste kiss on my lips. Before I could say another word, she headed out the door, her eyes on her phone the whole way.
Once she was gone, my eyes pulled to my desk. My brain told me I needed to get to work, but my heart felt heavy. The front door slammed, announcing Tonya had officially let herself out. Even though we parted on supposedly “good” terms, something felt symbolic about that door slam. It wasn’t a finality but another layer in this weird limbo we’d been in. This was a gray area, and I didn’t like gray.
I was the type of person who was a black-and-white thinker.
I knew something or I didn’t.
I liked something or I didn’t. There was no wishy-washy back-and-forth with me.
I’d loved Tonya at one time, but now I don’t.
