Page 117 of Boss of Me

I frown. “I hope not.”

Right on cue, my phone buzzes with another call. One glance at the screen confirms that the news has reached our mother.Great. Just great.

“Now that you’re dating a famous heartthrob, the paparazzi will be stalking you everywhere.” There’s a sympathetic grin in Ember’s voice. “Congratulations. You’ve officially arrived.”

“Arrived where?” I grumble. “In hell?”

Ember laughs. “How can you talk about hell when you just spent the weekend in paradise? You looked like you were on cloud nine in those pictures. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy and carefree.” Her voice quiets. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

My throat grows tight. “Of course I am,” I try to joke. “I’d be in love withanyonewho whisked me off to Hawaii.”

Ember doesn’t laugh. She can see right through me.

I take a sip of coffee to wet my bone-dry throat. Our mother follows up with a text, but I ignore it.

“He must be getting pretty serious about you,” Ember says softly.

My heartbeat doubles. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, I mean, he took you toHawaii?—”

“That doesn’t prove anything. How many times have we seen celebrity couples making out on a yacht one day and breaking up dramatically the very next week?”

“True,” Ember concedes. “Celebrity couples are notoriously fickle. But Gunner seems different. When I googled him, I didn’t see any pictures of him frolicking on his yacht with bikini-clad supermodels. His brother, yes. But not him.”

“That’s because he’s a crazy workaholic who rarely takes vacations.”

“My point exactly! He wasn’t known for cavorting on tropical islands untilyoucame into his life. Can’t you see what a big deal that is?”

I swallow hard and close my eyes, willing my stomach to stop flipping out.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Ember says in a gentler tone. “You don’t want to get your hopes up about Gunner because you’re afraid he’ll break your heart. Ever since Dad died, you’ve been going through life waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“That’s not true,” I say, but the denial rings hollow. The reality is that I’ve been keeping men at a distance for so long, it’s become second nature. Gunner is the first man I’ve let anywhere close to my heart since losing my dad. It feels both terrifying and absolutely right.

“Guarding your heart is understandable. Smart even.” Ember snorts. “God knows there are a lot of losers out there, as my dating history proves.”

“My track record isn’t much better,” I point out wryly. “You just got a three-year head start.”

She chuckles.

I cradle my coffee mug between my palms. “You’re right about my feelings for Gunner. He’s the most amazing guy I’ve ever met. Despite our rocky start, I’m glad our paths crossed that night at the bar.”

“Wow.” Ember sounds awed. “You’ve fallen hard, haven’t you?”

“Head over heels,” I admit in defeat. “I want to be with him. I just . . . I don’t know if he’s the forever type.”

“Well, there’s only one way to—Shit, gotta run,” Ember blurts abruptly.

“What’s wrong?”

“My boss is coming and I’m supposed to be working on a brief. I’ll call you later to continue this convo and get the deets on your romantic getaway.” She makes kissing noises and hangs up.

Sipping my coffee, I thumb the phone screen to read my mother’s text message:Darling! So thrilled about you and Gunner Ransom! You look fabulous together. You even look good in your bikini—keep cuttingout those carbs to get your stomach even flatter! Now that you’re officially dating Gunner, I’m eager to meet him. Let’s check our calendars and pick a date!

I drop my head on the counter and groan. Caroline Somerset will be the death of me, I swear to God.

When the doorbell suddenly rings, I’m half afraid to find her waiting on the doorstep with her full set of Louis Vuitton luggage.