Page 24 of Boss of Me

“Are you? Because I—” Quinn’s lecture is interrupted by the doorbell.

Grateful for the reprieve, I get up and walk over to open the door. There’s a local florist deliveryman holding a huge bouquet of flaming orange roses. My eyes widen in surprise.

“Marlowe Somerset?” At my nod, the deliveryman smiles and hands me the heavy vase of flowers. “Enjoy your evening.”

I thank him and close the door.

“Wow!” Quinn exclaims. “Those are stunning! Who sent them?”

“I have no idea.” I carry the arrangement to the breakfast bar and set it down, then reach for the attached card.

My pulse quickens as I read the note:I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot.In the spirit of starting over, my name is Gunner. I regret lying to you that night, but I have no regrets about meeting you. P.S. The job offer still stands.

Everything inside me wants to melt into a puddle of forgiveness, but I staunchly resist. Gunner Ransom took advantage of me that night. He made a fool of me. He can’t weasel his way into my good graces by sending flowers, no matter how exquisitely beautiful they are.

“Well?” Quinn eyes me excitedly. “Don’t keep me in suspense. Who’s your secret admirer?”

I hesitate. “Him.”

“Him? You mean . . .” She stares at my sour expression, her eyes going wide. “No way!”

I hand her the card.

She reads it quickly and proceeds to swoon. “Oh, my God, Marlowe! This is so romantic!”

“Romantic?” I echo scornfully.

“Yes! He sent you flowers! Unbelievably gorgeous flowers that obviously cost some serious moolah. I mean, look at them. I’ve never seen roses that color before.”

Neither have I, but I’d sooner die than admit it.

Quinn holds up the card, her eyes twinkling. “He’s clearly into you, Marlowe.”

I snort. “He’s not into me. The creep just wants to finish what we started that night.”

“I’m sure he does,” Quinn leers, wiggling her pierced eyebrows. “Can you blame him?”

I flip her off.

She laughs and shakes her head at me. “All joking aside, Mar, you need to think about the big picture here. Being GunnerRansom’s housekeeper could open so many doors for you. If you do a great job, maybe he’ll hire you to work for his company. Or he could use his connections to get you an amazing job with an ensemble or academic library. Hell, as a bigtime alumni donor, he could even pull strings to get you a teaching assistantship at the university since all the positions were filled by the time you applied. Seriously. Just think of all the favors he could do for you.”

“I don’t want any favors from him,” I grumble, glaring at the lavish bouquet of roses. “Besides, he doesn’t allow pets. If I take the job, I’ll have to give up Sansa.”

“Hmm. Maybe not.”

I frown at Quinn. “What do you mean?”

“What if I take over your lease?”

“Excuse me?”

“You need someone to look after Sansa, and I’ve been planning to move out of my parents’ house and find my own place. Maybe this was the nudge I needed to finally get off my ass and do it.”

I drink my beer, mulling over her proposal. I can’t deny that it would solve most of my problems. I won’t have to worry about paying rent and buying groceries if my employer provides free room and board. And with Quinn living in my apartment, I can visit Sansa whenever I want.

Quinn grins, watching the wheels turn in my head. “It’s the perfect plan. You get to work for a hot billionaire, I get my own place and Sansa gets to stay in her familiar environment. Win-win for everyone.” She beams at her ingenuity.

I wish I shared her enthusiasm, I really do. But working for Gunner Ransom is a devil’s bargain I’m not willing to make.