Page 38 of Bossy Wicked Prince

It’s better if he hasn’t. After Minnie’s warning, the last thing I need is for this relationship to get any more complicated than it already is.

Minnie groans. “Oh frick, it’s six already. I was supposed to go help serve dinner.”

“I got it if you want to finish up with the laundry,” I offer.

“You’re a lifesaver! Just yell for me if they need someone extra to put on a hairnet.”

The security guard walks a few yards behind me while I head down to the cafeteria. He’s given up trying to be subtle, I guess.

Grabbing a pair of gloves and a hairnet, I suit up and join my friends, Nikita and Alex, at the food counter. Tonight, we’vegot roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, and bread. Even the food looks like it’s gotten an upgrade—I can tell the veggies are fresh, not frozen, and we’ve got crusty bakery rolls instead of sliced white bread.

As I spoon out mashed potatoes, I wonder if my Dad is staying in a place like this, maybe in Vancouver or Edmonton. If he was still in Toronto, I would have heard about him or run into him by now, with all the time I spend around the homeless population. He must have relocated. Unless, maybe he’s…

I shake my head. I won’t let myself think about it. Dad has to be alive out there, somewhere. If he’s alive, then maybe he can get well enough to come home. I have to believe there’s a way I can apologize for those awful things I said before he left.

Dad’s alive, I think to myself.He has a bed and enough to eat. He’s finding a way to heal himself so he can come back.

It’s the affirmation I always turn too when it feels too real that he could be gone for good, and I repeat it in my head until I can believe it myself.

“What about this one?”Pippa asks, holding up an ivory blazer.

I shake my head and point to the sleeve. “Stained. Looks like red marker.”

She shudders. “God, Ihopeit’s red marker.”

“What about this?” I show her a long-sleeved burgundy turtleneck dress. “It’s a little big, but I think I could make it work.”

She bites her lip, considering. “It’s cute, but they’re getting a heat wave in New York this week. You’re going to be boiling.”

Sighing, I put the dress back on the rack. So far, I’ve gotten away with wearing the same black pair of trousers with three rotating blouses when I’m working in Nate’s office. But for the New York trip, I’m going to need something nicer. I managed to find a few hours in my schedule and dragged Pippa out to help me shop.

Laura’s Closet is my favorite thrift shop in the city. Surprisingly, there’s no Laura here. It’s run by an old guy named Paul, who told me he thought people would rather buy clothes from someone named Laura than from him. The racks fill a whole warehouse in a less fashionable corner of town. There’s a lot of crap to sort through, but the prices are low, and it feels like I’m on a treasure hunt when I’m shopping.

Pippa reaches the end of her rack. “Nothing. I think we might be out of luck.”

“Don’t give up yet!” I plead. “There has to be something here! There always is, if I look hard enough. Let’s look through the bins.”

I head over to the giant bins of unsorted donations, which are so tall, they come up to my shoulders. I pull over one of the stepstools so I can get a better vantagepoint. Pippa just leans against the side of it, half-heartedly looking through discarded T-shirts.

“Are you sure this trip is a good idea?” she asks. “Isn’t the shelter going to miss you?”

“They can survive without me for a few days.” I don’t mention that Nate just made a huge donation. Pippa’s been suspicious about him from the beginning, and I’m sure she’d tell me he had an ulterior motive. I’m not looking to give her more reasons to distrust him.

“Isn’t it weird that he’s just bringing you? I mean, youjuststarted working for him.”

“I’m his assistant. Who else would he bring? Besides, it’s not like he has to iron out legal details or anything. It’s really just a formality, signing the contract.”

She crosses her arms. “Then why does he need you at all? Does he need a babysitter to sign a paper?”

“Why are you so freaked out about this, Pips? It’s just a normal work trip.”

“Becauseyou’refreaked out about it!” she cries. “You’ve spent three hours dragging me through every corner of this store looking for the perfect outfit. You’ve never cared this much about how you dress. Something’s up about it, I just want to know what.”

She’s right. Of course she is. Pippa always seems to know when something’s off with me. I haven’t told her about kissing Nate, or about the weird, lingering sexual tension between us. So she doesn’t know why I’m nervous.

I have to tell her the truth. Well, at least part of it.

“I’m new at this whole secretary thing. I’ve never had an office job, and I don’t want to do something wrong and make Nate and the company look bad.”