Page 71 of Bossy Wicked Prince

I have no idea how Nate knew these ones were my favorite. I threw out the flowers I brought him a few blocks from the building. If I were still speaking to him, I’d call him a stalker.

There’s a narrow path from the door to the kitchen table. I take a seat, careful not to knock over any of the flowers. There’s a note waiting there for me, in the same spiky handwriting.

I’m sorry. Can we try again? Thanksgiving dinner at my place? I’ll take care of everything. All you need to do is be there. -Nate

Hope blooms in my chest. Even after I blew him off without an explanation, he’s still trying.

I wonder if his mother mentioned our conversation. Maybe he has no idea that she verbally eviscerated me at his apartment.

Either way, that doesn’t make the things she said about me not true. If it gets out that Nate’s screwing his assistant, one who is totally unqualified for the job, it’ll make him look terrible. Nobody will care that he offered me the job out of kindness,or that I worked hard as hell to deserve it. It’ll just look like I seduced him into a tawdry affair.

I know how important UPS is to him. I can’t let him put his business in danger like that just for me.

Right when I’ve made up my mind to decline his invitation, my phone dings. I swear, it’s like Nate has a chip implanted in my brain that tells him when I’m thinking about him.

Nate

No pressure.

If it were anyone else spending thousands of dollars on flowers for me, there would be pressure. But for Nate, the cost is nothing. He didn’t send so many bouquets to overwhelm me or bribe me. He did it to show me how serious he is. By now, I know he’s not a man of words—he’s a man of action.

Groaning, I lay my head in my hands on the table. My elbow bumps into a vase, almost knocking them over. I should probably throw them all out, but some part of me just can’t bear to. It’s the closest thing I’ve gotten to a declaration of his feelings that I’ve gotten from Nate. With the flowers, he extended a hand and left himself vulnerable.

Picking up my phone, I dial the number before I can talk myself out of it. After a few rings, Pippa picks up.

“Hey, Cat! Did you get my text about Thanksgiving?”

I lean back on the couch. “I did, but I got another invitation, and I’m not sure if I should take it.”

“Oh, yeah? Are you thinking about going to your Mom’s this year?” I can tell how careful her tone is. We both have complicated relationships with our mothers, and it can be hard not to project our own feelings.

“She asked me, but no. It’s something else. Nate actually invited me on a date.”

She’s silent for a moment. “I can’t say I’m completely surprised. He’s been circling you for a while now. So, what are you going to say?”

“I don’t know, Pippa. I like him. Too much. But our relationship couldn’t go anywhere.”

“Why not?”

“He’s my boss. And we just wouldn’t be good for each other.”

She sighs. “Look, I know I told you to look out for him because he’s not into commitment. But from everything you’ve told me, he hasn’t acted like that with you. I mean, he torpedoed that huge deal just because some CEO was a jackass to you. That’s something I would do.”

I grin. “You probably would have punched the guy, too. Nate has a little more self-restraint.”

“Obviously, I’d fully approve of this crush if he decked the guy,” Pippa says, making my cheeks heat. I haven’t told her yet about things getting physical with Nate, just about the business trip, the dinner at the office, and my stupid fight with Eleanor. It’s not that I want to hide it from her—it’s just easier to downplay my feelings if she only knows half the story.

“I thought you hated Nate,” I say.

“I didn’thatehim. I just didn’t trust him. And now that I’ve seen how he’s treated you…I don’t know, Cat. Maybe he actually has good intentions.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” I admit. “We’re from such different worlds. He has all this money and access that I don’t know the first thing about. I’m scared that I’ll embarrass him, and maybe…maybe I’m not good enough for him.”

“Stop that,” Pippa says fiercely. “He’d be lucky to have you. You’re gorgeous, sweet, and funny. You make everything better with your crazy optimism. The only thing he has that you don’t is money, and money doesn’t make anyone a better person. Just look at my stepdad and Ryan.”

The brewing anxiety that’s been whirling around my head starts to slow. If only I could see myself the way Pippa sees me, I’d probably be a lot happier. “So you think I should go for it with Nate?”

“You’re the only person who can decide that. All I’m saying is, you doubting yourself isn’t a good enough reason not to date him. Because he would be lucky to have you, and I’m pretty sure he knows it.”