Page 115 of Forbidden Kisses

"Hey, how’s everything going?" I asked. "Is Jeremy awake?"

"No, he only woke up briefly, then fell back asleep. Don't think you'll get to talk to him tonight. But I just wanted to keep you informed so you don't worry."

"Thanks. I'm really glad you called."

"How’s the event?"

"It's good that I came. I like mingling with everyone, and even some of the equity partners are here."

"It says a lot about them that they like to personally meet everyone who starts. You're going to kick ass."

Every time he told me that, my heart soared. I had self-confidence, but it was different whenhebelieved in me.

"I'll let you get back to it," he said.

"Can you call tomorrow morning and let me know how he feels?" I asked.

"Sure. Now, I want you to focus on mingling and not on Jeremy, okay?"

"I'll try," I said, but I knew I couldn't push him to the back of my mind just like that.

When it came to Jeremy, I couldn't compartmentalize.

The next morning, I was hoping to hear from Duncan as soon as I woke up, but I didn't.

I called him right as I left the house. I couldn't start my day without knowing if Jeremy was at least feeling better. Thankfully, he picked up.

"Hey," I said. "Good morning."

"Hi." He sounded absolutely exhausted.

"Oh my God, did I wake you up?"

"No. I didn't sleep much. Jeremy kept waking up during the night and throwing up. I even asked the on-call doctor to come. He's ruled out anything more serious than nasty food poisoning."

"Poor guy."

"Yeah. So, I'm going to spend the day with him at home."

"I can call in sick and stay with him as well," I said. "In fact, I'm going to do that."

"No," Duncan said sternly, almost making me wince.

"I can at least come and see him before I go into the office," I said.

"You’ll be late, Riley. It's your first month. What kind of impression will that make?"

"I don't care," I said. I knew I wasn't being rational, but the thought of being away from Jeremy when he was sick was simply painful. I’d never experienced anything like it.

“I do.”

“Fine, I won’t come now. But I’ll skip the briefing they wanted to do after hours this evening?—”

"Absolutely not. Listen to me, Riley. You just started a new job that you need to focus on. We can't hold you back."

"What do you mean?" I asked, leaning against the wall. "You're not holding me back."

Duncan huffed out a breath. "Promise me you'll go to work today and give it your best shot. That you will not spend any time worrying about Jeremy."