Page 71 of The Boss and the Adoption Mess

And not with me.

I hand back the card and get into the limo. The driver takes me back to the office. I only have a few minutes to dry my tears and put on an act as if nothing happened.

Do I need to understand this? I don’t think so. It makes no sense at all—yet somehow I feel like I understand everything. It feels strange. So damn strange.

I should probably never tell Gabriel about running into Caroline. Better just to say I picked up his watch from the hotel.

At just before two, the moment comes: the department heads file in one after another, and suddenly Gabriel is there too. But one thing about him strikes me right away—I’ve never seen him this nervous before.

But can I even say that? I don’t really know him. I have no idea who this man really is, or where he goes at night when he says he’s with his mother.

Chapter 18

Gabriel

One hour earlier…

When my alarm goes off, I’d love nothing more than to skip work. But today’s meeting is too important. After all, we need to discuss the quarterly figures, and my presence isn’t optional.

I glance at my phone and notice two missed calls.

Cornelius Grey tried to reach me?

I check my messages and see that he’s texted me. Either he wants to know how last night went—or Caroline has already filled him in on everything that happened in the past few hours.

Grey:You forgot your gold watch in the room.

Grey:Caroline isn’t flying back to Dublin until this afternoon. She’s checking out later. Should I have the watch brought to you? Where are you right now?

Grey:Your assistant is picking it up now.

What? I look at my wrist and then at the nightstand where I usually leave it. It’s true. I never put it on after my shower in the hotel room. I sit up immediately.

Wait. Which assistant?

I call Cornelius back. I need to straighten this out. That watch is an heirloom—engraved. My father had it made for me and gave it to me for my twenty-first birthday.

“There you are. And people say I’m hard to reach,” Cornelius says, amused. In the background, I hear soft lounge music—and the laughter of young women. He’s always surrounded by them, like moths to a flame.

“I needed to catch up on sleep,” I reply, irritated, running a hand through my hair. I get up and yank open the curtains. The sunlight might help wake me up. I don’t have much time—I urgently need to shower, get dressed, and drive to the office.

“Yes, I already heard Caroline’s quite taken with you. Apparently, you gave her a very pleasant night,” he teases, grin audible in his voice.

“You texted that someone’s picking up my watch?”

I'd better not respond to what he's heard from Caroline and me.

“Yes, your assistant. She’s already on her way.”

“Which one? I have several. Was it Sally?”

“No, her name’s Kimberley. Sounded really sweet on the phone when I spoke with her. Caroline’s waiting for her in the lobby.”

“I hope this is a bad joke,” I snap.

“Why?”

“Because those two should not meet!”