Summer Worthington doesn't hate her corporate job, per se. It's her god-awful boss, Mr. Griffin - or, as her roommates like to call him, Mr. Grouchy - who's the problem. He's cruel, cold-hearted, and the most attractive man she's ever seen.
As his p...
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ALL WEEKEND, MAX'S WORDS ECHO in my head: Let them think what they want. Obviously, I agree we shouldn't care what our co-workers think, that we shouldn't feel like our relationship can't progress just because he's my boss . . . but I'm also a realist. I don't see how we can be together—properly—and still work at the same company. It screams multiple HR violations, judgmental glances, and, in my case, a potential dismissal.
I haven't worked this hard just to ruin things now.
But Max has also asked me to trust him, and I do. I wouldn't be doing this—risking my job and getting my heart broken—if I didn't.
It helps to know that he's always two steps ahead of everyone at Elevated. As the face of the multibillion-dollar company, he has to be. Still, a wisp of unease niggles at my stomach as I get ready for work on Monday morning. With my body functioning on autopilot, I say goodbye to Lauren (who's lucky enough to still be offered a hybrid work schedule), drive down to the wharf, park my car, and board the earlier ferry.
The upside of staring at your ceiling hours before your alarm is set to go off?
At least you won't be late for work.
Withdrawing my Kindle from the depths of my handbag, I click into the Mafia romance I started reading last night and settle in for the next twenty minutes. Good thing I don't get motion sickness, or I'd be missing out on this much-needed distraction. If there's one thing I can always rely on to help me escape everything, it's books. Any time I'm on the brink of a mental breakdown, or I just need to silence my swirling thoughts for a while, I dive head-first into one of the many books on my TBR list. It's an easy and welcome reprieve.
It's only the tenth chapter, but I'm so absorbed in the world, already rooting for the two main characters, that I almost forget I'm being tossed about as the ferry scales another big wave.
It isn't until we're docking, until the programmed voice announces that we've reached Circular Quay, that reality comes crashing back in.
When the engine finally cuts out and other commuters climb to their feet, I reluctantly put my Kindle into sleep mode again and slide it into my bag.
The peace and quiet was nice while it lasted.
Now, it's time to face the music.
I'm fully aware of everything that's waiting for me when I disembark—a dream job that challenges me and a man who's chipped away at the walls around my heart. A man who's effectively changed my life path. And if we stay on this trajectory, I know exactly where it'll lead. Eventually, I'll have to make an impossible decision—the career I love or the man I love.
I'm not naïve enough to think I can actually have, and keep, both.
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