The Boss Crush - Penny Wylder Page 0,52

I ask, crinkling my brows in confusion. “Out of what?”

“Out of this,” she says, standing up straight and looking around the bathroom like it holds the answer I'm looking for.

I don't understand, and she sees it. Rolling her eyes, she grabs another paper towel and wipes her nose. “The company. I think he wants to get out of here. If he leaves, I don't know what I'll do. I can't do this without him, this place is us, it won't work if he's not here.”

Shaking my head, my lips push out in disagreement. “No, I don't think that's true. Lyle won't leave this place.”

“What else could it be then? Why else would he seem so uninterested in this place? It doesn't make sense.”

She sounds so frazzled, so emotional and lost, I'm compelled to tell her everything. I don't want her to worry that her brother is going to abandon her, because that's not the truth.

The truth is I'm the reason he's been so off. Me.

And now with the baby, I can only imagine it's going to get worse. The longer this baby is kept a secret, the harder it's going to be to tell her. Why wait? Why drag it out any longer than it needs to be?

This is the time to tell her. It's the perfect moment.

I have to tell her. She should know the truth.

“Sandy,” I say, the tone in my voice enough to hold her attention. “It's not this company that's distracting him. . .” I pause, letting the words I'm about to use sit on the tip of my tongue.

Her brows dip, her lids squint, and her head tilts a hair into her shoulder. “Then what is it?”

“It's me. I'm the reason he's been distant.”

“You?”

I nod, twisting to lean back against the sink. “Yeah, and there's more.”

“More?” crossing her arms, she kicks out a foot.

Nodding, I pull on my lip as I say, “I just found out I'm pregnant.”

Sandy's jaw jets to the side, her lids lowering. “Pregnant. . . By who?”

“By your brother.” Cringing, I wait for her to scream or yell or throw something across the room. I cover my stomach, instinctively trying to protect the baby inside.

Her mouth hangs open, and she stares at me. “Does he know?” Her gaze shifts to my belly briefly, noticing the motion, and then back up.

“He does now. I just told him.”

“Wow. So that's what was going on when I walked in.” Sandy wraps her arms around her ribs, and mimics the way I'm standing. “And you're sure it's his?” She veers her stare, and it's almost accusatory in nature.

“Yes,” I say sternly. “It's his, it's definitely his. There's no doubt about that.”

There's a long silence between us. I don't know what else to say to her. I'm waiting for her to give me more, to tell me what she feels or thinks. Shit, maybe she'll actually smile and be excited.

She is going to be an aunt. There's excitement in that, even for her, I hope.

Sandy smiles through thin lips, then turns her face forward. “Thanks for being honest with me, Dalia.” She lets out a heavy breath, twisting toward me and reaching out for my arm. “I really do appreciate you telling me the truth, I feel so much better.”

Taking a step closer, Sandy gives me a hug. She throws her arms around my neck, hugging me hard. “I'm so excited, I'm going to be an aunt.” Nuzzling her cheek against mine, she grabs my arms and leans back. “But, I need you to do me a huge favor.”

“All right, what is it?”

“I need you to stay away from him for a bit.” Her smile gets bigger as her hands dig into my biceps. “Please, please, please, don't distract him. I need Lyle on top of his game, and if he's distracted, well—it could be bad for all of us. Can you do that for me? Can you just let him work while he's at the office? It's just for a little while, okay? Until this campaign is done.” Sandy bats her lashes and grins with all her white teeth.

“How—”

“Please, Dalia,” she says, cutting me off. “Please make sure he only focuses on work here.”

“Sandy, I can try, but I can't promise you anything. I mean, we're having a baby now, he—”

“He—” she snaps, cutting me off, her expression no longer hopeful, but demanding. “He was perfectly fine until you came along. This mess is all your fault. If this company goes down because of you