Boss I Love to Hate An Office Romance - Mia Kayla Page 0,28
have to take her here.” Sarah took an overly big bite of her burrito, the sauce dripping onto the tin foil wrapper it had come in.
I almost forgot how hungry teenagers were, but then again, it was her time of the month.
After putting her burrito down, she reached for a chip and dipped it in the salsa. “But she’s weird. She puts sugar on everything. Pizza and spaghetti, and I bet she’d put it on this quesadilla, too. Funny enough, Brad is her dealer.” The corner of her mouth quirked up, mid-chew.
After I spooned some of the best Mexican rice in the universe into my mouth, I leaned in closer. “Dealer?”
“Mary’s sugar dealer.” Sarah laughed, seeming to recall a memory.
She had the brownest eyes and an endless amount of curls that lay mid-shoulder. She was beautiful. I could see Charles in her features. In her square, delicate face and in her eyebrow that would quirk up whenever she was thinking a little too hard. But that was where the similarities ended, and I wondered about their mother and what she had looked like.
My heart clenched at her loss. I couldn’t imagine life without my mother and father. Our family was crazy, and when one was missing from our get-togethers, it was like losing a limb.
“Dad tries to monitor Mary’s sugar, but then you’ll have Uncle Brad supplying her behind his back. He carries pouches of sugar or candy with him, just for her.” She put down her burrito and swiped at her eyes as laughter escaped her. “Ask him about it. Ask him if he has some sugar. He stores it in his pockets, and one time, it was in his sock ’cause he had nowhere else to hide it.”
Okay. A little over the top there, Brad.
Plus, this was the guy who had asked me about the Jolly Ranchers in my pocket. I couldn’t have pictured it before today. In my head, Brad was a tough working/dating machine. Today was the first time I had seen him a little softer, with less edge. I guessed his nieces did that to him.
My phone buzzed next to me, and I groaned. “It’s your uncle. Hurry, eat faster.”
I started shoveling rice into my mouth like there was a shortage, and Sarah followed suit. When we lifted our heads from our plate, our eyes would meet, and we’d laugh.
“It’s like he knew we were talking about him.” Her cheeks puffed out, overfilled from rice.
I let the phone ring three times before I picked up. “Hello?” I crumpled the tin wrapper that had once held my taco and tossed it in my empty bowl of rice.
“You left without me.” His voice was accusatory, as though I’d committed a crime.
“Sarah’s a growing girl, and she needs sustenance. You wouldn’t want to be the sole reason that her growth is stunted.” I winked at Sarah. “Plus, I get hangry and need to eat on time.” I reached for Sarah’s napkins and tin wrapper where her burrito had once been in and tossed it in my tray.
“Where are you?” he asked.
The buzz of cars echoed around him. The honking of horns blared in the background, indicating he was already out of the office.
“I told you we were going to Gomez’s Burritos.” I stuffed a nacho chip into my mouth. “It’s fine. We are just about done here. I e-mailed you.”
I pulled the phone from my ear and stared at it. I hated that he had done that. It annoyed the crap out of me.
“He’s coming.” I dropped my phone and dipped my chip into the most wonderful glop of salsa. “Someone should really teach your uncle some manners.”
“Uncle Brad?” She snorted. “Yeah, maybe you should be the one to do that. It’s funny how you give it to him right back. I’ve never seen anyone do that—well, besides Uncle Mason.”
“That’s kind of our relationship.” I reached for another chip.
If I wasn’t snippy, he’d flirt. I’d seen how he acted with the other women in the office. It was his natural demeanor. I’d bet he had been born a flirt. So, I was rude, showed I wasn’t interested, and he left me alone and kept it strictly professional. For the past two years, that was how it had always been. I just prayed that our deal—my invitation