Page 45 of Never Bargain with the Boss

She groans, “I thought we were gonna have fun. But all Hannah wanted to do was SnapChat with Liam. And that was fine until she asked him to rate us.”

I choke on my fry and try to wash it down with a swallow of Coke, but nope, that’s not the fry stuck. It’s my shock, caught right in my throat. “She didwhat?”

“I know, right?” Grace says, a look of disbelief on her face that probably matches mine. “Like I care whether Liam thinks I’m hot or not. I don’t even like him.”

I have enough experience to know that neither of those things are true. The lady doth protest too much, and I’m quitecertain Grace cares quite a bit what Liam thinks, because she does like him. And suddenly, I want to hunt down this Liam kid and tell him that if he doesn’t know how awesome Grace is then it’s his loss, because she’s the best there is.

But I might be biased. And thankfully, I don’t say that out loud because Grace is still sharing.

“But when he said I was the hottest of our group, Hannah got mad. She started taking snaps of me looking stupid and sending them to Liam, saying stuff like ‘so hot’ and ‘10 out of 10 for real.’”

“That’s mean.” I use the word intentionally, watering that seed I planted about Hannah because, though I hate it, it’s sounding more and more like I was right.

“Yeah, that’s what I told her. Well, I told her she was being a bitch.” She cringes as she says the curse word, but that’s the least of my concern. Honestly, I’m kinda proud of her, and maybe a bit guilty because I planted that particular seed too.

I give her a small smile. “Good for you. I’m glad you stood up for yourself.”

“Lot of good it did me.” She stares out the window again, watching another car that’s pulled into the drive-thru. “Hannah kept saying stuff, and I was getting so mad. Bella and Trinity were even telling her to stop, but then she started taking pictures of them too. Bella started crying, and it was all…” She sighs heavily, her eyes falling closed and her head hitting the cool window with a thud. “It just sucked.”

“I’m sorry,” I say gently, laying my hand on her shoulder. I wish I could turn back time and make tonight different for her. She sniffles, and the sound goes straight to my heart, but it’s not only pain there. It’s anger on Grace’s behalf. “Want me to beat her up for you?” I ask deadpan. I wouldn’t actually hurt a child, but it does make Grace huff out a tiny laugh, which was my true goal.

“You’d do that?” she answers, a smile trying to lift her lips.

“Anything for you, Gracie girl.” At that, she really does smile, and I think both of us realize it’s the first time I’ve used Cameron’s nickname for her. She seems okay with it, and maybe even more than okay.

I can feel the tethers tying me and her together strengthening.

This job is different. This family is different. Cameron and Grace won’t be as easy to walk away from as all the others have been. Not by a long shot. I’m usually better at protecting my heart, but they’re in there deep in a way I don’t usually allow. To use Grace’s words, it’s gonna suck when I have to go. Because eventually, I will. The job will end, whether it’s because Grace doesn’t need me anymore or I make a fool out of myself with Cameron, but whatever the reason, eventually, it’ll be time for me to move on.

It's gonna suck. Bad.

“Thanks, Riley.” I think she’s about to take me up on the offer, and I’m gonna have to figure out exactly how far I’m willing to go on Grace’s behalf—like a closed-fist punch is out, but I’d probably be down for a little ‘accidental’ tripping—but she sighs instead. “Can we just go home? I want to sleep for at least the next twelve hours because tomorrow, I’m gonna have to talk to Bella and Trinity.”

“And Hannah?” I question.

“HannahandMegan, because after all that, she stayed for the sleepover,” she says incredulously. “They were still SnapChatting when we went downstairs.” She rolls her eyes, seeming equally upset with both girls.

“Then let’s go home.”

It’s only four little letters, but calling Cameron’s house ‘home’ does something to me. Home has always been just myself, wherever I was crashing at the time. But pulling up to the ridiculously oversized house ignites a warm spot in my soul thatI thought had long been burned out. Not because of the building or its luxurious fixtures that I could do without, but because it feels like the first place I belong.

Grace hauls herself out of the car, her backpack nearly dragging, and she drops it in the foyer, mumbling something about it being a problem for ‘Tomorrow Grace’. But she’ll have enough to deal with then, so I pick it up for her, hanging it on her hook, and do the same with my jacket.

“Thanks again. G’night.”

I watch her climb the stairs, wanting to follow her, hug her, tuck her in, and tell her it will all be okay. But I don’t. She doesn’t need me to fuss over her, not when she’s doing a great job on her own and I’ve already given her the support she needs tonight. If I pile more onto her, especially when she’s in such an exhausted state, I risk overwhelming her completely and making tonight seem like an even bigger deal than it is. And it’s already a breaking point in a long-term friendship, which Grace seems to recognize.

So instead of going upstairs with Grace, I do the other thing I want to do and stomp down the hall toward Cameron’s room to find out what the hell is so important that he couldn’t go get his daughter. I took care of her, but the look of disappointment on her face when she realized it was me and not him who’d come will stick with me for the rest of my life. She needed him, and he prides himself on doing everything for her, so where the fuck was he?

I knock on the door and wait, but there’s no answer.

Is he asleep?

Surely not. I told him I got Grace, but there’s no way he’d go to bed knowing Grace is upset. And if he did? Well, then he can wake the fuck up.

I’m mad… at Hannah, at Cameron, and at the world who’d be so cruel to such a sweet little girl.

“In here,” he says a moment later, and I turn, realizing the sound came from behind me. Cameron’s in his office.