The Guy Who Became My Grumpy Boss (Curvy Girl Crew #7)

Chapter 28

-Peter-

The span of forty-eight hours had never before felt this long.

Jessica had agreed to go to the movie and then dinner with me. Which was good. That had been last night. Now it was Tuesday evening. Mrs. Santos had kicked me out of her shop because she’d run out of flowers for me to use and said I needed to do something else until the next morning.

Unfortunately, I’d already cleaned my apartment, washed and folded my laundry, caught up on a few outstanding items from work, and exercised.

This left me with hours until I went to bed and nothing to do.

My first inclination had been to sit in front of my computer and watch Jessica and her friends open storage units, but after one video, I’d decided that I’d rather have the real Jessica with me and not the YouTube version.

Aunt Mei had called today to check on me, and in our conversation, she’d once again encouraged me to take small steps outside of my comfort zone and learn to talk to people without practicing first.

I would never completely stop, because imagining the scenarios beforehand was the only way I got through most interactions, but I’d merely thought of a brief outline of what I wanted to say to Jessica the next day. I’d decided to count that as progress.

After Mrs. Santos had kicked me out—with two bouquets—and the internet had failed to keep me engaged, I’d decided to take a walk, bringing one of the arrangements of flowers. It had to go somewhere.

The storms from the day before had cleared out, leaving the city clean and somewhat fresh. I hadn’t had a plan, except to walk, but as I did so, I noticed I was near the stuffed animal shop. The open sign was still on, and on a whim, I decided to enter.

The overwhelming scents hit me first, closely followed by a greeting from Anna. The woman looked exhausted but smiled warmly when she saw me.

“Peter! How did your party go?”

That was a story I didn’t have time to tell, so I said, “There was the usual company drama, but in the end, I think everyone enjoyed themselves.”

Except me.

Anna laughed. “What can I do for you?”

I remembered the flowers and smiled. “I just wanted to thank you for the animals you supplied to our company baskets. They were well-received.”

Anna’s eyes lit up as she took the vase from me. “These are breathtaking! Did you arrange them?”

“I did.”

“Thank you!” She surprised me with a hug.

Having a woman’s arms around me reminded me of Jessica, and I allowed myself to think of her for a brief moment. Our reunion would be like this, but better. So much better.

Anna prattled on about the flowers and asked about the stuffed animals as she found a spot for the vase on her checkout stand.

I took the time to look around and spotted something that tugged on a memory.

Marissa had said she’d been changing for me for a long time, but when I’d first met her, we’d been young. I had a clear picture in my mind of her bedroom and of the stuffed pangolin that had sat on her bed.

I’d never seen another until Jessica pointed out this one in the store last week.

“How much for the pangolin?”

Anna raised her eyebrows. “I didn’t think you had kids.”

“I don’t. It’s for a friend.” I paused. “For nostalgia.”

Anna went to the shelf, pulled the animal down from its perch, and handed it to me. “On the house.”

“I’d rather pay for it,” I said.

“Nope.” She patted me on the back, then steered me toward the door. “That thing belongs to whomever you’re about to give it to.”

“But—”

“Go on.” Before I knew it, Anna had shoved me out of the shop and back onto the street.

With the pangolin in my hands and the knowledge of the nearest Hawaiian restaurant, I decided to visit Marissa.

I owed her something. I wasn’t sure what, but I felt like I should speak with her before Jessica and I went out the following night.

Once I’d procured what I hoped was a meal Marissa actually enjoyed, I grabbed a ride share and arrived at her place.

I wondered how I should approach Marissa. Since I was once again out of my depth, I could only speculate so far before I lost the train of the conversation that might happen. After several tries at a text, I went with something simple.

Peter: Marissa, I’m outside your building. May I come up? I have treats.

I bit my lip, a habit I’d noticed I’d adopted from Jessica, and waited.

Part of me wondered if she would ignore me. Or perhaps tell me to get lost—only in much more colorful terms.

A few minutes passed. I’d sat on a bench to enjoy the last few minutes of dusk before the city was plunged into darkness.

The moment felt like my life. I was about to end one chapter of myself and start another. Not a total rewrite, but an addition. Hopefully a good one.

An alert came up on my phone.

I took a breath before swiping it to life.

Marissa: I’ll buzz you in.

Knowing how I felt when I was going into something unfamiliar helped me understand how Marissa might be feeling. We’d both be uncomfortable, and that was fine.

As promised, the door to the building unlatched as soon as I arrived.

A memory swam to the surface of my mind as my fingers touched the handle.

I’d opened the door to our office building for Jessica, just over a week ago. Life had changed so much since then that I knew I would never be the same, no matter what happened here with Marissa or tomorrow with Jessica.

The elevator ride up to Marissa’s apartment was uneventful, and I found her door open when I reached it.

A shot of alarm ran through me, and I knocked. “Marissa?”

“Come in.” Her voice floated from the sitting room.

Marissa had done well for herself. This was a large apartment that likely cost her a small fortune each month, but I doubted it was a financial burden for her.

Had she really wanted to be a park ranger? She was exceptionally good at investments and excellent with customers.

“In here.” Her normally upbeat voice was flat.

I left the stuffed animal on a table, just in case this went badly and she threw me out, then steeled myself and walked into the immaculately decorated sitting space. The furniture was simple, the lines crisp and the colors perfectly contrasting. I could easily make a bouquet with this same pallet, and it would be gorgeous.

Marissa sat on a couch with her casted leg up and a cream-colored Afghan thrown over her lap and other leg.

She looked haggard. Her hair was half tied up in a bun that looked as if it was holding on for dear life. Dark circles carved rings under her eyes, and her cheeks were flushed red, as if she’d been crying. The wall-mounted television had been playing a movie, which was now paused.

I stopped a few steps into the room, and we stared at each other.

Marissa broke the silence first. “Why are you here?”

“Many reasons. Are you hungry?” I held up the Hawaiian bag.

Her eyes went wide.

I smiled at the surprised expression. “Spam Loco Moco.”

“Not sushi?” Marissa’s voice trembled as she spoke.

“I heard you didn’t like that.” My attempt at humor was pedestrian, at best, but her lips twitched toward a smile.

“How did you remember about the Loco Moco?” Marissa tried to sit up.

“You ordered it more than once when we went to Hawaii as kids.” Each meal had come in a box, so I handed hers over, retrieved mine, and sat on one of the chairs.

We ate in silence, which I took as a good sign. She could be yelling at me. Instead, she seemed to be truly enjoying her food.

After I’d eaten half of my meal, Marissa put her fork down and cleared her throat. “Thank you for this.”

“It’s the least I can do,” I said.

She shook her head and closed her eyes, as if she was reviewing something in her mind. I knew the process well. “You don’t owe me anything.”

My thoughts kept trying to jump ahead in our conversation, but I quieted them. I could be present. “I at least owe you an apology for not being clear with you about my feelings.”

“You were clear.” Marissa picked a piece of Spam out of her meal and ate it. “I just didn’t want to believe it.” She sighed heavily. “I had a whole plan for the retreat.”

I raised my eyebrows.

Marissa waved her hand. “I’d purposely put us in the same room and made sure there wasn’t another open room at the resort. I was going to spend the whole time making you fall for me.” She managed a weak smile. “I had such plans. I had plans within plans.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I didn’t.

“Then I broke my leg, and the retreat got changed, and suddenly, you were spending time with Jessica.” Marissa gave me an apologetic look. “I saw you guys at the office Sunday night.”

“How?” I asked.

“I heard you were going to be there and talked the security guys into turning on my laptop camera and aiming it at the conference room.” She looked away from me. “When I saw you and Jessica kissing, I was so mad. That’s why I came to the hotel on Monday. I knew I only had one chance to win you back.”

Someone with a normal brain might have seen this coming, but I hadn’t suspected any of it.

Marissa continued. “But you kept passing me off, and I had to go to extremes to get your attention.”

I blinked, putting the pieces together. “You started the fire?” She’d told the authorities that she hadn’t seen anything.

She nodded miserably. “I did. I’m not proud of it.”

“You went to very extreme measures,” I said.

“I did. Oh, don’t blame Lance. I’d sent him away to get me a drink. I already told Amelia that it was me. We have a meeting next week.”

This was a lot to take in, and I let silence descend again. After a few minutes, I broke it. “Did you really want to be a park ranger?”

Marissa laughed a bitter laugh. “I did.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to follow that dream.”

Marissa’s shoulders sagged. “I could have. Maybe I should have.” She forced a smile. “I can’t really complain though. I have a job I love. I have friends. I have a good life.”

I nodded, not knowing what to say.

“You’re usually more vocal than this,” Marissa noted.

“I came mostly unprepared.”

She raised her eyebrows. “You?”

“I’m branching out.” Which was stressful, but easier to do with Marissa than I’d thought it would be.

“Because of Jessica?” Marissa couldn’t keep the hurt out of her voice.

“Partly,” I admitted.

“You really like her.” Tears started to gather in Marissa’s eyes as she spoke.

“I think I do.”

Marissa hung her head. “I owe her a city-sized apology.”

“You probably do.” I expected Marissa to object to my honesty, but she didn’t respond.

More silence.

I rose. “Are you finished eating?”

Marissa nodded.

I took everything into the kitchen, threw my take-out container away, and put hers in the fridge. Then I retrieved the pangolin.

When I walked in, Marissa’s eyes went wide again. “What is this?”

I handed the stuffed animal directly to her. “I spent some time thinking about things you loved when we first met, and this was one of them.”

“You remembered that?”

“It took some digging.”

Marissa hugged the pangolin to herself. “Thank you.”

I pulled my chair closer and held out my hand. Marissa took it, and I squeezed her fingers. This is what I’d come to say. “Marissa, you’re a smart, beautiful, capable woman who has been focused on me for far too long. Someone out there needs you. It’s just not me.”

Marissa nodded, still clutching the stuffed animal tightly.

“I want you to be happy. I hope you take the time to find yourself.”

Tears were now streaming down her face. I squeezed her hand again.

“Thank you,” she whispered.