Page 11 of My Favorite Boss

I turned back to Mr. Bane. “You should eat.”

He blinked at me. “I can’t believe HR…you…me…under the desk.”

“It’s all good,” I assured him. “Now, I noticed your coffee got cold twice this morning. I got you this,” I explained as I connected the small device, turned it on, and set his coffee mug on it. “You put your cup on it like that, and it will keep it warm.”

He sat down, glancing at it. “Fine.”

I picked up my notebook. “Your calendar is synced. Check it out, see if there is anything you want changed.”

He took a bite of his sandwich, chewing. He looked at his phone, scrolling through the screens. He nodded, then swallowed. “Fine.”

“I’m going to work on the files now. They’re a disaster.”

I got another nod.

“And you don’t have to worry about your mother getting through to you anymore.”

That made him pause. “Why?”

“I had your direct line transferred to my desk. All calls will come to me, except your partners and HR. Rylee helped me when she was here, so I knew who to ask. You have an internal extension now that I will transfer everyone else to. When your mother calls, I’ll tell her you are unavailable and send her directly to voice mail.”

He stared at me. Looked down. Blinked. “Fine.”

I stood. “Now I’m going to eat my sandwich.”

“Fine.”

I scribbled a note.

“What are you writing?”

“To remind myself to get you a thesaurus. Or I could make you a list. Fine is sufficient, but there are other words—for instance, thank you or great job. They sound so much nicer than fine.”

He scowled at me. “Do your job.”

I smiled. “Fine.”

At the door, I paused. “See how boring a word it is? I could have said, ‘Right away, sir,’ or ‘Aye-aye, Captain,’ but I substituted ‘Fine.’ It doesn’t have the same ring, does it?”

I glanced over my shoulder, certain Mr. Bane was fighting a grin. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but I was almost positive I saw his lips quirk.

I sat down at my desk, looking over my list of things to do.

I took a bite of my sandwich, looking at the scribbled notes I had found stuffed into desk drawers. One piece of paper noted my new boss’s lunch preferences, which had helped me this morning. Turkey, ham, roast beef. All made the same way, on seeded bread with mayo and mustard. Pickles on the side. The name of the deli where the sandwiches were ordered that had his credit card on file. The underlined note on the bottom made me grin.

No later than 12 or else he gets grumpy.

I tried not to laugh. He was always grumpy. I could only imagine his foul temper if he became hangry.

His list of likes reminded me of my father. He ate a sandwich every day, and those were his top three. Along with egg or tuna salad. I always brought him sandwiches when I went to visit on Wednesdays and Sundays. I left enough for him to have one every day as he said I made the best sandwiches ever.

An idea formed, and I made myself another list. I was going to be so valuable to Mr. Bane, he would never let me go. I’d make sure of it.

Chapter Four

MAGNOLIA

Iwas tired the next morning but arrived at the same time as Mr. Bane. The elevator door was closing, and I rushed toward it. “Hold, please!”