Page 123 of My Favorite Boss

I leaned on the desk, glaring at her. She shrank back a little. “What kind of personal reasons? Is she ill?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“I’m her boss. And yours. What reasons?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to inquire with HR.” Then as if to gain favor, she smiled. “She left you a sandwich in the fridge. I’ll get it for you.” She hurried away, and I went to my desk, already dialing Magnolia’s phone. It went straight to voice mail, and I left her a fast message. “Are you sick? What’s happening? Why aren’t you here?”

I sat down, puzzled. She’d been okay when I left for the meeting. She’d teased me about my sliver and purposely got me riled up. If I’d had time, I would have shown her who was boss fast and hard with my door locked. But the meeting I was attending was important, and the client hated to be kept waiting.

He also loved to hear himself talk and had taken up almost three hours of my day.

And to top things off, Magnolia was missing.

I called HR as I chewed a bite of my sandwich the temp had dropped off. Laura’s line went directly to voice mail, and the same thing happened when I called Jessica. Irritated, I called Rylee, interrupting her before she even finished her greeting.

“Do you know where Magnolia went?”

“Hello, Bane,” she replied dryly. “No. Is she not at her desk?”

“No. The temp said she left for personal reasons. I thought you’d know.”

“I haven’t spoken to her⁠—”

I cut her off. “That’s HR on the other line.” I hung up. “Why is there some stranger outside, and where is Magnolia?” I snarled into the phone.

“Hello, Bane,” Jessica said in the same tone as Rylee had used earlier.

“Where is she? I tried calling, but it goes to voice mail.”

“Reception is never good in a hospital.”

I was on my feet in an instant. “Hospital? Is she okay? Which one?”

“Her father fell,” she replied. “She had to go be with him. I made sure she got there as quickly as possible.”

“Which one?” I repeated.

“St. Joe’s.”

“Thanks.” I hung up and rushed from the office, stopping by the desk out front. “I’m gone the rest of the day. Cancel my appointments and leave. Don’t touch anything.” I paused. “Anything.”

“Okay.”

I headed downstairs, hailing a cab and giving him the address. “There’s a huge tip if you make it fast.”

“On it,” he replied with a smirk and took off like a bat out of hell.

The whole way, I worried. Why hadn’t she called me? Did she think I wouldn’t care?

Was she all right? Was she alone? How was her father? I called her again, and it went to voice mail again.

Why wasn’t she answering?

What if the fall was serious? How would she handle it?

How would I handle her?

We pulled up to the hospital, and I threw some money at the cabbie and hurried inside.