Page 523 of Manhattan Bossholes

We both went quiet again, until Natalie started to move past me. I realized that I couldn’t lose this moment, that we needed to talk through our own messy past in order to navigate any sort of cordial future, especially since she still worked for me.

“Natalie…we should talk.”

She turned to me, and I swear I saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes. It absolutely crushed me.

“Fine. Say what you have to say,” she said, crossing her arms and glaring at me.

I glanced around as a pair of nurses bustled by us. “Not here. There’s a room just down the hall where we’ll have privacy.”

She sighed but followed behind me.

As we walked into the room I tried to compose my racing thoughts. For the briefest moment I considered throwing caution to the wind and confessing that I was miserable without her. But I quickly realized that she’d wind up miserable if she stayed with me.

I wasn’t able to commit to her—or anyone. Not when I had to put my family and the business first and second. I had no right to ask her to come in third, just so she could be with a guy who might never be willing to let his guard down all the way and love her properly. She deserved so much better than that.

Natalie perched on the edge of the chair in the corner of the room, watching me warily with her purse clutched on her lap. Part of me wished she’d come out swinging like she always did, but this Natalie was different. Reserved. Silent.

Sad.

I cleared my throat, not sure where to begin. “First, thank you for coming to see Christopher. And for all you’ve done for him. He doesn’t let people in, so it means a lot that you two became close.”

She gave me a terse nod in reply. We both knew there were bigger issues to address.

“I also owe you an apology for what happened with Heidi.”

“What she did was shitty but it isn’t the issue, it’s how you responded to it,” Natalie said quickly, the fury returning to her eyes.

“You’re right. But you have to see where I was coming from⁠—”

“No, actually, I don’t,” she fired back. “Not at all. You’re basically saying that you value your business above everything else, including me.”

“Natalie…” I sighed. “At this moment, the business has to come first. And I apologize if I didn’t make that clear to you all along.”

She let out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, stupid me for believing that I actually mattered to you.”

I wanted to tell her that my feelings for her had been real, but it was no use. What purpose would it serve to let her know that she’d become a part of my DNA? Whatever we’d shared was over. It had to be.

“You’re better off without me,” I said softly.

“You know what? I agree.”

When I looked at her, I realized that tears were streaming down her face. My chest constricted with my own pain, but I fought against it. This was for the best. Not having Natalie in my life would allow me to focus on the things I could control. And it would free her to find the relationship she deserved, with someone who could give her all the things I just didn’t have to give.

“But I have to know,” she asked in a broken voice. “Was any of it real?”

Why was she doing this to me? Forcing me to face the feelings I needed to cauterize if I expected to move forward with my life? Being honest with Natalie in this moment would serve no purpose. It would be better for both of us if I made a clean break.

“No,” I finally managed.

The anguished sob that came out of her echoed around the small room.

“So, what you said in the limo was a lie? That I was…special?”

“Of course I meant that, Natalie. You’re an incredible asset to Branson. You’re the reason why the show was such a success.”

She stood up, looking both crushed and defiant. “You know that’s not what I meant. Not at all.” Her voice was jagged.

I felt like I was breaking apart. I forced myself to ignore my instincts, to fight off the urge to take the teary-eyed woman into my arms and comfort her. It would do no good for either of us.