Page 84 of Manhattan Bossholes

She smiled sympathetically. “Piper. Are you okay?”

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. “All good, thanks. Just heading out now. Is there something I forgot to do?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. I just wanted to walk you out.”

“Is this a security thing?” I glanced beyond her to see if Vincent had sent his tough guys to join in.

“Piper.” Linda clasped my shoulder. “No. This is a colleague thing. I want to be here for you.”

More eye prickles, more sniffles. I wasn’t going to break down.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

But I didn’t exactly understand it. Linda and I barely knew one another; we’d never even shared a cup of coffee. Her offer was kind, but of course I was on guard.

A few people waved sadly as I walked through the office on the way to the elevator. This silly, accidental job I’d lucked into had meant so much more to me than I’d realized.

Of course, it wasn’t just the job. But I didn’t want to think about that part.

Linda and I boarded the elevator for the long trip to the parking garage. She inserted a special key in the control panel.

“One of the perks of the executive suite,” she explained. “We get a direct flight to the garage with no interruptions. But that also means I don’t have as much time to say what I want to say.”

I frowned at her. “What do you mean?”

“He’s a mess,” Linda began. “I know it looks like he’s the same old Vincent, but all of this drama is really impacting him.”

“Well, yeah, I get it.” I stopped myself from saying that the drama was one hundred percent his fault. Linda would just feel the need to defend him—and it would be a pointless argument anyway. “He’ll be fine.”

“Summit will be fine, there’s no doubt about that,” she agreed. “Vincent is another story.” She glanced up at the security camera then back at me. “I know this is none of my business, but I just want you to know I’ve worked with him from the beginning, and I’ve seen the beastly side of him, as well as the prince. Let me tell you, we dealt with the beast for a long time.” She laughed at the thought of it. “He’s been trying really hard to keep that side in check, but he’s a work in progress. Sometimes he still messes up. Friday night was a prime example.”

I could only nod, because I still didn’t know what she was getting at.

“I’m not talking about the Maya stuff,” she said softly. “I’m talking about you.”

Her worried expression was an arrow to my heart, and a single tear ran down my cheek.

“I know he hurt you by outing the start of your relationship like that—and then by focusing on the fallout for Summit instead of making sure you were okay. But that’s because fixing things on a business level is what he always does. When it comes to fixing things on an emotional level…he’s lost. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care for you. I’ve seen the change in him since you’ve been here. He’s lighter. Happier. Nicer to be around,” she laughed again. “You made my job so much easier.”

“Well, I’m sorry my leaving is going to make your life tougher,” I sniffled.

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

The elevator buzzed, and we both stepped into the quiet of the parking garage.

“It’s none of my business, and I probably shouldn’t be saying anything, but I could tell there was something special between the two of you. And I’m sorry it turned out this way.”

My bottom lip trembled as I tried to fight off more tears. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

Linda pulled me into an awkward hug while I tried to juggle my box of belongings, which made us both laugh.

“Take care, Piper,” she said with a sad smile.

“Thanks, you too.”

We stared at each other for another beat, then turned and went our separate ways.