Chapter 24: I Can’t Be With My Boss - part 2

Chapter 24: I Can’t Be With My Boss - part 2
My stomach twisted.

She was still hugging me—tight—like I was her emotional anchor. And right then, I remembered.

The garden. The way she cried softly, telling me she missed her mom. The way she asked if I was going to heaven too. How I promised I’d stay.

Shit.

I promised.

I looked down into those big brown eyes shining up at me with so much trust… and I felt like the worst person alive for even thinking of leaving.

I couldn’t do it.
Not to her. Not to them.

I let out a deep breath and ran my fingers through her hair.

“I’ll stay with you, baby. I promise.”

Her smile was so big, her cheeks almost exploded.

And in that moment, I knew.
No, I wasn’t quitting.
I just needed boundaries.
Clear, solid boundaries. Like… no kissing. No touching. No tongues in sinful places.
Oh my God, Celeste, stop thinking about that.

Boundaries. I could do it.
I was strong. Independent. Rational.
Okay, not very rational—but persistent. That counts.

I dropped the kids off at school with a Disney playlist blasting in the car (Abby has questionable taste), left them both smiling, and headed straight to college.

Brenda found me at the entrance—messy bun, one-shoulder backpack, and the strut of someone dying for gossip. And I knew it was about me.

“You look way too good for someone who got cheated on last month,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” I replied. Poorly.

She raised an eyebrow.
“You look like someone who had sex. Or almost.”

“Almost,” I muttered, biting my lip.

“I KNEW IT!”

She practically dragged me across campus until we landed on the lawn. She pulled a chocolate bar from her bag like it was some kind of truth serum, and I caved.

“It was Abraham.”

She froze mid-bite.

“Which Abraham?”

“Abraham. The dad. My boss. The tall, broody, Batman-level hot guy with trust issues and abs that could wash laundry.”

Brenda’s eyes widened like I’d just said I slept with the Pope.

“You’re telling me the hot mobster daddy ate you out?! Liar!”

“He didn’t… technically fuck me. But like… he almost did. Really almost. Emotionally almost. Too almost for my mental health.”

She slapped her hands over her mouth.

“CELESTE!”

“I KNOW!”

“How did that even happen?! Where?!”

“The pool.”

She smacked her forehead.

“And? Was it good?”

I looked at her and sighed like I was remembering a religious experience.

“Girl… he gave me head that redefined pleasure. I saw stars. I saw the Milky Way. I swear I heard my grandma shout, ‘Sit on it, it’s sent from heaven!’”

Brenda laughed so loud people turned to stare. I didn’t care. Because it happened. It was real. And it was amazing.

“So what’s the problem?” she asked. “Why the funeral face?”

And then came the hard part.

“Because he left. Left a note saying he had a work trip. That’s it. No ‘that was great,’ no ‘let’s talk.’ Just… poof.”

Brenda went quiet for a second.

“Hm… hot, powerful, mysterious man with kids, scars, and a sketchy job… of course he’s emotionally unavailable.”

“I’m his kids’ nanny, Brenda. This is crazy. Wrong. Unethical.”

“And delicious.”

“Brenda!”

“Okay, okay!” she laughed. “I get it. But listen—you're not just anyone. And he’s not dumb. What happened between you two? Doesn’t sound like it was just physical.”

I looked up at the sky, trying to ignore the lump in my throat.

“It was different. Totally different. But... I can’t let myself fall.”

“What if you already have?” she whispered.

I swallowed hard.

Yeah.
What if I already had?