Page 27 of His Long-Lost Baby

Which would be odd for most people, but what should I expect? Given how he abandoned Quinn before she was even born, it’s clear James doesn’t value relationships.

Disappointed, I turn to leave when something catches my eye. A small notebook, tucked in the corner of his desk.

My curiosity gets the best of me, and I pick it up. Flipping through it, my heart races as I read his handwriting. It’s a journal, filled with musings and thoughts about his work and personal life.

I know I really shouldn’t, but I can’t resist reading more. As I turn the pages, I stumble upon an entry that catches my attention. It’s dated a few days back and reads: “I shouldn’t be feeling this way about an employee, but I can’t help it. I know I need to keep my distance, but it’s becoming harder and harder each day.”

My heart beats faster. James has an office crush?

Could it be… me?

I’ve seen the way his gaze lingers on me, the way his pupils dilate when we lock eyes. I haven’t given these reactions much thought, but putting them together now it seems entirely plausible.

My heart jumps all the way into my throat, and my hands start shaking. Quickly, I snap the notebook shut. This is wrong. I should never have read the page in the first place.

Putting the notebook back where I found it, I whirl around just as the door opens and James strides into the room.

I freeze, holding my breath. His eyes meet mine, and for a moment we just stare at each other. I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but I can feel my face flushing with embarrassment.

“Good. You’re back.” He crosses the room and takes a seat in one of the corner armchairs, where he left his laptop. “Let’s get to work.”

I inwardly sigh with relief. Okay, so I didn’t look as suspicious as I thought I did. Thank God.

I take a deep breath, trying to concentrate. But my mind keeps drifting back to the notebook and James’s words. Does he really have feelings for me? Or am I just reading too much into it?

Finally, after what feels like hours, James looks up from his laptop. “You seem distracted,” he says, his voice calm and even.

I swallow hard. “I’m fine,” I say, my voice shaking slightly.

He looks at me for a long moment, his blue eyes seeming to bore into my soul. “It’s not something that will get in the way of work, will it?”

I lift my chin slightly. “Nothing will get in the way of me doing my job.”

“Good.” He nods once, looking satisfied, then drops his gaze back to his computer screen.

The rest of the afternoon, I manage to mostly stay focused. Except for here and there, when my mind drifts back to what I saw in James’s journal.

Maybe he wasn’t writing about me. Maybe it was someone else at the office.

I can’t tell which option would be worse: James liking me, or him liking someone else.

Thinking about him with someone else fills me with jealousy. Which is ridiculous. Despite his money and good looks, James is anything but a catch. He could be a Greek god and have all the money in the world and it wouldn’t make up for his lack of empathy and caring.

When the clock hits five, I stand up and start to gather my things. James gives me that familiar look — the one that says he’s displeased but he’s waiting for me to figure out why.

“Well.” I shoulder my purse. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“It’s only five.” He frowns.

“I know…” I say slowly. That’s when the work day ends at GarrisTech.

“We have a lot of work to do, Billie.”

I can feel my heart racing. I know what this means: he wants me to stay late again. My babysitter can only stay so long, and I have to be home before she leaves. But there’s no way I can tell him that.

“I can stay a little longer,” I say, trying to sound accommodating.

“A little longer?” He scoffs. “We have a deadline to meet. You can’t just leave when you feel like it.”