Grumpy Romance (Billionaire Dads #1)

by Nia Arthurs

My phone rings. It’s Walt from work. “You need to come in now,” Walt says without so much as a greeting. I stare unseeingly at the horizon, the cell phone to my ear. My arms hurt. My head. My heart. “Do you hear me, Kenya? Someone very important is visiting today and you need to be here to—” “I understand.” He makes a choked sound and probably wants to scold me, but I don’t give him the chance. I hang up on him and drift to the bus stop, my eyes on the ground and my body extremely numb. The world passes me by and I don’t really register a thing. Somehow, I get on a bus and get off on the right stop. The moment I walk into Belle’s Beauty HQ, I wish I’d just gone home. Walt is standing guard at the front desk, his eyes squinting at me like I ran over his dog. Not a great addition to my day, but it’s too late to whirl around and head home. He’s caught me. Walt frowns. “You’re late, Kenya.” My nostrils flare. Usually, I wouldn’t say a thing. After so many years of working under annoying bosses, I’ve trained myself to keep my sharp comments at bay. Plus, this job pays much better than when I was working in the store. I’m not in a hurry to lose it. But the image of my sister and boyfriend together is tattooed behind my eyelids and I’m a little short on patience. Walt wags a finger in my face. “Do you think you can slack off without repercussions? This isn’t a playground! I expect more from you!” “You’re the one who told me I could come in an hour later,” I snap. Walt blinks rapi...