FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 84

CHAPTER 84

MON

“Higher, Miss Jamie! HIGHER!”

I leaned against the swing set post, watching Jamie push Lily with a patience I didn’t know she had, bu there she was, doing it anyway for the little girl.

Jamie’s hair was twisted into a loose bun, a few strands escaping and sticking to the back of her neck from the heat. She wore a simple floral dress, and the late afternoon sun brushed against her legs as she moved.

I couldn’t stop looking at her.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.

She shot me a quick glance but kept pushing Lily. “I slept enough.”

“Your eye bags say otherwise.”

“What a gentleman. You always know how to flatter a woman.”

A low laugh rumbled out of me. “I’m worried.”

“You’re worried about me?” The irony in her voice cut sharp. “Don’t bother, boss. I did the work you asked for. All done, on time. Feel free to check.”

“Jamie-”

“I already sent it to your email.” She still hadn’t really looked at me. “Review it whenever you want.”

My jaw tightened.

I knew this was my fault. I’d been a complete asshole in that meeting. Jealous, possessive, and incapable of hiding either one.

All because the thought of seeing her go out with that idiot intern made me lose my mind.

“Let me push her for a bit,” I said, stepping closer. “You sit down.”

She stopped, eyeing me with suspicion. Before she could refuse, Lily was already shrieking:

“NO! I want Miss Jamie!”

“Lily, Miss Jamie needs a rest,” I said, my tone firm but gentle. “Let me swing you for a little while.”

“But I want HER!”

“She’s tired.”

“MISS JAMIE!” Sam came running over, Jack right behind him. “Come play tag with us!”

“TAG!” Lily was already jumping off the swing before I could catch her. “I’M COMING!”

1

10:30 Tue Sep 29 JIMT

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Lily, careful—” Jamie started, but the girl was already chasing after her brothers, laughing like the world had zero problems.

I dropped onto the grass next to Jamie, our shoulders inches apart. Mary, the nanny, was already chasing the kids, yelling something about staying away from the pond.

“Why didn’t you stay home today?” The question came out softer than I intended. “You look exhausted.

She looked away. “My personal decisions aren’t my boss’s concern.”

“Jamie-”

“Besides, I’m fine. I don’t need you taking care of me. And honestly, if you were that worried, you wouldn’t have made my Friday a living hell. So stop playing the concerned act now.”

A laugh escaped before I could stop it. Dry. Bitter.

“Fair.” I held up my hands in surrender. “You’re right. I was an asshole.”

She didn’t answer. Just kept pulling blades of grass, her eyes fixed somewhere in the distance.

The silence stretched, too heavy.

“So…” I started, my voice coming out more casual than I felt. “Is that why you came today? Because you wanted to see the intern that badly on your day off?”

She turned her head so fast I heard her neck crack.

“What?”

“It’s a simple question.” I shrugged, keeping my expression neutral. “You’re here, in the middle of Central Park, on a beautiful Saturday, surrounded by a bunch of people from the office. And I can’t help but wonder…”

“Wonder what, Simon?”

“That maybe you only came because of him.”

Her gaze hardened.

“Are you serious?”

“I’m just putting the pieces together.” I tilted my head. “You reject me, say you don’t want anything serious, and the next day you’re accepting an invitation from an intern who can barely hide the fact that he wants to sleep with you.”

She stood up so fast she almost lost her balance.

“I can’t believe you just said that.”

“That’s what it looks like, Jamie.”

“You’re ridiculous. I don’t have to explain my plans to you. I don’t have to justify where I go, who I go with, or what I do on my free time.”

12:36 Tue Sep 29 JIM

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“Then why are you so defensive?”

opened her mouth, closed it, and I saw something break behind those eyes.

That’s when we heard the scream.

“OW!”

Lily was on the ground a few feet away, her knee bleeding, her face twisted in tears. She’d tripped over a rock, and now she was on the grass, sobbing.

“MISS JAMIE!” She reached out her arms, and I watched Jamie move before she even thought about it. She crossed the distance in seconds, kneeling beside the girl.

“Hey, princess.” Jamie cupped Lily’s face gently. “Let me see. Just a scratch. Nothing serious.”

“It hurts,” Lily sobbed.

“I know, sweetheart.” She looked up at me. “There’s a pharmacy on the corner. I’ll take her.”

“I’ll take her.” I stepped closer, already bending down to pick up Lily. “You come with us.”

Within minutes, we were at the pharmacy with Lily in my arms, Jack and Sam glued to Jamie like tiny ticks. The clerk saw us come in and frowned, concerned.

“What happened to the princess?”

“Just a scratch,” Jamie explained, her voice calm. “Do you have something to clean it?”

The clerk guided us to the first aid aisle. “We have antiseptic spray, band-aids… and some strawberry candies to help forget the pain.”

“I want candy!” Lily exclaimed, her tears already drying.

“After the medicine,” I said, my voice firm.

We cleaned Lily’s knee, applied the spray, and put on a unicorn band-aid. Jack and Sam stood by, watching quietly.

When we got to the register, the clerk smiled at us, her eyes shining.

“What a beautiful family. You have wonderful children.”

Jamie’s face went red immediately.

“Oh, no. We’re not a couple.”

For some reason, that irritated me more than it should have.

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