Free Lydia And Her Alien Boss by Jessica Coulter Smith

she wanted to know just yet. This was the closest she’d come to a potential boyfriend in over a year and she didn’t want to blow it.
    Gryf pulled out some folders from a cabinet across the room and handed them to her. Lydia opened the first one and flipped through his previous marketing strategies, or lack thereof, and also his financial reports. He was right; Espress Yourself was doing very well. Not well enough to give everyone a raise like he’d hoped, but maybe with a little publicity they could increase his numbers and everyone would be a winner.
    They discussed plans for another hour with Lydia making notes of calls she’d
    need to make the next day. While she worked, Gryf called a local printing company and ordered business cards for her, insisting that she would need them as his marketing manager. She smiled a little, feeling more grown up than she ever had before. She had a job most people would envy, with benefits that were out of this world, and she had Gryf’s trust—trust that she would help catapult his business to the next level. It was a challenge she gladly accepted.
    When she was finished for the night, she stood and stretched. Her back hurt so much she wasn’t sure she could stay standing for long, but Gryf had promised her food and her stomach was beginning to growl. He must have heard it because he chuckled and shut off his computer.
    “Ready to eat?” he asked.
    “Dinner sounds good. Then I need to go home and rest, I think. It’s been a long day.”
    “I emailed Scott to let him know you no longer worked as a barista at Espress Yourself and that you had been promoted to marketing. Instead of going in to work tomorrow, I’m going to meet you at your home around nine, if that’s not too early, and we’re going to start boxing up your things. A woman in your condition shouldn’t handle all of that alone.”
    “I appreciate all of your help, Gryf, but I can do some things on my own. I’m not helpless, despite where I was living and my current condition.”
    He smiled. “I never thought you were helpless.”
    “Very well. Nine o’clock tomorrow, but don’t expect me to be chipper. I’m not a morning person.”
    “I’m not either, until I’ve had at least two cups of coffee.”
    “I miss coffee. I stopped drinking caffeine because I read that it was bad for the baby. I’m partial to some of the decaf Frappuccinos at Espress Yourself. Even though I don’t get that jolt, I can pretend I’m drinking something that will wake me up.”
    “Well, let’s get that little girl fed and I’ll take you home. You can leave your car here tonight and I’ll bring you by after we pack tomorrow so you can pick it up.
    Although, I’m hoping we can get your entire apartment packed and moved tomorrow.
    What do you want to do with your furniture?” he asked as they walked out to his car.
    “It stays with the apartment,” Lydia said. “I rented it furnished.”
    “Well, that will make things easier. The cottage is already furnished. Hopefully, you will like it, but if there’s anything you want to change, you’re more than welcome to. I had a decorator fix the place up, same with this house, but our tastes may differ.”
    Lydia got into the car and buckled her seatbelt. “Gryf, I’m sure the cottage is nicer than anyplace I’ve lived in before. My parents weren’t rich, even though they made a decent living and we lived comfortably. And you’ve seen my place. Do you really think I’m going to find issue with the cottage?”
    “I just have heard that human women like their homes to be a certain way. I
    wanted you to know that you can change anything you want.”
    Lydia shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m sure the cottage is fine the way it is.”
    The diner was on the other end of town, not far from Espress Yourself. It looked quaint and Lydia couldn’t wait to try the food. They were seated immediately when they went inside, and the waitress took their drink order