His Boss Drove the Single Dad Crazy — Until Her Sudden Kiss Changed Everything
A Thaw at the Championship Match
That evening Mark sat at his kitchen table surrounded by takeout containers and concept boards. His apartment was modest but comfortable, a two-bedroom in a decent neighborhood with a park nearby for Emma.
Photos of his daughter covered the refrigerator. Emma missing her front teeth, Emma in her soccer uniform, Emma and Mark making silly faces at the camera.
His phone buzzed with a text from his ex-wife, Lisa. “Emma’s excited about you coming to her game. She’s been talking about it all week.”
Mark rubbed his tired eyes. He couldn’t disappoint his daughter again, not after missing her school play last month because of another emergency at work.
But he also couldn’t lose this job. Single parenthood was a constant balancing act and lately he felt like he was failing at both sides of the equation.
With a sigh, he returned to the Bradshaw proposal. If he worked through the night, maybe he could have something to show Victoria tomorrow and negotiate for the rest of the weekend off.
His phone rang at 11:30 p.m. Victoria’s name flashed on the screen. “Jenkins, where are we with the revisions?”
Her voice was crisp and professional. “I’m working on it now,” he said, unable to keep the edge from his voice. “Some of us don’t live at the office.”
A pause. “Send me what you have. I’ll look it over tonight.”
“It’s not ready.” “I didn’t ask if it was ready. I asked you to send it.”
Mark bit back a retort and agreed, ending the call with more force than necessary. 10 minutes later, he emailed his rough concepts, then collapsed onto his couch, too exhausted to make it to bed.
Friday morning arrived with dark clouds and a pounding headache. Mark rushed Emma to school, promising for the 10th time that yes, he would absolutely be at her soccer game tomorrow.
Then he hurried to the office, bracing himself for Victoria’s criticism. To his surprise, she wasn’t at the morning briefing.
Her assistant mentioned something about an early client meeting. Mark felt a momentary reprieve.
He used the time to refine his concepts, hoping they’d be good enough to earn him the weekend off. It was past noon when Victoria finally appeared in his office doorway.
She looked different somehow, less polished than usual. There was a smudge on her usually immaculate blouse and her hair wasn’t perfectly in place.
“Your concepts,” she said, dropping a folder on his desk. “They’re good. Better than good.”
Mark stared at her, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “I made some notes. If you can incorporate them by end of day, I think we’ll have something the client will love.”
She turned to leave, then paused. “And Jenkins, go to your daughter’s game; just have the final draft in my inbox by Sunday night.”
Before Mark could respond, she was gone, leaving him bewildered. In six months, that was the closest thing to flexibility she’d ever shown.
The soccer field was muddy from overnight rain, but the sky had cleared by Saturday morning. Mark cheered from the sidelines as Emma’s team battled their way through the championship match.
His daughter was fierce on the field, her ponytail flying as she chased the ball with single-minded determination. When she scored the winning goal, Mark’s heart nearly burst with pride.
He was so caught up in the celebration that he almost missed the familiar figure standing at the edge of the field. She was partially hidden behind a large oak tree.
Victoria Chen was dressed in jeans and a casual sweater, an outfit so unlike her office attire that Mark had to look twice to be sure it was her.
Their eyes met across the field and for a moment neither moved. Then Victoria turned and walked quickly toward the parking lot.
“Dad, did you see?” Emma crashed into him, her uniform covered in mud, her face glowing with triumph.
“I saw, sweetheart. You were amazing.” He swung her up in a hug, but his eyes drifted to where Victoria had disappeared.
“Hey, I need to talk to someone for a minute. Wait here with Coach Taylor.”
“Okay.” He jogged to the parking lot, catching Victoria just as she reached her car. “What are you doing here?”
Victoria looked uncomfortable, keys clutched tightly in her hand. “I was in the neighborhood… at a children’s soccer game in the suburbs,” she sighed, her composure slipping.
“I wanted to make sure you actually came. I wanted to make sure that I hadn’t… that the company hadn’t made you miss it.”
Mark stared at her, trying to reconcile this woman with the demanding boss he’d grown to resent. “Why would you care?”
Something flashed in her eyes—pain perhaps, or regret. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not actually heartless.”
She opened her car door. “Your daughter plays well. You should be proud.”
“I am,” Mark said, still trying to understand what was happening. “Would you… would you like to join us? Emma’s team is having a celebration at the pizza place down the street.”
Victoria looked genuinely startled by the invitation. “I don’t think that would be appropriate.”
“Because you’re my boss?” “Because I’m the reason you almost missed this day.”
She slid into the driver’s seat. “Enjoy your weekend, Mark. I’ll see you Monday.”
As he watched her drive away, Mark felt the ground shifting beneath him. For the first time, he wondered if there was more to Victoria Chen than the Ice Queen persona she projected.
