Who's the Boss? & Her Perfect Stranger: Who's The Boss? / Her Perfect Stranger

“Caitlin, wait,” Vince called out, trying to keep up with her as she made her way down the hallway.

“I don’t think so.” She kept going, driven by a need to give Joseph Brownley a piece of her mind. A big piece. A great big huge piece that would knock him flat on his far too gorgeous butt.

Unfortunately for Tim and Andy, they happened to be lurking around her desk when Caitlin stormed in. Twin smiles greeted her, only to die at the murderous expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Andy asked quickly.

Vince grimaced. “She just met Darla….”

“Tell me,” she said evenly, tossing her purse to the floor by her desk and placing her hands on her hips. She blew a strand of hair away from her face. “What did the other secretaries look like?”

In unison, the twins turned to Vince, confused. Vince sighed and shook his head.

“Oh, come on, guys,” she encouraged. “Think. You remember, the ones who quit?” Her voice held a poisonous mixture of sweet smile and deadly tone. “Were they…pretty?”

“Not like you,” Andy said loyally, and Tim shook his head vigorously.

“Darla didn’t mean it,” Vince said quietly to her, touching her arm, his eyes deep with concern and regret.

“No? But I’ll bet Joe did.” She dragged in a deep breath, stunned to find herself so upset.

“Caitlin, what’s the matter?” Andy asked. “What didn’t Darla mean?”

All three of them were looking at her in concern. Not one of them was on the verge of laughter. They really cared, Caitlin realized with a burst of surprise and warmth. They cared that she was upset, and they didn’t find it funny. It went a long way toward soothing her. “Nothing,” she said, forcing a smile. “It wasn’t important.”

“It was if it hurt you.” Tim came closer, peering into her face. “Darla’s really pretty great, but she does like a good joke. What did she say?”

Caitlin dropped her gaze from his, feeling a little silly. “Something about Barbie meets Baywatch,” she muttered.

His eyes widened. He bit his lip, which Caitlin would have sworn was so he couldn’t laugh. Next to her, Andy made a suspicious noise, something like a strangled hyena. In a Joe-like move, Vince closed his eyes.

“Oh, stop it,” she said, biting back her own smile. “It really wasn’t so funny a minute ago.”