by Lori Wilde
“Which is probably impossible.”
Nathan froze. Had he said that out loud? He scanned the faces of the other people sitting at the conference table. Based on the frowns he was receiving, it looked as if he had.
Ah, jeez. Way to go, Barrett. Convince the staff you’re losing your mind. Should do a lot for employee morale.
“What’s impossible?” The question came from Tim. “I think having development sit in on the testing will help.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Nathan assured him. When everyone kept waiting for him to explain his comment, he blurted, “It’s impossible not to be excited about Simplify.”
Absolute silence fell over the room. Finally, Nathan pulled himself together enough to flash his best smile. Thinking on his feet even while sitting down, he decided to use this opportunity for a little pep talk. “I know. Sounds corny and stupid at this point since we still have a lot of problems and obstacles to overcome before we attend BizExpo. But I can’t help it, I’m excited. Simplify is great, and it should really put Barrett Software on the map. I’m proud of how everyone has pulled together and is working as a team to make this happen.”
By now, several people at the table were smiling back at him. Whew. That had been close.
Nathan stood, anxious to end the meeting. Anxious to get his head examined. “Okay, any more problems I should know about?”
When no one had anything, he headed toward the door. He should go back to his office, but that would require walking with Emma. More importantly, it would require talking to Emma. At the moment, he figured the less time he spent around Emma, the better.
So, when he left the conference room, he walked with Tim to the testing department. He might as well pitch in himself. He could do some testing and think about something other than Emma and that kiss.
And one other thing he intended on doing was to clean out the garage apartment. The sooner he moved Emma out of the house, the better.
He figured that when it came to Emma Montgomery, he needed to avoid her the way a certain superhero avoids Kryptonite.
Emma put her hands on her hips and glanced around the room. Boxes were piled everywhere in teetering towers. Cleaning this place out would take hours, but when it was done, she’d have a nice little apartment all to herself. As much as she liked that idea, she felt badly about putting Nathan out.
“You sure you don’t mind having this stuff moved? I can see if I can rent a place in town,” she offered.
Nathan glanced around the crowded living room and shook his head. “Nice try, but no deal. You’re going to help me lug all of this junk over to the attic in the house. There’s no welching.”
“But you could just leave everything here if it weren’t for me,” she pointed out.
Nathan walked over and opened a large brown and white box. “I’m not even sure what most of this stuff is,” he said, turning to look at her.
As always, she felt a skitter of excitement dance across her skin when their gazes met. “Most of it is stuff my mother kept when I was growing up.”
Stunned, she looked at the piles and piles of boxes. “This is all childhood memorabilia? What did she do? Save every paper you ever wrote in school?”
Nathan chuckled. “Not exactly. These are awards and trophies.”
Awards? Trophies? All of these boxes? He couldn’t be serious. “You’re joking, right?”
He shook his head and looked more than a trifle embarrassed. “Nope. Almost all of the boxes have school awards in them. That’s why I think I’ll move them to the attic in the house. Who knows? Someday I may be interested in looking through this stuff. I doubt it, but you never know.”
Emma suspected that Nathan had a sentimental streak in him every bit as wide as the one his mother had had. Look at how much this town meant to him.
She walked over and glanced in one of the boxes. Inside were election posters. She pulled one out, studying the picture of a young Nathan.
“You ran for class president?” Without waiting for his answer, she hurried on. “Of course you did. And let me guess—you won, right?”
He shrugged. “It was a long time ago.”
The casual way he answered her made her female antennae go up. “Oh, no, wait a minute. You didn’t just win, did you? You slaughtered the competition.”
“It was a long time ago,” he repeated.
Emma laughed. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
By small degrees, a smile appeared on his face. “Something like that.”
Figured. It figured Nathan would not only win the election, but he’d win it by a landslide. She’d only known the man for a couple of days, and already she knew that whatever he decided to do, he accomplished.
She studied the picture. Even in his teens, Nathan had been gorgeous. There wasn’t a trace of adolescent awkwardness in his picture. Emma shuddered to think what her own school picture had looked like at this age. Braces. Bad hair. Bad skin.
Ick.
But Nathan had been cute. The kind of guy who would never have noticed her if they’d gone to high school together.
“Great poster,” she said, feeling more than a little defeated. Before she could be tempted to keep the poster, she quickly tucked it back in the box. Moving into this apartment was a way to put some distance between herself and Nathan. The last thing she needed were any photographs of him.
Nathan picked up one of the larger boxes. “I’m going to start carrying these to the attic.”
Emma scurried over to open the door for him. “You need to be careful going down the stairs with something that big. You could fall.”
Nathan smiled at her over the top of the box. “Thanks, Mom, for the warning. I also promise not to run with sharp objects.”
She frowned. “Very cute. Just don’t come to me for help if you tumble down those stairs and smash your head wide open.”
“How could I come to you for help if my head is smashed open? I’d sort of be committed to staying where I was, wouldn’t I?” he teased.
“Fine. But if you do, just know there’s nothing I can do for you. I only know CPR, the Heimlich, and how to treat burns. Beyond that, I barely know the basics of first aid, and certainly not how to put Humpty Dumpty together again.”
He laughed. “Great. So there’d be nothing you could do for me? Not one thing?”
Kiss it and make it better? The thought popped into Emma’s mind before she braced herself, and she found herself blushing. Really, really blushing. Just like that. One second, she’d been standing there talking to Nathan; the next second, she’d turned bright red. She didn’t have to see her face to know what she looked like. She could feel the heat of the blush and wanted the floor to open up and swallow her.
Nathan looked concerned. “Hey, are you okay? You seem...overheated.”
Overheated. Yeah. That pretty much described her condition.
Emma willed herself to calm down. When she finally felt she had at least a little control, she said, “I’m fine. Just a little warm.”
He looked dubious. “You sure?”
“Absolutely.” She moved away from him before she did anything else stupid, and eventually, Nathan either decided to believe her or he lost interest in the subject because he headed out the door and down the stairs.
“Way to go,” she muttered to herself. “Act like a complete idiot in front of the man. Who blushes at your age?”
Things were already awkward between them since that blistering kiss they’d shared. She needed to improve the situation, not make it worse by thinking lecherous thoughts about her boss. She needed to forget the kiss had ever happened. Wipe it from her mind. Thinking about that kiss could get her distracted, and at this point in her life, she needed to be distracted by a man about as much as she needed a bad case of warts.
Focus. She simply needed focus. For starters, she’d focus on getting this apartment emptied out. Heading toward the far corner of the room, she picked up a box and opened it. Trophies. As Nathan had
promised, the box was filled with trophies. All sizes and shapes and colors.
She picked one up shaped like a basketball and read the plaque. “To the Honey MVP for Eighth Grade.”
Nathan came back through the door. With a grin, he headed over to take the trophy from her hands. “I’d forgotten about this.”
Emma nodded toward the box. “I can understand why. It looks like you mugged a trophy salesman.” Leaning down, she picked up another trophy. This one was a football player. “Another MVP trophy.”
Nathan shrugged. “What can I say? I’m good at sports.”
Without meaning to, Emma’s brain flashed once more on the kiss. Sports weren’t all he was good at. Good grief. There she went again. Thinking about the kiss. Focus, focus, focus.
Trying to be as casual as possible, she took a couple of steps away from him. Distance. That’s what she needed. Lots and lots of distance. And plenty of focus. Focus and distance. Distance and focus.
“Um, Emma?”
She turned and looked at Nathan. “Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
She thought she was, but based on his tone, she guessed not. Looking down, she realized the problem. She was strangling the trophy she held. Literally strangling the poor football player. “Oops. Sorry.”
She carefully replaced the trophy in the box. “Why don’t you display these?” she asked, hoping to get her thoughts back on track.
Nathan laughed. “I’d feel like a jerk, to tell you the truth. These are from when I was a kid. A lot of them don’t mean anything. Everyone got a trophy.”
“Everyone got an MVP trophy in eighth grade? I don’t think so. I was in the eighth grade, and I didn’t get anything except a broken leg jumping over hurdles in Mrs. Delamaggio’s PE class.”
She’d been trying to lessen the sexual awareness crackling between them, but her plan backfired. At the mention of her injury, Nathan’s gaze shifted to her legs. Just for a second. Maybe only a fraction of a second. But it was long enough for her heart to do a thumpy-thump dance. When his gaze returned to meet hers, she could clearly see desire in his blue eyes. He wanted to kiss her again.
Just as she wanted to kiss him again. For a split second, they stood still, looking at each other. Then, almost as if choreographed, they took giant steps away from each other.
Boy, this was awkward. She could sense Nathan looking at her, but she refused to meet his gaze.
Things between them were getting worse instead of better.
“Hey, anyone up there?”
Relieved to hear the sound of someone else, Emma turned toward the open front door. Nathan crossed the room and looked down the stairs. “Yeah, get on up here and give us a hand.”
From the thundering noise coming up the stairs, Emma figured an army was approaching. But after a couple of seconds, a dark-haired man walked through the door.
He flashed a grin, and Emma immediately recognized the man from the pictures she’d seen on the mantel.
“Emma, this is my younger brother, Trent,” Nathan said.
Trent crossed the room and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. You’re the friend Leigh brought back from Austin, right?”
Emma nodded, instantly liking the youngest Barrett brother. “Right. I’m working for Nathan for the summer.”
Trent turned to Nathan and raised one brow. “Is that a fact? Well, good luck to you then.” After glancing around the apartment, he asked, “So what’s he got you doing? Helping him move the Nathan Memorial Shrine?”
Nathan groaned. “Cut it out.”
Trent’s grin only grew bigger. Leaning toward Emma, he said, “Don’t let that pretend modesty fool you. Nathan loves each and every prize in this collection Mom assembled for him.”
“Did she collect all of your awards as well?” Emma asked. But even before she’d completely finished speaking, both brothers laughed. “What?”
Nathan recovered first. “Trent wasn’t exactly what you’d call a model kid growing up.”
That surprised Emma. She studied Trent. He had on a police officer’s uniform. “Then isn’t being on the police force an interesting career choice?”
Trent shrugged. “I’m the chief now, and let’s just say, I mended my ways.”
From the devious nature of Trent’s grin, Emma wasn’t one hundred percent certain he’d completely mended his ways. She had the feeling that a few mischievous holes still existed in the man’s soul.
Turning back toward Nathan, Trent asked, “Man, you look like executive roadkill.” He winked at Emma. “Doesn’t Nathan look like hell, Emma? The man’s a heart attack waiting to happen.”
Nathan frowned at Trent. “Very funny. Why are you here?”
“You’re such a charmer, Nathan. Well, since you asked so nicely, I’ll nicely answer. I heard Leigh had brought a visitor home from college, so I wanted to stop by and meet her.” Trent smiled again at Emma.
Nathan was frowning at his brother. “Okay, you’ve met her. You going to help us or simply stand there using up oxygen?”
Emma bit back a smile at Nathan’s comment. Trent wasn’t the least offended. He nudged the closest box with his foot. “Are you sure you’re ready to put this shrine into storage?”
“More than sure,” Nathan said dryly.
Emma believed him. Although she knew Nathan had worked hard for all these accolades, they seemed to embarrass him.
“Well, if you’re sure.” Trent picked up one of the boxes. “Where am I carrying this?”
“Attic. And for Emma’s sake, be careful not to fall down the stairs. Me, I don’t care one way or the other.”
Trent nodded, grinned again at Emma, then headed out the door. As he clumped down the stairs, he started whistling. It took a moment for Emma to recognize the song, but when she did, she laughed. Nathan glanced at her. “What?”
“Trent. He’s whistling, ‘I’m Too Sexy.’”
Nathan made a snorting noise very reminiscent of Leigh’s. “In his own mind.”
Emma laughed again, then turned her attention back to packing. Carefully, she replaced the trophies, her fingers lingering on Nathan’s name carved on one or two. The man certainly had collected more than his share.
Her gaze drifted to the man in question. He was busy packing and taping boxes closed. As he worked, Emma studied him. Now there was a man who was way too sexy; at least, he was too sexy for her own peace of mind.
The thunderous sound of Trent bounding back up the stairs pulled her attention away from Nathan.
“Hey, I forgot to ask you,” Trent said as soon as he came through the open door. “Have you heard who Leigh is dating? I can’t believe it. Two seconds after Chase leaves on his honeymoon, and she’s running around with Jared Kendrick. Have you talked to her yet?”
Nathan shook his head. “No. Not yet.”
“Well, one of us needs to and soon.” He picked up another box.
Emma couldn’t resist pointing out again, “I think you should let Leigh decide who she wants to date. She’s an adult.”
Both brothers turned to look at her, their expressions almost identical. They were obviously horrified by her suggestion.
“You don’t know Jared,” Nathan finally said.
“But I know Leigh. She’s smart. And savvy. She wouldn’t date this man if he were as terrible as you think. I’m sure he’s very nice.”
The brothers laughed. “Nice? Jared? Um, not exactly the term I’d use,” Nathan said. “The man makes Trent here look like a homebody.”
Trent moved over and picked up the box Emma had just finished packing. “I have an idea. I’m taking Sue Ann to the rodeo on Friday night. Emma, why don’t you and Nathan come along, and you can meet Jared yourself? I think you’ll have a better idea why Nathan and I aren’t too pleased about this.”
“Who’s Sue Ann?” Nathan asked.
Trent groaned. “Sue Ann. You know, the woman I’m dating.”
Nathan looked puzzled. “Since when?”
“Nath
an, you should be ashamed of yourself. I’ve been dating Sue Ann for almost a lifetime, and you don’t even know her name?”
It did seem kind of remiss to Emma. “I’d love to come to the rodeo. I’ve never been to one.”
“Oh, you’ll like it. Lots of fun.” Trent headed back toward the door, but Nathan stepped in his way.
“Define a lifetime,” Nathan said.
Trent shook his head. “Man, you work too hard. You’re not even current on what’s happening with your family. No wonder Leigh’s taken up with Jared.”
“Define a lifetime,” Nathan repeated.
“I’ve been dating Sue Ann for almost two weeks.” Trent nudged by his brother. “You need to get out more.”
With that, Trent headed down the stairs.
“He considers two weeks a lifetime?” Emma couldn’t help asking.
“Yes. Trent’s dating life runs on hyperdrive. He doesn’t date any one woman for very long. The last I knew, he was dating a woman named Wendy.”
“I guess we’ll both get to meet Sue Ann at the same time,” Emma said.
Nathan shook his head. “Don’t count on it. Friday’s a long way away. Trent may be dating someone else by then.”
“Those poor women,” Emma said, shaking her head slowly.
“No, they know what Trent’s like. None of them take him seriously. He’s a flirt, good for a few laughs, a little fun. But he’s not the type to settle down. The ladies in this town know what kind of guy he is,” Nathan assured her. “Trent doesn’t go out with women who don’t look at romance the same way he does.”
For one split second, Emma almost asked Nathan what kind of guy he was. But then she realized she already knew. Nathan was the forever kind. When he fell in love, he’d always stay in love. He’d settle in this town that adored him and live happily ever after with a no-doubt absolutely perfect wife who would be gorgeous and smart and funny and didn’t need to constantly eat antacids to keep the bubbling in her stomach under control just because she was trying her darnedest to work on a doctoral thesis that didn’t want to cooperate no matter what she tried and—
“You okay?” Nathan asked once again.
