Her Boss: Braxton Brothers Series Book One

by Meyer, Anne-Marie

  “Thanks for the milk,” she said, holding up the glass.

  Josh glanced over at her and nodded. “Of course.”

  She sipped on it as she glanced around. What was the matter with her? Why couldn’t she be as smooth and put together as Tricia? She hadn’t realized it until now, but Zander had pulverized her confidence. Even though she had never been a naturally outgoing person, she’d still been confident. Now, she felt as if she were hanging on to everything around her by a fraying thread.

  Who was she fooling? Josh was smooth and handsome. He seemed like he knew exactly what he wanted. Why would he ever look at her?

  “I should probably go,” she whispered as she walked over to the sink and set her glass down next to it.

  “Cindy wants back into our lives.” Josh’s words caused her to stop. She glanced over at him. He’d dropped his head and his shoulders slumped.

  “What?”

  He tipped his head over to her and gave her a weak smile. “She wants back. Apparently, she’s pregnant and wants Jordan to know his brother.” He reached up and rubbed his face with his hand.

  Beth wasn’t sure what to say. Did that mean they were going to get back together? “How do you feel about that?”

  Josh sighed, his shoulders moving up and down. “I don’t know. I’m just not sure if I can let her back into my life. She’s toxic. But she’s Jordan’s mom. How do I keep him from his mom?”

  Beth chewed her lip as she thought about what he was asking. Truth is, she wasn’t sure how anyone handled that. At least with Zander, she could just walk away. She didn’t need to interact with him all the time. With Jordan keeping them connected, Cindy was someone Josh was never going to be able to shake.

  “I wish I had some advice,” she whispered, hating how helpless she felt.

  Josh turned back to the sink. He stopped moving and rested his hands on the edge of the sink. She couldn’t quite tell, but he seemed to be staring at the drain.

  It felt like he was drawing away from her, and she didn’t want to overstay her welcome. He’d come to her for advice, but she hadn’t been able to give him any. It was probably best if she just left. “Thanks for the drink,” she said as she turned to make her way over to the door.

  Suddenly, a hand wrapped around hers and she was pulled back to face Josh. He stared down at her as he brought his hand up to her cheek and brushed his fingers against it.

  “Beth,” he said, his voice low and throaty.

  Beth swallowed as she studied him. He was staring at her in an open and raw way. Like he was trying to figure her out, just like she’d been trying to understand him.

  “I didn’t invite you over here just for chocolate milk.”

  She took in a shaky breath. “You didn’t?”

  He shook his head as he leaned in closer. He was inches away from her lips. The intense desire to press her lips to his filled her mind. All she could do was stare at them.

  “I like having you around,” he whispered as he moved closer.

  Beth’s hands found their way to his arms and then slowly moved to his shoulders. “You do?”

  He nodded as he flicked his gaze to hers. “Yes. You bring me comfort.” Then he closed the gap between them as he pressed his lips to hers.

  Warmth spread across her whole body as Beth sank into the kiss. It was gentle at first, as if he were asking permission. When she wrapped her fingers around his neck and deepened the kiss, he pulled her to him, pressing her body against his.

  Every point of contact seemed to ignite with heat as she melted into him. For a moment, she wasn’t sure where he ended and she began. He grabbed her waist and pulled her up onto the counter. Beth couldn’t help but giggle.

  When they finally came up for air, Beth’s lips felt puffy and her eyelids heavy. She felt outside of her body. Her mind was trying to convince her that this had been a dream. That any minute, she was going to wake up and discover that Josh wasn’t really here.

  But, from her body’s reaction to his touch, she knew she was very much awake.

  Josh rested his forehead on hers. “That was…unexpected,” he breathed as he brought his gaze up to meet hers.

  She chewed her lip and nodded. “Yeah.”

  He pulled back and studied her. Then he reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. She couldn’t help but smile at him.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  Beth furrowed her brow. He kept thanking her. “For what?”

  He shrugged as he dropped his hand and grabbed hers. “For helping me when I needed it most. For being here.” He smiled up at her, melting her insides. “I was an idiot growing up.”

  Beth chuckled as she brought up his hand in hers. “Yeah, you kind of were,” she said as she pressed her lips to his knuckles.

  He was studying her when she brought their hands back down. His gaze was intense and took her breath away. Not needing to speak anymore, he reached out and pulled her toward him, pressing his lips to hers.

  This time, the heat and tension took her breath away. Kissing Zander had never felt like this. It was as if she was made to kiss Josh.

  Beth didn’t know how long they remained there, kissing. It wasn’t until her phone rang that she pulled herself away. Josh was watching her as she shifted to pull her phone from her back pocket. When she glanced down and saw Sam’s number, reality came crashing down around her.

  What was she doing? There was no way she could have a real relationship with Josh while keeping her mom’s cancer a secret. Feelings of selfishness crept up inside of her, which she struggled to push down.

  Sure, it wasn’t fair that her mom was asking her to keep a secret, but she was the one who was struggling, and she deserved that respect from her family. Right now, her mom’s wants trumped her own.

  Instead of meeting Josh’s waiting gaze, she turned the ringer off. Then she jumped down from the counter. “I should really go,” she said, keeping her gaze on the ground. There was no way she could look him in the eye. Then her resolve would fly right out the window.

  The fewer people she hurt, the better.

  “Beth?” Josh asked, his fingers brushing hers as if asking her to stop.

  Gathering her strength, she glanced up at him and forced a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She tried to ignore how confused he looked with his eyebrows pressed together. She wanted to tell him that this had nothing to do with his kiss or how he made her feel. But all of those excuses would lead to questions, and she didn’t want to lie to him, but the truth wasn’t hers to tell.

  Instead, she smiled and turned, grabbing her shoes and leaving without putting them on. Once she was outside and the door was shut, she leaned against the wall of the garage and took a deep breath.

  She was in trouble. Oh, she was in so much trouble.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Thankfully, the next day was Saturday. So Josh could spend the whole day with Jordan, who seemed to be back to his regular, bouncing off the walls self.

  It helped to have Jordan be so active today. Josh needed the distraction his son gave him. Especially when his thoughts kept returning to Beth and the mind-blowing kiss they shared yesterday—only to have her sprint out of his apartment faster than a jackrabbit.

  He was going out of his mind trying to figure out what he had done wrong, so having to correct Jordan every few minutes was helping him keep his confusion in check.

  He was pouring Jordan a bowl of cereal when Sondra burst through the door.

  “Josh, thank goodness you are here,” she said, clutching her chest like she was having a heart attack.

  Josh studied his mom as he poured the milk into the bowl. “Hey, Ma.”

  She waved away his pleasantry. “No time for that. I need your help.”

  Josh finished pouring milk in his cereal and brought the bowl up so he could eat without spilling. “What’s up?” he asked.

  “I’m supposed to sell jams at the festival today, but your grandfather needs me. He fell ag
ain, and they are taking him in to get an X-ray, and you know how he gets when he’s forced to sit still.” Sondra’s face fell as stress emanated from her.

  A surge of protection rushed through Josh as he nodded. He hated seeing his mom stressed out. “Yeah, sure. What do you need me to do?”

  Relief flooded her face. “Everything’s packed up in the back of the truck. You need to be there by eight to set up.”

  Josh’s gaze flicked over to the clock. “Ma, it’s eight thirty.”

  Sondra nodded. “I know. You’re late.”

  Josh shoved a few more bites of cereal into his mouth and then set his bowl next to the sink. “Come on, buddy. I need you to move faster.” He walked over to his mom and pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the top of her head. “Go. We’ll take care of it.”

  He wasn’t sure how much help Jordan was going to be. In fact, he wasn’t sure how he was going to run the booth and watch Jordan at the same time.

  Which got him thinking…

  Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his phone. Sondra waved goodbye as she hurried out the door. Josh muttered a goodbye as he brought the phone to his cheek and waited.

  “Hello?” Beth’s groggy voice filled the air.

  Josh couldn’t help but smile. Sure, things had been left up in the air last night, but just hearing her voice sent his heart beating faster. “Are you busy today?”

  He tried not to get discouraged by the hesitation when she responded, “Not really.”

  “Good, I need your help. Think you could come by the festival today?”

  There was a pause. Josh swallowed, trying to figure out how things could have changed so quickly between them. Last night, there had been a connection. She had to have felt it. He wasn’t crazy. He was pretty sure most of Honey Grove had felt it.

  “Is it to watch Jordan?”

  He wanted to ask if it mattered, but he didn’t. “Yes. My mom has to go up to help my grandpa. He fell and is in need of X-rays.” He was trying not to read into the fact that he had to have a reason for Beth to come with them. Why didn’t she just want to come? Did she not want to spend time with him?

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She grew quiet, and Josh thought she was finished until she said, “Which hospital is he going to?”

  He furrowed his brow. “Um, I’m not sure. I think it’s St. Jude’s.”

  More silence. “Oh. Okay.”

  Josh cleared his throat. Why was she being so cryptic? And why did it matter which hospital his grandpa was going to? “So, do you think you could help a guy out?”

  “Yeah. I think I can.”

  Josh decided to push the confusing and awkward parts of their conversation from his mind and focus on the fact he was going to spend his Saturday with Beth. She wasn’t going to be his nanny today, but his friend, and deep down he hoped, something more.

  * * *

  Josh backed the truck up to the booth and turned the engine off. Jordan whooped and climbed out of the truck before Josh could stop him.

  After pulling the keys from the ignition, he shoved them into his pocket and climbed out of the cab.

  “Joshua Braxton?” a small, frail voice said from behind him.

  Josh turned to see Mrs. Carey, his elementary school teacher standing behind him. Her white hair was pulled up into a bun, and she was wearing a floral dress.

  “Mrs. Carey?” he asked. “It’s good to see you.” He leaned down and hugged her.

  “You, too. My, have you gotten tall.” She laughed as he pulled back. “Or I’m just getting shorter.”

  Josh smiled at her. “Maybe a bit of both?”

  She nodded. “Probably.” Then she furrowed her brow. “Helping your mom out?”

  Josh walked over to the tailgate and let it down. “Yep. Mom had to leave town to help my grandpa, so you’ve got me.”

  Mrs. Carey lifted up the crochet purse she was clutching in her hand. “I’m selling next to you,” she said, waving to the booth on the other side of the truck.

  Josh followed her gesture and then turned to give her a big smile. “That’s amazing. Well, we’ll have to catch up.”

  Jordan returned before Mrs. Carey could respond, drawing Josh’s attention over to him as he bounced up and down.

  “Can I get some quarters to ride the rides?” Jordan asked.

  Josh glanced up to see the huge Ferris wheel on the other side of the fair grounds. “Not right now, bud. I need to unpack.” He grabbed a box and tugged it closer. It felt light enough for Jordan. “Think you can help me?”

  Jordan groaned but then nodded, taking the box from Josh.

  Ten minutes later, Josh was sweaty, but the truck was almost completely unloaded. Josh heaved the last box out of the back—who knew that jars of jam weighed this much—and turned, almost running to Beth.

  Josh’s heart instantly took off as his gaze met hers. “Hey,” he said, not stopping the smile that formed on his lips.

  Beth cleared her throat as she tucked some hair behind her ear. “Hey. Sorry I’m late. I, um, had to get ready.”

  Josh let his gaze drop down to her white summer dress and yellow sandals. She looked beautiful.

  She shifted under his gaze, and, feeling sheepish, he glanced back up at her. “You look amazing,” he said, giving her a wide smile.

  Why was she acting so standoffish? Worry filled his gut, and he was trying as hard as he could to muscle it down.

  “Thanks.” Then she nodded toward the truck. “Can I help?”

  Josh heaved the last box onto his shoulder and slammed the gate. “This is it. But I could use your help unloading the jars. Mom always has them all organized nicely. I just don’t have the eye.”

  Beth chuckled, and the sound washed over Josh, making him feel warm. He loved the sound of her laugh.

  “I think I can do that.”

  Jordan was sitting on the ground between the tables of the booth, watching a show. As soon as Beth said hi, Jordan was up and wrapping his arms around her waist.

  “Watch out for this one. He may seem sweet, but in about two seconds, he’ll be begging for money,” Josh said, nodding toward Jordan.

  Right on cue, Jordan held out his hand and asked for Beth to take him to the rides.

  “Let’s help your dad set up, and then we can go,” Beth said, tousling his hair.

  Jordan didn’t seem happy, but he agreed. A few minutes later, they were working side by side, pulling the jars from the boxes and stacking them in intricate patterns. Josh couldn’t help but stand back and watch the way Beth was patient and kind with his son.

  Jordan would stack the jars, and, even though they were off center or in a blob, Beth would cheer him on, praising his work. It’d been a long time since Josh had seen Jordan beam like that.

  When they were finished, Jordan grabbed Beth’s hand and demanded that she come with him. Beth met Josh’s gaze and raised her eyebrows. As much as Josh wanted to say that she had to stay with him, he nodded.

  “You can go. I’ll man the booth,” Josh said.

  Beth gave him a small smile, and for the first time today, it didn’t feel forced. It was genuine and felt like the Beth that he remembered. Perhaps her pulling away had all been in his head.

  While they were gone, Josh filled the time chatting with Honey Grove residents that stopped to either buy some jam or just shoot the breeze. Apparently, a lot of people had heard he was back, and they all wanted to welcome him home.

  He didn’t notice how much time had passed until his stomach growled mid-sentence when he was talking with Mr. Phelps, his baseball coach from high school.

  “Sounds like you’re hungry, son,” Mr. Phelps said, clapping Josh on the shoulder.

  Josh rubbed his stomach. “Yeah. I guess so.”

  “Well, I’ll let you get back to it. Make sure to check out the funnel cakes. They are the best,” Mr. Phelps said as he waved to Josh and walked to the next booth.

  Luckily, a few minutes later, Beth returned with a very tired lo
oking Jordan. He had pink cheeks and his hair was standing up on end from sweat.

  “Whoa,” Josh said, nodding toward Jordan.

  “He needs a little break,” Beth said as she exhaled and dropped onto the lawn chair Josh had set up.

  Josh grinned. “He’s like the Energizer bunny. He just keeps going. And when he’s done, it’s like full brakes.”

  Beth laughed as she nodded. Jordan had settled down on a pile of blankets that Josh had gotten from the back of the car. His head was resting on his arm, and his breathing turned heavy.

  “Plus, he’s had a long day,” Josh said, trying to sigh. The truth was they had both had a long day.

  Just as he finished speaking, his dad’s deep voice spoke up.

  “You two look like you could use a break,” Jimmy said, clapping Josh on the shoulder and causing him to jump.

  Josh’s dad stood behind him, wearing a baseball cap and a weary expression. Josh turned and gave his dad a hug.

  “You don’t mind?” Josh asked, pulling away.

  Jimmy shook his head. “Your mom’s away. It ain’t like I’ve got anything better to do.” Jimmy shoved his hands into his front pockets.

  “I’m starving,” Josh said, glancing over at Beth, who was studying her phone. Her previous carefree expression had turned serious. He wanted to ask her what that was about, but decided against it. From the look on her face, it didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it.

  Food seemed like the best buffer. “What about you, Beth? Some of Mama Chile’s Mexican?”

  Beth was staring off into the distance, and it wasn’t until Josh got closer that she snapped her gaze up to him. “What?” Her cheeks turned red as she flipped her phone over and slipped it into her purse. Then she glanced around. “Food?”

  Josh nodded, not sure how to take her reaction. “Yeah. Mexican?”

  Beth took a deep breath, and he could see the hesitation in her gaze.

  “I mean, if you want to. But don’t feel like you have to.” He held up his hands and took a step back. It felt like an act of self-preservation, distancing himself from Beth.

  “Um…” Beth stared at the ground before bringing her gaze back up. “I guess I can.”