Charlie was shaking his head, though. “As much as I’d love to keep this within the business, there’s just no way to do that,” he told me. “We are in dire need of someone with Hayden’s skills. This is what he does.” He paused. “There are eight years of files that need to be looked over, and there’s no way you and I can do that alone. There is no one else currently in the business who would have much idea of what they were even looking at. We only have a month. It just isn’t enough time.”
“I’ll pull extra hours,” I said stubbornly.
“I know you will. You already do, with all the other work you do in running this place,” Charlie said, and I could tell he was close to losing his patience with me. I knew that he was just looking out for the business, but I was suddenly reminded of the fact that he had been part of this company for a lot longer than I had. For longer than I had been alive, even.
But all the same, right now, that only made me feel even more stubborn.
“Look, Charlie,” I said, “this guy isn’t the one. And that is that.”
The truth was, I was kicking myself. If only I hadn’t agreed to go out on that date the night before. Then I never would have seen who Hayden really was. I mean, I would still have been frustrated that he had shown up late today, even if it was just because Charlie had decided to give him a tour of the winery. But I wouldn’t have been this frustrated with him. Or this ready to have him out of there before he could reveal to my coworkers what a terrible first date I was.
Not that the date had anything to do with things. It was just like I told Charlie—once I saw Hayden in there and ready to help us, I realized I didn’t want to hand over the books to just anyone. It was exactly what Mom had said the night before. That was all.
I would have reacted the same to anyone who had walked in that door with Charlie.
But as Charlie gave me a final nod and walked out of there, my eyes strayed over to a picture of Gramps, Mom, and I. It had been taken years ago now before Gramps and Dad had both died before Mom got sick. Back when I had first started taking on responsibilities in the company. Three generations working this vineyard.
I had made promises to Gramps and to Mom that I would look after this place. So the legacy of my Grandfather would live on. I had to keep this company running. They trusted me. But at the same time, things were looking bleak right now. I had to admit that Charlie was right. It was going to be damned near impossible for just the two of us to go back through eight years of information and figure out where and what the errors had been.
We were going to have to try, though. Damned if I was going to let Hayden come back in here now. I’d rather spend every night from here until the audit started, sleeping in my office.
Chapter 7
Hayden
I couldn’t help feeling frustrated as I walked out of the winery and got in my car. Of all the eligible women in the area, of course the one that Ace set me up with this time was the woman I was supposed to work with. I knew he hadn’t done it on purpose; he hadn’t even known that I was considering going back to work so soon, because I hadn’t known either. But at the same time, if he would just quit meddling in my life when I asked him to, this would never have happened.
It wasn’t like I needed this job. Sure, it would have been good to do a favor for Charlie. He’d always been one of my Dad’s good friends. But I had plenty of money saved up at the moment, and I hadn’t been looking at going back to work anyway.
The frustrating part was that Mallory had acted like I did need this job. Like I should bow down and kiss her feet or whatever. Sure, I’d been a little late on my own, but most of my tardiness was because Charlie had given me a tour of the vineyard. But she hadn’t even given me a chance to explain myself.
She wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to work for anyway.
I shook my head as I headed back home. Well, she had made it very clear that she didn’t want to date me, and now it looked like she didn’t want me working for her either, regardless of anything that Charlie might say. So that meant it was likely I would never see her again.
Ace was still at the house when I got home, working out in the yard. I raised an eyebrow at him. “What the hell are you doing?” I asked him.
Ace glanced over at me and shrugged, gesturing with pruning shears towards one of the trees. “You know, for a guy who has plenty of time to spend around the house, you’re pretty terrible when it comes to taking care of yard work,” he said. “The branches were scratching your windows. I decided to do you a favor and fix it.”
“Thanks,” I said warily, wondering what the real reason for this was. Did he have another blind date he was trying to set me up on already? Was he hoping that if he helped me out with some yard work I would feel as though I owed him something? Because no, that for sure wasn’t about to happen. I hadn’t asked him to help out with the yard work. If he did it of his own accord, that was on him. I didn’t owe him anything. And I certainly wasn’t going to let him hook me up with someone else.
Just look at how the last blind date had gone.
Ace dusted his hands off on his jeans and checked the time on his phone. “You’re back quickly,” he commented. “How’d the job thing go?”
I shook my head. Of course, that was why he was lurking here. He just wanted the latest gossip. “Doesn’t look like I’ll be taking that job after all,” I told him. “And you know what, for someone who is always pushing me to take on more work? This is all your fault.”
“My fault?” Ace asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“The boss of this company is the same woman that you set me up on a date with last night,” I explained. “She took one look at me and booted me out of her office.”
Ace looked surprised and then burst out laughing. “Seriously?” he asked. “You must have made quite the first impression on her.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, guess so. Apparently, tardiness really ticks her off, just so you know for the future.”
Ace groaned. “You’re always late for everything,” he said. “One of these days, you’re going to have to start shaping up.”
I gave him a look. “You try having a six-year-old kid and still getting to your meetings on time,” I said tartly. “Anyway, I wasn’t that late yesterday or today. But yesterday, I didn’t know who I was supposed to be meeting, and today, the company’s financial advisor gave me a full tour of the winery.”
Ace sighed. “I was really hoping you could stick with this job long enough to nab us a couple bottles of good wine,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “Well, good riddance,” I said.
“Come on, you can’t tell me that you didn’t like Mallory at all,” Ace persisted. “She’s pretty. And she’s got great curves.”
“She is pretty,” I grudgingly admitted, even though I knew it would probably only spur Ace to set me up on increasingly awkward dates in the future. “And honestly, she somehow looked even more attractive sitting behind that desk. In control. Aware of her power. There’s something sexy about an intelligent, headstrong woman.” I paused and cleared my throat awkwardly. “But anyway, she doesn’t want to see me again. And I doubt we have anything in common anyway.”
Ace sighed exaggeratedly but finally let the matter lie. “So what are you going to do with your unexpected free day now?” he asked.
I shrugged. “There are a few things that I wanted to get done around the house, and then I guess I’ll ask Booger what he wants to do when I pick him up from school in a few hours.”
Ace shook his head, and I could tell he was biting his tongue to keep from saying anything. “Well, I have to get back to work at the gym,” he said. “Hey, you want to come with me? We could whip you into shape. Get you sexy for the ladies.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know I hate going to the gym,” I reminded him for the hundredth time. “And besides, I’m not interested in ‘getting sexy for the ladies,’ anyway. I’m perfectly happy single.” I knew exactly what Ace would have to say to th
at, and I didn’t want to hear it. “Now get on out of here,” I added genially before he could say anything else.
Ace sighed and clapped me on the shoulder. “I’ll see you around,” he said.
“See you around,” I echoed. Then, I went into the house to while away the hours before Booker was out of school.
That afternoon, Booker and I headed to the ice rink and worked on his hockey stops. By the end of the afternoon, I think we were both exhausted. I checked my phone on the way back from the rink and couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed at the lack of any message from Charlie, or from Mallory herself.
What had I really expected? That they would have a change of heart and call me back to ask me if I could come back and work for them?
Maybe—if I was being honest with myself. From the way that Charlie had explained the problem to me, it was obvious they needed help. There was no way that Charlie and Mallory could go through all those years of documents and get them fixed up all by themselves, not with such a short amount of time to work with.
Not only that, but I guess I just thought that maybe Mallory would be the slightest bit curious about what I was really like—if she ever gave me the chance to get more than a few words out. Didn’t she wonder what she was missing out on? There must have been a reason Ace had hooked her up with me. Didn’t she wonder what it was?
But there were no missed calls, no emails, nothing. It was as if Mallory and I had never met.
Shoving my phone back in my pocket in disgust, I sighed. I didn’t need the job, and I definitely didn’t want the date. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about Mallory behind that desk, imperiously telling me that it was time to leave.
I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts. “So, what do you want to do this weekend, Booger?” I asked my son, in an effort to distract myself.
Booker cocked his head to the side. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”
I laughed and shrugged. “Your choice,” I told him. “Whatever you want. Let’s do something really fun.”
Booker slowly grinned at me. “Can I have some time to think about it?” he asked, ever the shrewd kid.
“Sure thing, buddy,” I told him, already mentally preparing myself for whatever craziness it was that he wanted. Whatever it was, we would do it.
I thought for a second about what Ace always said about spoiling him. But again, that wasn’t anything to worry about. Booker was a good kid.
And a big kid, I realized, as I tucked him into bed that night and he frowned over at his nightlight. “I don’t think I need that anymore,” he said to me, and I stared at him for a moment before grinning and unplugging the light.
“All right,” I told him. “I’ll leave it right here, so if you do get scared in the middle of the night, you can plug it back in. All right?”
Booker shook his head. “Dad, I won’t need it,” he told me. “I’m a big boy now. I’m not afraid of the dark.”
“All right, buddy,” I said, even as I was mentally wondering how the heck he had grown up so fast. It still seemed like just yesterday that he had been a little infant squalling in my living room while I read through the note that his mother had left with him on my doorstep. It still seemed like he had just taken his first steps yesterday. Like he was just off to preschool for the first time.
But he was growing up. And maybe, just maybe, Ace was right. Maybe it was time for me to move on with my life and start dating again. Maybe I had been closed off for too long.
But I pushed those thoughts aside. I couldn’t go back to being the person that I had been before I was Booker’s dad. And what’s more, I didn’t want to go back to those days. I liked who I was right now, and I liked my life the way that it was. Things were comfortable with just Booker and me. We had a certain routine, and we had plenty of fun.
This was all that I needed.
For a second, I found myself thinking back to Mallory. Maybe if I just got to know her, I would feel differently. But she clearly wasn’t interested in getting to know me. Ace might have been right. Maybe we could have hit it off with one another. But that ship had sailed.
Chapter 8
Mallory
Thursday seemed to drag on and on after I had sent Hayden away. I had known, theoretically, how much work I was setting myself up for by turning him away. There were years and years full of documents that needed to be gone over. Even the simplest of mistakes could mean the end of the business. I couldn’t leave anything up to chance with the IRS.
Part of me was kicking myself for being so damned stubborn. I knew Charlie was right and that we needed Hayden’s help. I knew it was a simple matter of conceding the point and calling Hayden back. I could try to overlook his tardiness. As long as he got the job done, that was what mattered in the end. And Charlie seemed to believe that he could get the job done.
Hell, it wasn’t even like I would need to interact with the guy much. I could just get him set up in an office and let him at it. Then let Charlie deal with him.
Shaking my head, I finally left the office for the day. I couldn’t help feeling stressed out even as I got into my car to leave, though. What if my refusal to let Hayden look over our books was what doomed the winery? I couldn’t stand the idea of that. Until this problem was solved, I was probably going to feel tense, nervous and upset.
So I headed for the gym, eager to work out some of my frustrations and nervous tension.
Ace grinned at me when I arrived. “Hey Mallory,” he said.
“Don’t you ‘hey Mallory’ me,” I grumbled.
Ace sighed. “I take it the date didn’t go well?” he asked.
“Didn’t your brother tell you all about it?” I countered. I had decided against talking to management about getting assigned to a different trainer, partly because I knew that Ace had really put me through my paces the other day, pushing me without making me feel like he was making me do the impossible, and that was just what I needed in a trainer. He was good at what he did.
And I also knew he hadn’t set me up with his brother out of malicious intent. But the sooner we were done talking about this, the better.
“Hayden might have mentioned a thing or two,” Ace said. He shrugged. “Sorry things didn’t go so well for you. I know my brother can be a bit difficult sometimes.”
“Why the hell did you set me up with him anyway?” I asked. “Was it some kind of pity date?”
Ace looked horrified like the thought had never even crossed his mind. “No!” he said, shaking his head. “Look, I honestly thought the two of you might just go out and have a good time. You’re single, he’s single, and talking to you was easy the other day. Dating can be really fun, even if it’s not leading anywhere. And my brother doesn’t get out much.” He grimaced, and I had to grin in response.
“Anyway, like I said,” Ace continued, “I know my brother can be a bit much. And I’m sorry to put that on you.”
I started to feel a bit guilty. Hayden hadn’t really been all that bad. I mean, the tardiness was frustrating, but maybe there were reasons for it. Maybe he really hadn’t known about the date in time to be on time. And maybe this morning’s tardiness really was down to Charlie giving him that tour of the winery. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so hard on him.
Not that I wanted another date with him, but I knew Ace had meant well in setting the two of us up, and here I was acting like his brother was the son of the devil or something.
I sighed. “He wasn’t that bad. Just not my type,” I told Ace.
“Fair enough,” he said. “Hey, let’s get to work, shall we?”
“Sure thing,” I said, relieved at the end of that conversation.
But Ace brought his brother back up a little while later, giving me a sidelong look as we rested between sets. “So, Hayden mentioned something about coming in to your work today, too.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, he did,” I said reluctantly. “I guess we’ve got some sort of discrepancy in the books that we were hopin
g that he could solve.”
“Ugh, that’s not the kind of thing you want,” Ace said sympathetically. “Well, don’t worry, Hayden’s just as good as they say he is. Better, probably.”
I felt myself flush a little, and it had nothing to do with the heat of the gym or the intensity of the workout. “I think we’ve decided to go another route,” I admitted to Ace.
He raised an eyebrow at me. “I see,” he said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the awkward date that I set you up on, does it? Because if you’re worried about Hayden being professional, trust me, you don’t have to be.”
“It’s not that,” I said. Then, I sighed and shrugged. “Okay, yeah, it is. I mean, I’m not worried about him being professional, I just don’t know if it’s the best idea, him working for my business on such a sensitive matter when—”
When I wouldn’t even give him the courtesy of a first date. I had used his tardiness to get him out of there before he even had a chance to introduce himself. That was kind of mean when I really thought about it. And now that I was thinking about it, I kept turning Ace’s words over in my mind. He doesn’t get out much.
Was it possible that girls like me were the reason Hayden didn’t get out much? Because we wrote him off at first glance and refused to have anything to do with him? I mean, sure, he could stand to dress up a little nicer for a first date. But what if he hadn’t even realized he was coming there to meet me for a first date? What if he had been tricked into coming and hadn’t had a chance to get changed?
Maybe I had jumped to conclusions a little too much. Maybe Hayden was worth getting to know.
I wasn’t about to ask Ace to set us up on another date, though. At this point, that ship had sailed. But there was something else that I could do. A sort of peace offering.
Love Me Last Page 4
