To be honest, I didn’t think anyone would make a big deal of it if they did see us drive up together. We could always say something about Mallory’s car breaking down, or a secret breakfast meeting to discuss the project we were supposedly working on together. But I knew how important it was for her to be on time, and I didn’t want to stress her out by arguing with her now.
Especially because there was still a part of me that rued the fact that we’d had lost the quiet, comfortable morning we had started off with. I wanted to drag her back to bed, to kiss and hold her, and make her forget about work for just a moment. To make her relax a little.
That was the thing: I had a feeling that if people at work realized we were sleeping together, they would have only good things to say about it. Sure, I might be working for the winery at the moment, but we were both consenting adults. And I cared about Mallory, in ways that surprised me, actually. And Mallory clearly needed to relax a little. Ace had said that, and I could tell it firsthand. I was sure that Mallory’s employees knew she worked herself a little too hard, and that she stressed a little too much. They’d be happy to see her relax a little and let her hair down, so to speak.
But this clearly wasn’t the time to get into that with her. For now, I just had to get her off to work before she blamed me for making her late.
“Fine,” Mallory said, taking the keys from me. I could tell she wasn’t happy about the plan, but at least she’d accepted it, and that was all I could ask. “But make sure you’re on time. I want you to get those books sorted out as soon as possible.”
“I know,” I said, refusing to take offense about that either. She didn’t doubt my ability, she just was worried about the winery. And I understood that. “I’ll get there as soon as I can. And I’ll put in a solid day’s work either way.”
“Good,” Mallory said. She checked her appearance one last time in the mirror, smoothing down one errant lock of hair. Then, she turned towards me, surprising me with a kiss and a shy smile. “See you later,” she said. But she was gone before I could even process her action, let alone respond. I was left feeling utterly confused.
The more confused she made me feel, the more I wanted her, I realized. I shook my head, a grin on my face, and started getting ready for a shower. As I did so, I called Ace.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked, sounding distracted, which I took to mean that he was driving. Good. “I just dropped Booker off at school. Did he forget something? I made sure he had lunch money and his gym shoes.”
“Nah, I just need a ride, if that’s possible,” I said.
“Where are you?” Ace asked, sounding curious.
“At home,” I told him.
“Car not starting?”
“Mallory borrowed it. She needed to be into the winery earlier than I did, and I didn’t plan enough time to drive her back to her house before she needed to leave.”
I could hear the grin in Ace’s voice when he responded. “So I take it you had a good night?”
Snorting, “Yeah, it was good. Now, can I get a ride or not? I’ll tell you everything on the way.”
“Sure,” Ace said. “Be there in fifteen.”
I finished getting ready for work while I waited, taking a shower and getting dressed quickly. I grabbed a frozen breakfast burrito and had just finished heating it up in the microwave when Ace honked the horn out front. I hustled out, burrito in one hand and my bag in the other.
“Hey,” I said, around a mouthful of eggs as I slipped into the passenger’s seat.
Ace gave me a look. “You know I hate it when you eat in my car,” he complained. “Especially when it’s got hot sauce on it.”
I shrugged unrepentantly. “If you kick me out now, you’ll never hear the details of my night,” I reminded him, and he rolled his eyes but started driving.
“So, the date went well this time?” Ace asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Actually, it went great. I picked her up and took her to Rotation as planned. We had a good time. And then she came back to my place.” I shook my head. “I don’t really know what’s going on between us or if this is a one-time thing or what. Or rather, not a one-time thing because—” I trailed off, realizing I hadn’t told Ace about the first time, in the office. I felt my cheeks heat up as he gave me an incredulous look.
“Hayden Pinard, have you been holding out on details?” he asked, sounding mock-scandalized.
Ducking my head, I took a bite of my burrito. “We had sex at the winery last week,” I admitted. “It was just a spur of the moment thing, I don’t know.”
“Jeez,” Ace said, sounding impressed as he shook his head. “I wondered what had changed your mind about dating her. I guess now I know.”
“It’s not just the sex,” I protested, even though I knew that was definitely part of it. It had been a while, and the sex was good—so sue me. But there was more to it than that, something that I couldn’t put into words for Ace. There was just something about Mallory that intrigued me. Something about the way she held herself at work compared to the way she was in private. I liked watching her come undone. I liked watching her relax a little.
So sue me, I liked her.
“So, do you think you’re going to continue dating her?” Ace asked.
“You probably think that’s a terrible idea,” I sighed, remembering Ace cautioning me about going on a date with her in the first place. “And I know I’m still working for her company. Maybe I should hold off until after I’ve sorted things out with the books and gotten off her payroll, but I don’t know. I just can’t seem to keep away from her.”
“You know,” Ace said slowly, “I want to tell you what a terrible idea this is, but at the same time, I haven’t seen you this happy in a while.”
“I’ve been happy,” I said defensively.
“You’ve been lonely,” Ace corrected.
I gave him a look. “How could I be lonely?” I asked. “I spend all my free time with Booker, pretty much.”
“There’s a big difference between spending time with a six-year-old and spending time with an adult,” Ace pointed out. “Especially when it comes to spending time with an adult female that you happen to like.”
I started to respond to that, to reiterate the fact that I wasn’t lonely—because I wasn’t—but before I could say anything, Ace held up a hand. “Seriously, whatever you want to tell yourself,” he said. “But I’m happy for you. Just make sure you’re being careful.”
“I am,” I said, gesturing toward the clock in the car, which currently showed it was only eight-thirty. “In fact, I’m being so careful that I’m actually going to be early for work this morning. Most everyone starts at nine.”
Ace snorted, his lips twitching into a grin. “Maybe Mallory is going to be a good influence on you,” he teased. “When was the last time you were ever on time for anything, let alone early?”
I didn’t have a response to that and spent the rest of the drive trying to wipe the goofy smile off my face.
Chapter 24
Mallory
I couldn’t help having conflicted emotions as I drove away from Hayden’s house on Monday morning. Waking up next to him had been really nice, at least for that one brief instant that I’d allowed myself to enjoy it. I’d appreciated the low-level hum of lust that coursed through my body as he stroked his fingers lightly down my arm. I’d appreciated the warmth, the closeness, and the tender look in his face when I’d finally opened my eyes. It made me imagine what things could have been like if I’d ignored the time and just stayed there.
But reservations from the previous night were only stronger in the morning light. And suddenly, reckless wasn’t something that I wanted to be. No, in the morning light, I remembered the fact that I had a business that took up most of my time and responsibilities I couldn’t let Hayden get in the way of. Not only that, but he was one of my employees at the moment. Freelance though he may be, at the end of the day, he was collecting a paycheck from me. That meant that I
was his boss and that it was not just reckless, but downright irresponsible for me to sleep with him.
Not only that, but there were the personal questions as well. Waking up next to him had only made me want him more. But could I give myself over to Hayden and trust him not to hurt me in the process? He had told me at least enough about Booker’s mom to make it clear that he’d had at least a few one-night stands in the past. Was that all this was, just another one-night stand?
I didn’t like the thought of that. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure I wanted a relationship either, not any more than I imagined he did. The date had been fun, sure, and I wouldn’t be opposed to sleeping with him again. But I shouldn’t have stayed the night. I didn’t want to get too attached.
Especially because his blasé approach to work still drove me crazy. It was like he never even considered the fact that I might need to be at work earlier than him. And then when I’d reminded him that I wanted him there by nine, he made it sound like that didn’t matter at all, as long as he got the job done. And there was definitely something to be said for getting the job done in whatever manner it needed to be done, but at the same time, it sure said something about a man if he couldn’t be bothered to show up for work on time.
I tried to put all of that out of my mind for now, though. I didn’t need to think about it. Right now, I just needed to focus on getting to the vineyard and getting everything opened up before anyone arrived and got suspicious about why I was running later than usual and driving a different car.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and I was safely ensconced in my office before the first of my employees started to arrive. I breathed a sigh of relief and tried to focus on some of the reports we had received about our overseas sales. Now was the time for figuring out any changes in distribution we might want to make for the year; not for figuring out what changes I might want to make in my personal life.
Because there weren’t going to be changes, I promised myself. I had the business to focus on, and Mom, plus half a dozen other things. I wasn’t about to throw all my responsibilities to the wind just because I had a crush on a guy who seemed to like me as well.
Seemed to. I still didn’t know what Hayden was looking for in this relationship. For all I knew, this was just a matter of convenience for him.
I looked up, startled by a knock on my office door. Charlie stood there smiling at me, and I beckoned for him to come in. He handed me a paper bag from one of my favorite bakeries, and I groaned. “You’re the best,” I told him, peeking inside to see the large apple fritter he had brought me. “As a matter of fact, I didn’t have a chance to get breakfast this morning, so right now you’re my savior. It was this or a granola bar, and you know how I feel about granola bars.”
Charlie laughed and sat down across the table from me, pulling out his own treat—a cinnamon and sugar donut. “Happened to be passing by this morning and realized it had been a while since we’d enjoyed our traditional breakfast together,” he said. “You must have beamed the thought to me.”
I giggled and got up to pour him a mug of coffee from my machine. As we ate, we chatted about the latest company news and prepped for a meeting we had that afternoon. The conversation eventually came to a bit of a natural lull, and I was surprised to see a keen look in Charlie’s eye.
“So, have you gotten on better terms with Hayden yet?” he asked.
I had to fight not to blush. If he only knew the terms Hayden and I were on at this point, he’d be sorry he’d asked. Not that I was going to tell him about that. Charlie was an old-world businessman, and there were certain types of conduct that just didn’t belong around the office. Even an office as relaxed as this one.
So I shrugged at Charlie. “We went to lunch his first day here like I do with everyone, and we’ve chatted a couple of times about his progress. But he’s just here to do a job.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow at me. “So am I,” he said, sounding amused. “Yet you don’t seem to hate my guts just for being here.”
“I don’t hate his guts,” I said. “He’s just difficult. He’s always late.” Except for last night, when he came to pick me up for our date.
“Actually, he was here early this morning,” Charlie said, his amusement clearly growing. “Got in a little bit before nine at least. He came to my office to ask a couple questions about one of the books.”
“Huh,” I said, trying not to feel pleased by that. Maybe he really was learning, or trying. Or maybe it was just that he didn’t have to drop Booker off at school. I still was a little surprised Hayden had arranged for Booker to stay with Ace so we could—canoodle.
If his usual tardiness was because he was dropping Booker off at school, could I really hold that against him? I could only imagine how much work went into being a single parent.
I tried not to let those thoughts show on my face, though. Instead, I just nodded neutrally at Charlie. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. Let’s see if he keeps it up.”
“You know,” Charlie said, shaking his head, “you remind me so much of Bob some days. You’re just as driven as he was. Just as focused on your work, sometimes to the exclusion of all else.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, but it was hard to sound resentful about the comment since I knew exactly what Charlie was getting at. He was always pushing me to have more of a life outside of work, in a gentle and grandfatherly way. But he also knew, just as well as I did, that part of the reason the winery continued to flourish year after year was because I didn’t let anything get in my way or detract from my focus. At the end of the day, the winery was everything to me. It was my purpose in life, and the people that worked there—they were all the family I needed.
Hearing him compare me to my grandfather actually made me swell with pride more than anything. I wondered what Gramps would think if he could see the place now. Was this all that he had ever imagined for it? Maybe even more than he could have imagined?
I liked to think so, anyway.
As though echoing my thoughts, Charlie looked out the window. “If Bob could see this place now,” he sighed. We were both quiet for a moment as we contemplated the morning light over the vineyard. Finally, Charlie shook his head, turning back towards me. “You’ve changed so much, even just since you took over from your mother. You should be proud of that.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
“How is your mother, anyway?” Charlie asked. “It’s been a while since she was down here.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, grimacing. “It’s hard for her to go anywhere these days. Takes a lot of her energy. And I think there’s a part of her thinking that the fewer people that see her as she is now, the less real her actual illness is, or something. I think she wants you all to remember her like she used to be.”
“I bet she’s still the same strong woman that she always was,” Charlie said. “She might be physically weaker, but there’s nothing that could bring that woman down. I see a lot of her in you as well.”
I grinned at him. “Yeah, I can be pretty pigheaded sometimes,” I said, laughing.
Charlie laughed as well. “You know, sometimes pigheadedness does have its place in business,” he said. “But only sometimes, when the situation calls for it.” I knew somehow that he was alluding again to my relationship with Hayden. Trying to remind me that I should relax a little and get to know the guy.
If he only knew.
Charlie and I chatted for a little while longer, but I couldn’t seem to tear my thoughts away from Hayden. So, he had gotten there early that morning, huh? Was that just a fluke or would he make the effort to be there early—or at least on time—more often? I liked the idea that I might be changing him into a better man.
And what’s more, I liked thinking about him sitting there in his office, books spread open on the very same desk that we’d had sex on. What if I was to walk in there now? Would he be thinking about that first time, or about last night? I was still in the black dress I
’d worn on our date, although I’d toned it down by adding a pair of colorful leggings that I frequently wore to the gym, plus the flats that I kept in my office for the days I wore heels but had to go out to the vineyard.
After Charlie left, I found I was still having a difficult time concentrating on the work that was in front of me. I kept wondering when I would see Hayden again. So finally, I headed over to his office to see him.
“Hey,” I said, shutting the door carefully behind me. Just in case.
Reckless. I heard it again in my mind. But just like last night, it had a hint of a thrill to it. Maybe reckless wasn’t so bad sometimes.
“What’s up?” Hayden asked, looking curiously up at me. Curiously, but not lustfully. I tried not to feel disappointed.
Still, despite his apparent lack of enthusiasm at seeing me, I decided to try my luck. “I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch with me later,” I said.
Hayden grimaced and looked down at his work for a moment before glancing back up. “I have a lot of work to do today,” he said, and even though I knew it was true and was really glad to see he was working really hard on this, there was a part of me that couldn’t help but feel disappointed at the brush-off.
“Sure,” I said, swallowing hard. “Well, let me know if you need any help.”
“I will,” Hayden replied. He turned back to his work. I paused for a moment, watching him, then forced myself to leave.
I needed to let him work. That was the whole reason I’d hired him in the first place because I needed his help with those damn books. Otherwise, the IRS might try to tear this whole place away from me.
With a shake of my head, I walked quickly back to my office, hoping I could focus now that I knew Hayden wasn’t interested in me in that way. Unfortunately, my thoughts and my own feelings kept swirling around in my head, making things difficult. I was only too glad to go into a meeting with the marketing department midway through the morning. Approving new label designs required just enough of my focus to keep me from thinking of Hayden.
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