I sighed and turned back to Lincoln. After what had happened between Billie and me, I couldn’t bear seeing her. I had to tell him no, no matter how much that pained me. “I’m sorry, Linc, not today,” I told him with a shake of my head.
He stared up at me with his big green eyes and his bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “Why?” he questioned with a stomp of his foot. “I want to see her!” He burst out into a tantrum, sobbing crocodile tears.
“Linc, please, let’s not do this now,” I said weakly, but it was hard to deny him anything he wanted. I hated to see him upset and after his mother left, I wanted to give him the world. I sighed and looked around at the field workers who had stopped their duties to watch me and my son. It was overwhelming and I was already exhausted from my antics earlier. I’m sorry to admit, I gave in.
“Fine, fine, but just quickly, okay?” I told him.
Lincoln immediately stopped crying and smiled up at me. “Yay!” he exclaimed before darting toward the building. Reluctantly, I followed after him.
It’s fine. It’s totally fine, Quentin. You’re an adult. You can handle this. You need to see her sometime anyway, so it’s better to do it sooner rather than later. I continued to give myself a pep talk as I followed Lincoln into the lobby and up the stairs where he knew my office was.
“Where can I find the pretty lady?” Lincoln asked as he looked around the room, turning his head rapidly from left to right.
“This way, Linc,” I said as I pressed my hand to his shoulder and walked him down the corridor toward Billie’s office. Once we were outside, I seriously began to regret my decision. I thought about turning around and going back, but I knew Lincoln would just kick up a fuss and Billie would no doubt hear his tantrum. There was no turning back.
After taking a deep breath, I lifted my hand and rapped my knuckles on Billie’s door. Lincoln was practically vibrating with excitement, jumping up and down on the spot until the door opened.
“Oh, Linc! It’s you,” Billie said in a surprised voice. I did my best to look anywhere but at her, however, the delicate floral scent of her perfume was inescapable. She smelled phenomenal.
“And it’s you! Will-have-meanie,” Lincoln replied.
Billie let out a soft, angelic laugh and I swear my heart skipped a beat. It was beyond a joke now. I felt like a stupid lovesick teenager and not the forty-something-year-old with responsibilities that I actually was. Thankfully, Lincoln was happy to do all the chatting for me.
“Remember, Linc, you can call me Billie, okay?” she told him. She crouched down to the floor again to speak to him and the sight was incredibly endearing. My mind flooded with images of the three of us together in a multitude of different scenarios, almost all of them domestic. I had to stop thinking about it because I knew it could never happen. I was too broken by my past relationships to let someone in again. Billie deserved better than that.
“Okay, Billie,” Linc replied with a nod. “Can I come in?”
Billie smiled and pushed the door open wider. “Of course, you can.”
And so, I watched my son as he did the one thing I wanted to do most and he did it much better than I ever could: He charmed Billie and swept her right off her feet.
13
Billie
When Friday came again, I made sure not to pack my usual lunch before I waved goodbye to Lucky for the day. Not only was I excited by the prospect of a free lunch, but I was also thrilled to see Tracy again. I’d liked her when we first met and I hoped she felt the same way. When I moved, I’d promised myself to try my best to make friends here in Napa Valley and Tracy seemed like a great start.
Throughout the morning, I kept my head down and kept myself focused on work. I didn’t want my thoughts to stray toward Quentin and the confusing situation we had gotten ourselves into. It was difficult, however, when he was turning up at my office door with that adorable son of his while I wasn’t sure whether or not anything could happen between us.
On the one hand, Quentin had made it pretty clear that he wanted to avoid me, while on the other, he was obviously attracted to me. And that kiss… Well, would it be a surprise if I said I’d thought about it once or twice while I was lying in bed with my hand down my panties? After all, I didn’t think I was going to forget a kiss like that anytime soon, even if nothing more happened between us.
By the time lunch arrived, I felt ravenous and I hurried to the lounge, racing past other people on my way. The brightly lit break area was still empty except for the staff and I smiled as I saw a familiar face standing there. I headed toward the serving table and gave Tracy a big wave as I drew near.
“Hello again,” I greeted.
“Oh, Billie, right?” she replied, putting down her ladle and leaning over the counter toward me. “It’s good to see you again. You’re looking well.”
“Thanks, Tracy,” I said softly as I picked up a plate. “How are you doing?”
“Not bad, not bad,” she stated with a nod. “You settling in okay?”
The memory of Quentin’s lips against mine came back to me and I couldn’t stop a wide smile from stretching across my face. “Better than I imagined,” I answered cryptically. “I’ve been meaning to ask since I saw you last, could I get your number? I’m new in town and the only person I know is my landlady.”
Not to mention that Carla won’t stop talking about Quentin every time we talk… I added to myself.
“Oh, of course, that’s no problem. Hand me your phone.”
I did as she asked and watched as she tapped her cell phone number into it.
“Call me anytime! I’d be happy to show you around all the best places in Napa,” she told me.
“I’d love that.” The smile on my face only grew bigger as I accomplished another of my goals. “Can I get the shrimp today?”
“Sure.”
Once my plate was full and I’d said my goodbyes to Tracy, l surveyed the room for an available seat. My mind was busy making imaginary plans with my new friend already and getting excited about it when my gaze settled on Quentin who had just walked in. The boss was dressed smartly in a navy-blue three-piece suit and his bright blond hair slicked back in its usual style. My mind took a nosedive into the gutter as soon as I took in the sight of him. Conversely, Quentin didn’t even look my way. He was preoccupied talking to his mom, either that or he was still ignoring me like he had been since our steamy kiss in his office.
Instead of getting upset about it, I kept my head held high and thought about the great steps I’d made toward earning a friend today. No matter what was going on with me and Quentin, I still had a lot to be happy about. So, I headed toward the nearest table and sat down to eat my meal. I made small talk with a couple of the tour guides sitting opposite me and the lunch period passed peacefully.
At least, until Quentin and Mrs. Wendall sat down next to me.
“You see, I think a remodeling of the tasting room might actually help to make the tour feel more accessible for younger people,” Mrs. Wendall was explaining as she pulled out the chair next to me.
“I value your opinion, Ma, of course I do. I just think that now isn’t the time, fiscally, for such a big change. Maybe if it fits in the budget, we can take a look at it next quarter,” Quentin replied, sitting down on the other side of his mother from me.
At that moment, Mrs. Wendall looked to her left and caught sight of me. “Oh, Billie, what a wonderful surprise,” she greeted with a polite smile. “Quentin, isn’t it nice to see Billie?”
He grunted in response and did his best to focus all his energy on the spaghetti he was moving around his plate. I couldn’t believe he wouldn’t even glance up at me or say hello. Being short with me was one thing, but this was just awful. I felt mortified.
“Anyway,” Mrs. Wendall continued, ignoring her son’s rudeness. “It’s been a while since we last spoke. How have you been?”
I turned to face her and give her my full attention as I nursed my bottle of water. “I’m okay, th
ank you. How are you and Mr. Wendall doing?”
She grinned at me and leaned in a little closer. “We’ve been great. Retirement suits the both of us, though Richard is struggling to keep himself occupied at times,” she told me. “I have to admit that being able to spend some extra time with Quentin and Linc helps a lot.”
The two of us looked over at Quentin and he flicked his eyes up at us for a brief moment before nodding. “Yeah, Linc loves his Nana and Papa,” he admitted in a stiff, curt voice.
Mrs. Wendall rolled her eyes. “Ignore him, he’s been in a bad mood all day,” she said. “Anyway, tell me how you’re getting on in your role?”
For a moment, I didn’t even process Mrs. Wendall’s question. I could feel my resentment for Quentin growing with every second he acted off with me. Even now when we were in such close proximity, Quentin refused to look my way and it honestly bothered me way more than it should have. But I mean, in spite of his feeling toward me, I was still his employee. He should still be civil at the very least. I wasn’t crazy for thinking that I deserved a modicum of respect, right? Well, if he was going to make things difficult for me then two could play at that game.
I laughed a little and scooched my chair toward Mrs. Wendall. “Yeah know what, it’s pretty much everything I imagined,” I told her. “But there is this one annoyance that I’m having to deal with…”
“Oh, really?” Mrs. Wendall replied with a frown. “What is it, dear?”
Quentin perked up as soon as I spoke and it made a grin split across my face. My mom had always told me that my mouth would get me in trouble one day, but I was tired of being treated so coldly and cruelly by the man of my dreams.
“You see, I’ve been having a bit of a pest problem,” I explained, doing my best to hide how much I was enjoying myself.
“Here at the winery?” Mrs. Wendall probed as her eyes widened in shock. “Quentin, you never told me we had a pest problem!”
“We don’t have a—”
“Hmm, that’s strange. Quentin should be the most aware of the problem since I’ve seen the pest spotted in his office a lot…” I continued, glancing over at Quentin as I interrupted him. I gave him a challenging look, daring him to disagree with me.
“Well, Quentin, I should expect you to get this sorted out right away! Or else, we’ll have the food safety officers at our doorstep day and night,” she stated, turning toward Quentin as she spoke.
Quentin’s jaw clenched. “It’s not that kind of a pest, Ma. Billie here is joking, aren’t you, Billie?”
I let my smile reappear as I looked between the two of them. “Aww, you got me. I’m sorry, Mrs. Wendall, I just like winding up that cranky son of yours. Don’t you think he ought to lighten up every now and then? He’s awful serious.”
To my surprise, Mrs. Wendall actually started laughing. “Oh, Billie, you’re too funny,” she said as she slapped me on the shoulder. “And you’re right, of course. Quentin has always been one to keep a level head, even to his detriment.”
“Ma—”
“I always thought running a winery would be fun, but Quentin walks in everyday looking like he’s in pain. Maybe I should look for another job before I catch whatever he’s got,” I teased and chuckled.
“I hope I don’t catch it either,” his mom replied, playing along. “When Richard and I ran the place, we hosted a whole load of parties and events. Everything we did was out of love for this place, but Quentin acts more like he’s afraid of it.”
“Ma, seriously—”
“I mean, grapes are a scary business, Mrs. Wendall, let’s not forget that,” I stated sardonically.
Mrs. Wendall laughed again, crinkling her eyes as she did so. “You’d get along well with Richard, he’s a big fan of dry humor,” she told me. “And stop it with all that ‘Mrs. Wendall’ such and such. Please, call me Miriam.”
“I will. Thank you, Miriam.” I felt my chest warm at the thought of getting closer to another person in the community. A quick glance over Mrs. Wendall’s shoulder, however, confirmed that Quentin wasn’t too pleased by this development.
“And since we’re such good friends, you should definitely come and visit us for lunch sometime soon. Richard and I would love to have you,” she said.
“I… I’d like that,” I told her, paying attention to how pissed Quentin became as soon as I accepted the invitation. It was worth it just to see his red-face and to watch him mutter something under his breath.
“You’re welcome anytime, Billie,” Mrs. Wendall continued and gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder.
“I’ll let you know when my grumpy boss gives me a long enough lunch break,” I responded with a wink before standing up. “Well, thanks for the wonderful chat. I should be getting back to my work now. It’s been lovely, Miriam.”
“A pleasure, Billie.”
Quentin said nothing as expected and so, I walked back toward the serving table to hand in my plate. “I’ll call you later, Tracy,” I called to my new friend behind the counter who nodded in reply.
I shouldn’t have felt as happy as I did when I walked away from Quentin, leaving him feeling annoyed at my sassy attitude toward him, but it served him right. Ever since we kissed, he’d been treating me like I was the one in the wrong here when all I’d done was get a job and be attracted to my boss. He was the one who kissed me. He was the one who instigated this whole thing. If anyone was to blame, it was him.
But what really made me ecstatic was when I glanced over my shoulder and noticed Quentin staring at my ass as I walked away. I wouldn’t trade that feeling of pride for the world.
14
Quentin
After the mockery Billie had made of me at Friday’s lunch, I was relieved to spend the weekend away from the office and, most importantly, away from Billie. I knew she hadn’t meant any of what she said spitefully, but I didn’t enjoy how much she was cozying up to my parents. Was that why she was here? Was she after our money just like the last one? The thought made me fill with rage and I had to go to the gym for a few extra hours on Friday night to relieve the tension I felt. Luckily, Mom and Dad were more than happy to watch my son for me.
On Saturday, I took Lincoln to the park for hours and hours, feeling guilty for abandoning the night before. I always enjoyed taking him to the park since he adored the jungle gym and since he was so full of life all the time, it really helped release some of his excess energy.
“Daddy! Daddy! Come push me!” he called impatiently from the bright red swing set in front of me.
I grinned over at him. “All right, all right,” I agreed before standing up from the bench and joining him.
When I spent time with him one-on-one like this, I was reminded of how lucky I was to have such a wonderful child. After the swing set, Lincoln dragged me to the climbing frame and then the slide. I took a few pictures of him on my phone and even made a new one my background of him at the top of the slide looking happy.
By the time we got home, the little guy was completely pooped. I gave him some dinner and tucked him into bed while reading him a goodnight story. It was a good opportunity for me to have an evening to myself and Lincoln was so tired that he slept in until ten o’clock on Sunday. I’d hardly had the time to think about Billie and that was good.
Overall, the weekend so far had been nice and relaxing, but I still had a few chores that needed to be done. For starters, it was Lincoln’s fifth birthday on Friday and I needed to get supplies for his party. Since his mother had all but abandoned him, I’d been trying my best to make up for her absence in his life, but I was still worried it wouldn’t be enough—especially during such a pivotal event in his life.
I was swiping through children’s birthday cake recipes when Lincoln finally emerged from his bedroom. Through bleary eyes, he looked up at me and gave a big yawn. “Hi, Daddy! It’s morning time!” he exclaimed, padding toward me with his bare feet on the laminated floor. He’d taken off his t-shirt at some point in the night and I wondered wh
en he’d done that. He must have been hot, I thought to myself before shrugging. Kids were strange in their sleep sometimes.
“Yes, it is, Linc,” I answered, looking up from my tablet. “You want to go out again today?”
“Yu-huh!” he told me excitedly. “Where are we going? Can we get ice-cream?”
I chuckled. “Hmm… Maybe if you’re good,” I replied. “Daddy needs to go to the store to get some groceries. But since your birthday party is coming up, we can get some ingredients for your cake while we’re there if you want?”
Lincoln’s eyes grew wide and he rushed toward me, grabbing my legs and pulling on my jeans. “Yes! Yes! Let’s go now, Daddy. Come on!”
I laughed again and put my tablet down. “All right, all right. Let’s get you dressed, Linc.”
“I can do it! I can do it!” he insisted as he ran back toward his bedroom and I followed quickly behind him.
Under normal circumstances, Lincoln could be a bit of a pain to get dressed. He usually insisted on doing it himself and he often struggled with getting the right shoes on the right feet or doing up the buttons correctly, but since he was so excited about his birthday, he let me help him and he was ready in a flash. Within twenty minutes, we were already pulling up outside the store we usually went to together. I grabbed the reusable bags from the trunk of my car and took Lincoln’s hand before walking inside with him.
Despite having been talking about it the entire ride to the grocery store, Lincoln was still chatting about his party as we walked down the aisles. “What kind of cake are we making? Choc’late? Vanilla?” he questioned. “What color will it be? Ooh! Can I have a green cake?!”
I dropped my hand down to his head and ruffled his hair. “Of course, we can make a green cake. We can have whatever kind of cake you want, Linc. What would make you happy?”
A look of concentration took over Lincoln’s face then and he cast his eyes up to the ceiling. While he decided, I picked up a big box of cornflakes and some chocolatey cereal Lincoln loved. We were halfway down the cereal aisle when Lincoln finally gasped and stopped dead in his tracks.
Dear Boss: A Single Dad Office Romance (Forbidden First Times Book 3) Page 8
