Falling For Her Boss

by Kay Lyons

  “Oh…well, thanks, but—”

  “Don’t say no. Just think about it.”

  “We would both like to see you.” Ellen’s smile appeared strained. “I’d like to get to know you better, Melissa, and…um—oh, no. Please excuse me!”

  Melissa watched as Ellen turned and ran toward the exit behind her, a hand over her mouth. Bryan, her dad and she followed Ellen, but all of them came to an abrupt stop outside the well-marked ladies’ room.

  Her father began to pace, his expression anxious. “She gets sick when she gets nervous,” he muttered darkly. He looked at her, at Bryan. Glanced at his watch and then at the door once more.

  “I’m sure she’s fine, Chief.”

  “The doc says it’s all the hormones, but she gets dizzy sometimes and…” He stared at Melissa, but when she didn’t move, her father headed purposefully toward the door.

  A woman emerged, her shock at seeing a man about to enter apparent. “That’s the ladies’ room.”

  “I can read.”

  The woman sniffed and stuck her nose in the air. “Then you know you can’t go in there,” she said before tottering away. Every few seconds she looked back to make sure he hadn’t budged.

  “I’ll go,” Melissa murmured reluctantly.

  His shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank God. Get in there, and let me know if she’s okay.”

  Bryan smiled at her. “I’ll take the chief and go find Ellen some water. We’ll be right back if you need us.”

  She nodded and watched their broad shoulders head back toward the ballroom. “Traitors.” Inhaling, she entered the restroom and wrinkled her nose at the unmistakable sound of retching. She spied a stack of paper towels and grabbed a bunch, dampening them with cold water before locating the only closed stall. “Ellen?”

  By then the retching had stopped, and she heard a few quiet gasps, sniffles. The toilet flushed, and moments later an extremely pale Ellen opened the stall door. She flushed when she saw Melissa standing there, the color in her cheeks stark against her sickly white skin.

  “Here, I thought maybe they’d help.” She waited until Ellen accepted the towels before she put her arm around the woman’s shoulders and led her over to the lounge area. She could feel Ellen trembling. “Sit down. Bryan and Dad went to get you some water, but they’ll be here soon.”

  Ellen’s lips lifted up at the corners. “Your father will probably barge in here and scare someone off.”

  “Actually, he already tried. Don’t be surprised if security is outside when we leave,” she joked.

  Ellen’s rueful chuckle sounded hoarse and weak. “Melissa—”

  “Ellen—”

  “Wait. Me, first,” Ellen insisted. “I’m feeling better, but I don’t know how long it’ll last before…” She waved a hand toward the stalls.

  Melissa nodded, praying this talk would go better than their last, and knowing she had to do something to end the tension among all of them. It was time to grow up and face the decision her father had made. Past time. She wasn’t a child anymore and she couldn’t view her father’s marriage from that perspective. She had to face it like an adult, see it like an adult. “Okay.”

  “I—I can’t stand the thought of you hating me or my baby,” Ellen murmured, lowering her eyes when they flooded with tears. “I don’t want that at all.”

  “Ellen, I don’t hate you, or my little brother or sister.” The rush to reassure her father’s wife was there, automatic, but not insincere. “It’s just been a surprise, the suddenness of it, but I’m—” she sighed “—getting used to it.”

  “I understand that.” Ellen’s expression turned sheepish. “Believe me, I understand. I’d long ago given up hope of ever having my own family and contented myself with my work. Now I have a—a stepdaughter and a baby on the way. It’s very overwhelming.” She folded the unused towels and placed them on the back of her neck.

  “Guess Dad hovering around all the time probably isn’t helping much, huh? I mean, he’s great, but he defines stubborn.”

  Ellen laughed softly, nodding. “Oh, most definitely. That man, when he decided we were going to date, I couldn’t turn him down. Although I tried at first.” She leaned against the overstuffed cushions with a dreamy smile, her eyes closed. “He made me forget all about my protests.”

  “My dad?”

  She nodded, raising her lids to look at her. “Your dad. Then I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone else, much less alone.”

  “What changed your mind?” she asked, thinking of Bryan and the way he looked at her.

  Ellen blushed and lowered her lashes again, her expression turning so winsome and revealing, Melissa couldn’t look away despite her shock.

  “I was in his office one day going over a few things and he kissed me. It was a surprise to say the least. I think for him, too. But he took my breath away, and I knew then and there he—he meant what he said. He didn’t look at me like some men view a widow—” she scrunched her face up in a telling grimace “—but like a woman. I couldn’t say no and he knew it. I didn’t stand a chance after that.”

  A knock sounded at the door followed by her father’s urgent, worried call from the other side. Melissa rose and opened the door. Her dad saw Ellen and stalked inside without hesitating. Melissa held the door and watched the tender concern her dad showed Ellen. The way he fussed until he knew she was okay, then teased her about upchucking in a fancy hotel.

  “Come on,” Bryan murmured, his lips close to her ear. “Let’s leave them alone. The auction is about to start.”

  She nodded, not looking at him, her thoughts buffeted by a sea of emotions that threatened to drag her under. Emotions that made her think Bryan could keep her afloat.

  Had he meant what he’d said earlier? More important—did she have the courage to find out?

  * * *

  THREE HOURS LATER the local auctioneer left the stage, grinning from ear to ear at a job well done. The man had volunteered his services and auctioned off everything from dental visits and landscaping, to restaurant dinners, gift baskets, golf-club memberships and a car from a local dealership. In typical auction style, the per-plate attendees laughed at the auctioneer’s not-so-funny jokes and outbid each other with competitive glee.

  Before that, Bryan and Melissa had stood onstage and given out awards for the generous donations of some of the businesses. Then, to honor the man of the evening, Melissa had surprised him and his granddad both with a photo presentation using the many pictures displayed throughout his grandfather’s home. Only a handful had been used for advertising, but Bryan had watched the show with everyone else, his gut tight, hand clenched on the untouched drink he held because so many of the pictures included him and his granddad together.

  And then he realized what Melissa had done. Three hundred of Taylorsville and Baxter’s citizens watched him grow up on screen. Most of the pictures had been taken during the three consecutive summers he’d spent there, others from visits made over the years, summers and holidays and special occasions. Melissa had showcased Granddad’s travels and adventures during the lack of photos of Bryan’s teenaged years, but no one seemed to notice. All they saw was that he was one of them, not an outsider, but the next generation of Taylorsville’s family physician.

  Going onstage to give his speech about why establishing the clinic was so important to him was easy to do after that because Melissa had done the groundwork and gained the audience’s support with images of the good it would do all of them. She’d watched with tears sparkling in her eyes while he revealed his hopes for the future, that of following in his grandfather’s footsteps and growing old in a town that cared for its own.

  Bryan thought he saw a look of longing on Melissa’s expressive face when he talked of the years ahead. But was it real? Had she realized the emptiness in her life because of her attitude?

  The auctioneer returned and asked for everyone’s attention. Bryan got choked up watching Meg wheel his grandfather onstage to hear
the grand total announced. Added to what Bryan had already saved and the sum his grandfather himself had donated, the urgent-care clinic was funded in full.

  Thunderous applause roared through the room. Bryan hugged his granddad a long time, neither of them wanting or able to let go.

  Later Meg and Tilly drove his granddad home. The band played a slow, jazzy tune and Bryan searched the rapidly thinning crowd and assorted hotel staff for Melissa. When he spotted her, he swallowed the last of his drink and slowly approached.

  “Thank you so much for coming,” Melissa said, shaking Carl Detaill’s hand. “I appreciate the compliments and hope you’ve had a fun evening.”

  “Oh, we did, we did. And I insist you think about what I said. I meant every word.” The man winked at her and nodded.

  Suddenly aware of his presence, Melissa shot Bryan a look, her smile faltering. “I will,” she murmured, her lashes falling low over her eyes. “I’ll be in touch.”

  The hospital board member held out his hand. “Dr. Booker, congratulations on a very successful event. I’m impressed with the turnout and all your hard work. When the hospital said our support was limited, well—let’s just say I imagine there are a few board members wishing now we’d helped you get the ball rolling so we could’ve been more involved. Regardless, I wish you much success.”

  “Thank you. I hope you enjoyed yourself.”

  They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Detaill and his wife walked away. Studying Melissa, Bryan noticed she continued to avoid eye contact. “What was that about?”

  “Oh, nothing. Just chitchatting. You know.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  She inhaled and blinked up at him. “No. But before I forget, I want to let you know how great you were tonight. Your speech was wonderful and quite moving. I spotted quite a few audience members crying and several donations were upped after you spoke.”

  He shoved aside the doubts he had for a later time and grinned. “That’s great. I’m glad to know people aren’t as unfeeling as they sometimes seem. Not when it comes down to the good of a community. But now, it’s our turn to celebrate. Dance with me?”

  Melissa glanced around them. “Bryan, it’s late—”

  “All the better.” His gut tightened when she surprised him by laughing, the sound nervous, a little strained, but playful. Playful on Melissa was unexpected.

  She glanced at the ornate clock on the wall. “The band is only going to be here for another fifteen minutes or so.”

  He held out his hand. “Then what are we waiting for?”

  Ignoring the noise of the staff bustling about cleaning up the dirty dishes, he pulled the unprotesting Melissa into his arms and twirled her onto the dance floor. Tiny white lights twinkled over their heads, candles burned low in their glass holders. The ambience was romantic and seductive, the perfect end to a perfect evening of giving.

  Melissa looked up at him, her lips parted and tempting. Bryan pressed her closer with a hand on the small of her back, his fingers stroking her satiny-smooth skin and eliciting a shiver in response. Smiling, he kissed her temple and swayed to the music. One song blended into two…three.

  Melissa’s hand gripped his, trembling, the other resting on his shoulder, every now and again sliding down his chest or up to his neck as though she forgot herself long enough to enjoy the feel of him. He didn’t speak, didn’t want to do anything to bring her to awareness of what she did. Didn’t want the night to end.

  The band paused and, without stopping the slow, swaying motion, he glanced at them and saw them staring back, the room virtually empty, the auction guests gone. Lightly, Bryan lifted his hand from her back and rubbed his fingers together, indicating he’d pay them to play longer.

  A couple of the band members shook their heads with expressions of regret, but the saxophone player nodded. Almost immediately rich notes filled the air, a popular love song.

  Bryan returned his hand to her back, gently smoothing it down the length of her spine. A sound left her, a shuddering, revealing breath. Slowly, the act drawing on every ounce of restraint he managed to maintain, he kissed her temple, trailed his lips down her cheek. He waited, hoping. Aching. And then her mouth lifted to his.

  Bryan took what Melissa offered, keeping the caress light. Wanting her to want more, want him, as much as he wanted her. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, kissing, dancing. Their bodies barely moved, but they put out enough heat to set the room aflame. Finally, unable to withstand any more and praying she’d follow, he raised his head and let her see everything. His desire for her. His love. Hoping she’d give him a chance to be the man he knew he could be.

  Maintaining eye contact, Bryan cradled her face and kissed her again. “Come with me,” he murmured against her lips.

  Amazingly, a shy, silent stare was his answer. Bryan kissed her again, hard and fast, then took her trembling hand in his. He pulled some bills from his pocket and dropped them onto the table closest to the dance floor, lifting a hand to the sax player in thanks while leading her from the room.

  Chapter 18

  THE NEXT MORNING Melissa woke with a start, unused to sharing a bed. Her movement must have disturbed Bryan because he rolled onto his back.

  She stared at his bare chest, her heart full. If someone had told her she’d ever feel this way after going through all that she’d been through, she’d have called it a cruel lie. Crazy.

  But last night… It wasn’t so much what Bryan had done but what he hadn’t. Bryan had brought her back to his suite but when awkwardness took over, he hadn’t pressured her. Hadn’t made the awkwardness worse. No, he’d offered her a T-shirt and boxers so she could change out of her dress, and when she’d braved the exit from the bathroom, she’d found him on the couch waiting, television remote in his hand.

  She’d curled up next to him, watched the romantic comedy he’d picked and relished every kiss he’d pressed to her temple, her cheek. Her lips. He marveled over the length of her legs and the softness of her skin. The sounds she made as they’d cuddled and petted and made out, never letting things go too far.

  She inhaled, resigned herself to the fact there could be no more. She had to protect her heart.

  Last night’s job offer from the hospital administrator had been a godsend. The success of the fund-raising events had drawn their notice and they wanted a go-getter like her to work for them on building their PR, not only with the local community, but with larger hospitals, as well.

  Her feelings for Bryan had grown throughout the past few months, dangerously so. And after last night getting away from him would be good for them both.

  Bryan might be a player, but he had a heart. One that had already been broken by one woman’s passing. The last thing she wanted was for him to think her life—or death—was his responsibility. To fall back into the void where he went from woman to woman in an attempt to escape what he saw as a failure in himself. He might have recovered once, but what were the odds he could do it again? If his feelings for her were true, she couldn’t do that to him. Couldn’t be responsible for that.

  Silent, she got to her feet and grabbed her dress from the back of a chair. She hurried to pull it on in the bathroom, leaving the T-shirt and boxers behind.

  It was early yet, and thanks to her many trips into and out of the hotel preparing for the gala, she knew a back way that would allow her to leave undetected. She tiptoed across the floor and retrieved her shoes, smoothed her sleep-crushed hair as best she could.

  Then, she spared one last look over her shoulder at Bryan, his big body relaxed and beautiful in sleep, and said a silent goodbye.

  * * *

  FORTY MINUTES LATER, Melissa entered Taylorsville’s outskirts and prepared herself to pass Bryan’s practice. The long drive had given her time to think, but she still wasn’t sure what to do. As a policeman, her dad had often said the best place to hide was right out in the open. She doubted Bryan would brag about sleeping with her, and her dad and Ellen w
ere so into each other they wouldn’t miss her for days. She could call them later, when she got to wherever the money she’d saved would take her.

  Rounding the curve in the road, she glanced at Bryan’s house and slowed. “Oh, no.”

  Anna Pritchard was back.

  Heart thumping at the sight of the bruised, pitiful creature outside Bryan’s door, Melissa pulled into the parking area and hurried out of the car. The girl stumbled into her arms.

  “He did it again! He s-said he wouldn’t,” Anna cried, the words torn from her chest. “He promised!”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry. Anna, come on. Let’s get you in the car and—”

  “What happened—”

  She looked at Ellen and wished the ground would open up and swallow her. One glance at her wrinkled gown and appearance and Ellen knew.

  “Anna’s hurt,” Melissa informed her quickly, praying with all her heart her father wouldn’t come storming over next. “Would you call an ambulance?”

  For once the girl didn’t protest. Anna simply clutched at her, crying, mumbling words she couldn’t make out about promises and love and hate.

  “It would be quicker to drive her.”

  She acknowledged that with a nod, but no way was she going to go to the hospital in her gown.

  “I’ll take her. You go home and get changed.”

  “What if you get sick?”

  Ellen smoothed Anna’s hair back, her expression concerned. “I’ll…I’ll call Hal. He had an errand to run out to the mayor’s house. If you leave now, you’ll miss him on his way here.”

  “O-okay. Thank you.”

  The other woman stepped back and crossed her arms over her front to ward off the cold air. “Where’s Bryan? I can’t imagine he’d simply—”

  “I left,” she muttered. “But it’s not what you think. Stay with her. I’ll run and grab the phone and bring it to you.”

  Apparently sensing she wouldn’t discuss Bryan or what happened, Ellen nodded. “It’s on the base right by the door.”