She nodded but still hesitated. “I don’t know.”
I sat my ass back on her desk, grabbed her other hand, and pulled her to stand between my legs. I was taking advantage of her being sick, but I liked her close, and for some reason, the closer I got to her, the closer I wanted to be. I refused to overthink it; I just decided to do what felt good. “Trust me.”
Her shoulders dropped, and she slowly nodded her head. “I don’t think I have a choice, to be honest. I feel like I’m two seconds from passing out.”
I stood and used my purchase on her hands to pull her arms around my body. I pulled my hands from hers and wrapped them around her back, tucking her tightly against me. She felt good there. Too good. I squeezed her gently and pulled back after I felt her tense. “Come on. I’ll drive you home.”
She shook her head. “I have my car.”
“You can’t drive, Taylor.” She started to argue, but I continued. “You can call me after you get some rest, and we’ll figure out your car.”
She shrugged. “Okay.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
She laid her hand against my chest, shocking the hell out of me. “Thank you.”
I leaned down and rested my lips near her ear. “Thank you…?”
I trailed off and waited, but I didn’t have to wait long until she gave me what I wanted. “Thank you, Aaron.”
I kissed her temple. “That’s my girl.”
She sighed but didn’t say anything more, so I moved back and grabbed her purse and coat from the hook on the wall. I helped her put on her coat, and she took her purse from my hand before I led her to the door of her office. I knew she was tense behind me, worried someone might be in the office, but I seriously doubted anyone would be in at all today.
Pulling open the door, I looked out and turned back to Taylor. “It’s just us.”
She noticeably relaxed, so I kept my hand wrapped around her much smaller one. I steered her toward my desk and grabbed my keys before moving toward the office door. She pulled out her keys and locked the door behind us before handing me the entire keychain, which was another huge step for her. I knew that, and I had no plans to take it lightly.
I opened the passenger door of my car for her and waited until she dropped in before closing it and moving around the back, refusing to consider why I felt happier than I had in a while.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Taylor
“How are you feeling?”
I sighed and ran my hand through my damp hair. “Better, I guess.”
I did feel better, thanks to Aaron shoving me out of my office this morning. I still can’t believe I left. It was something I’d never done before, and I blamed it on being delirious with a fever. When I woke up this morning, I’d actually considered not going in at all, but then Kate called my cell phone, and I knew that was a lost option.
“The fever gone?”
I smiled softly when Renee continued, completely in doctor mode. “It’s gone. I had one this morning, but it broke around lunchtime and hasn’t come back. Now I’m just tired.”
“You will be. Probably for a few days.”
“Sorry I only texted you back yesterday.” I wrapped my hands around the warm mug of hot cocoa and leaned back into the comfort of my overstuffed sofa. “I just didn’t feel like talking.”
“That’s okay. I understood.” She paused, and I waited patiently but knew exactly what question I would be answering very soon. She didn’t make me wait too long. “So, Aaron, huh?”
“Yep.”
“Are you going to make me ask every damn question, Tay?”
I giggled softly when I heard the irritation in her voice. “No, I’m not.” I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “He was in the drug store when I was, and I swear to you, Renee, I couldn’t even think. I’d walked there because it wasn’t far, and I was positive if I’d tried to drive, I would have wrecked.”
“That bad, huh?” she asked, sympathy clear in her tone.
“Yeah, I felt that bad.” I pulled the blanket around my shoulders a little tighter. “Anyway, he kind of just took over, paid for the cold pills, and then walked me home.”
“Did he tuck you in to bed?” she teased.
“He did, actually. And then he stayed with me until I finally told him late last night that I was fine and he could go.” I took a sip from my mug. “Of course, that was after he told me he’d talked to you, and you’d told him things about me.”
She giggled. “Oh, he’s good, Tay. We did talk about you, but I didn’t tell him anything other than what meds to buy. I think he was trying to get you to tell him things about yourself.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Are you ready to admit that he likes you yet?”
I sighed. “He’s nice, Renee. Really nice. I think he would’ve done it for anyone.” I remembered something just then that sent a warm rush through my body. “Although…”
“Although…?” she prompted.
“Well, he did call me baby a couple of times. At least, I think he did. My fever was pretty high.”
“I’ll bet he did. He likes you.” I heard the smile in her voice.
Sitting up, I leaned forward, letting the steam from the mug roll across my skin. “I don’t know why we’re even talking about this, Renee. He’s my employee. No matter what he was doing, we can only ever be boss and employee.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?” I asked. “It would be completely unprofessional if I pursued a relationship with my employee.”
“People meet in offices and have relationships every day, Tay.”
“Okay,” I relented. “Let’s say I do it and pursue a relationship, if he even wants that, and it doesn’t work out. What then? Do you have any idea how awkward that would be?”
She exhaled loudly; frustration clear in even her exhale. “I understand that, Tay. I just want you to take some chances in your life and find some happiness.”
“I have taken chances,” I defended. “I opened my own business. That was a huge risk, and I know you don’t believe it, but I am happy.”
“I just want you to have everything you want.”
I smiled. “That’s funny, because I want the same for you.”
My head whipped toward the door in surprise, and I heard Renee’s voice. “Was that your doorbell?”
“Yeah.” I stood slowly and made my way to the door. “Don’t sound so surprised. I do get company sometimes.”
“You don’t think it’s Mom and Dad, do you?”
I closed my eyes briefly and took a deep breath. It probably was. They were the only people who visited me since Renee and my college roommate both moved out of state.
I really needed to get some friends was a thought that flittered through my mind when I looked through the peephole and jumped back.
“Who is it?” Renee asked.
I turned the knob and pulled open the door while I answered Renee. “Um…it’s Aaron. I’ll just talk to you later, okay.”
He rested his shoulder against the doorframe and grinned. I ignored the flutters that started low in my belly from only that grin. God, why did he have to be so damn attractive?
“Okay,” Renee said in a singsong voice. “But you better call me when he leaves.”
“We’ll see,” I said, my eyes looking past Aaron’s shoulder, unable to make eye contact any longer.
“Love you, sis.”
“Love you too.” I pulled the phone from my ear and hit end before shoving it into the pocket of my hoodie.
When I finally dragged my eyes up to meet his, I saw a strange look on his face. He gestured toward my pocket. “Important call?”
I glanced down at where he pointed before snapping my attention back to him. “No, I can call them back.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you seeing someone?”
I started to shake my head, but then realized he was assumed I was talking to a boyfriend probably because I said I love you
. I contemplated telling him the truth but recognized this as an opportunity to get our relationship back to something I felt I could control better. We didn’t need to discuss personal information with each other, that rode the line I’d been afraid to cross with anyone at work. Especially him. And I refused to let myself consider what that meant for me. After all, I wasn’t living in the fantasy my sister was that Aaron was being anything more than the nice guy he truly was. “Did you need something?”
He walked through my open door, and I backed up, surprised at his quick advance. He closed the door behind him and held out my keys. “Here are your keys. I parked your car in the spot marked with your apartment number.”
I stared at the keys he just dropped into the palm of my hand for a moment before laying them on the table beside the door. “You didn’t have to bring my car to me.”
He shrugged. “It’s no problem.”
I sat my mug down on the small table. “Well, let me at least drive you home then.”
“It’s not far, so I’m going to walk,” he said a little abruptly.
“Are you sure?” I asked sincerely. I couldn’t believe he’d taken the time to bring me my car. “I’m feeling better, so I’m more than capable of driving.”
His eyes focused on mine. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, but I need to burn a little energy, so I’ll walk.”
“Okay,” I said quietly and paused only a moment before I said what I really needed to say. “I really do want to thank you for everything you’ve done these past couple of days. You didn’t have to, and it means a lot that you did.” When he didn’t say anything and continued to stare at me with an intense expression, I continued. “Was everything okay at the office today?”
“Everything was fine. It was quiet, but I expected it would be.”
I shifted on my feet, feeling a little uncomfortable. “Yeah, this time of year is bad for business, that’s for sure.”
He needed to go. I felt completely out of control, and I couldn’t read him at all. Aaron was usually open and smiling, but he’d been staring at me in a strange way since I ended my call, and it was making me self-conscious. I glanced down at my outfit of plaid pajama pants and a hoodie, knowing I shouldn’t be worried about my outfit considering he’d seen me in much less yesterday when I demanded he take my clothes off. My face heated at the memory, and I ran my hand over my straight hair to distract myself.
“I’m surprised,” he said, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the room.
I tried to remember the last thing I said before I got lost in the memory of him pulling off my hoodie and sweater. I shook my head, but then remembered we’d been talking about work being slow. “Why? It’s been slow every year around this time.”
“Not about work,” he said, and his eyes flashed. “Is work all you fucking think about?”
I stepped back, my eyes wide with surprise at the edge to his tone, not to mention that he swore. He didn’t do that much, well, not in front of me anyway, and it caught me off guard. “I thought that’s what we were talking about.”
He ran his hand through his short hair and looked over my shoulder like he was thinking. I shifted on my feet again, hating how uncomfortable I was feeling.
When his eyes dropped back down to mine, I braced for whatever he was going to say, but he didn’t say anything at all. I stepped forward a small step. “Is everything okay?”
His eyes flashed, and he opened his mouth, but then slammed it shut again. His eyes flicked back and forth between mine, and again, I waited for him to say something, anything. I was shocked as hell when he finally did. “Just never took you for a game player.”
My eyebrows lifted. “A game player?”
“Yep,” he said abruptly before turning toward the door and yanking it open.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said quietly behind him.
He paused and dropped his head, and I thought he might explain, but he didn’t. He just walked out the door and called over his shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Hawkins.”
I stood in the open door, trying to ignore the empty pit I felt in my stomach at the name. I should appreciate that we were going back to a typical boss and employee relationship, but I didn’t.
As a matter of fact, I hated it.
CHAPTER NINE
Aaron
“You’re still planning to come over Christmas morning, right?”
I listened to my sister while I closed the car door and started down the street toward the office. The streets were full today, proving we were getting even closer to the holiday season because more and more people were spending time shopping on Main.
“That’s the plan.”
“Good because the boys keep asking, and I think at this point, Dan would pay you to come just so they stop.”
I chuckled. It was nice to hear that my nephews wanted me there. They were six and four, and I’d often wondered how old they would be when they wouldn’t care anymore if Uncle Aaron showed up, or even worse, when they’d start thinking I wasn’t cool anymore.
“You want to spend the night?”
“I like sleeping in my own bed, Jess, you know that. Just text me when the boys get up, and I’ll be there. It’ll take me less than ten minutes to get there.”
“Ten minutes is a long time to wait on Christmas morning,” she reminded me.
She was right. It was a long time to wait for two small boys. I exhaled heavily and shoved my hand in my pocket, staring at the door to my office. But I wasn’t lying when I said I hated sleeping in someone else’s house, always had. “How about this, I’ll make sure I’m up by five and ready so when you call, I can just jump in the car. That way, it’s less than five minutes.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “That’ll work.”
I watched as Kate looked up from her desk and smiled before jumping up from her chair and heading toward the door where I still stood. “Do you want me to bring anything?”
“Dan said beer.”
I chuckled, and Kate pushed open the door, stepping outside and facing me, excitement all over her face. “For Christmas morning?”
“You do remember last year, right?” she teased. It had been mass chaos, and Dan’s a quiet guy who enjoys the quiet. “Dan gets tense when the boys get rowdy.”
I laughed, not only at the memory of Dan dealing with his sons last year, but at Kate who was literally bouncing on her toes in excitement. “Beer, got it. Consider it done. Listen, Jess, I have to go. I’m at work.”
“’Kay, talk to you later.”
“Tell the boys they’re going to love their uncle Aaron on Christmas this year.”
“Oh no, what did you buy them?” she asked, her tone serious.
“See you later, sis.”
“You brat,” she said, but that was all I heard and chuckled, knowing she was going to hate me for the drum set I bought the boys. Dan was going to kill me.
Pulling the phone from my ear, I looked down and saw she had ended the call. I shoved it in my pocket before I turned my attention to Kate. She looked like the cat that ate the canary, but I had no idea why. “What?”
“Guess who just called?”
I shook my head, thinking, but nothing was coming to mind. “Who?”
“Mr. Martin.” My eyes widened. “He said they’ve decided to move to Florida to be near their kids who moved there last year and want to have you list the house.”
I smiled wide. “Seriously?”
Kate squealed before biting down on her lip. “Isn’t that exciting? Now you get first crack on that house. That’s the one you’ve had your eye on, right?”
I put my hands on my hips and nodded, dropping my head for a moment. “Since I started working here.”
Kate gestured toward the door. “Hurry up. Get in there and call him back before he forgets what he’s doing. He’s like ninety years old.”
I laughed and pulled her in for a hug. She had somehow become one of my best friends over the
past year, and I knew she felt the same even though I sometimes doubted Luke was on board with our friendship. He had to know he had her heart, though, and what I once thought was attraction, I think I confused for friendship because I could honestly say I didn’t have any of those feelings anymore and hadn’t in a long time.
She pulled away and shoved me toward the door. “I’m going, I’m going. Jeez, woman.”
“I’m just so excited for you,” she said happily.
I opened the door and held it for her to go in first before I headed for my desk. I glanced at the closed door to Taylor’s office and wondered why she did that. When I’d see her from outside early in the morning, she always had her door open, but as soon as we started coming in, she’d close it. And there were no windows, so she was completely cut off from the realtors and anyone coming into the office for an appointment.
Shaking my head, I sat down and called Mr. Martin back, who confirmed he wanted to list the house. I asked when he liked to meet, and he said now, so I grabbed my stuff and headed back out the door, laughing when Kate clapped her hands together quietly. I was prepared to offer him what I felt the house was worth before even discussing the idea of listing it. I already knew I loved it because a couple of years ago, right after I started, he’d contemplated selling and had me take a look and schedule an appraisal. The house spoke to me, which surprised me, considering I’d been more than happy in my townhouse. But this house just felt right, it felt like home. And driving there, I realized if all went well today, I could be making this drive every day.
I arrived and pulled into the driveway leading up to the old Victorian-style home and sighed. It needed work. It looked better two years ago, but then his youngest son had been taking care of the things the older couple couldn’t do anymore. He got married last year and moved to Florida for his job, so the house was starting to look a little run-down. Nothing extreme, just landscaping that needed done and the house could use a paint job, but other than that, it looked decent.
Stepping out of my car, I walked slowly toward the door, taking in the ground around the house. It wasn’t huge, it appraised with around an acre, but it was big enough for the pool and swing set still sitting around back. They’d never taken any of it out, hoping their grandkids would play in the same pool and on the same swings their parents had, but life had gotten in the way of that dream for them.
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