“Of course.”
“How was your Thanksgiving?” Jessica asked as she stripped off her coat. Underneath, she wore navy slacks and a navy and green argyle V-neck sweater. She settled herself into the chair as she waited for Catherine’s reply.
“It was really nice.” Catherine knew Jessica, had known her for years, which meant she knew her methods as well. When she had something serious to talk about, she prefaced it with small talk. Things like “How about this weather?” Or “Did you see the game yesterday?” Or “How was your Thanksgiving?” Catherine blew on the the very hot coffee, took a sip, then asked, “Yours?”
“Oh, it was fine. You know how it is. The whole family gets together and it’s awesome…until it’s not.” She laughed and Catherine joined her, waiting for her to get to the real topic of discussion. “So,” she said, her face becoming serious. “I saw Jason earlier. He’s helping Jamie set up for the agility class tonight.”
Catherine nodded and sipped again as Mo ventured over to Jessica and sniffed her knee. Then he sat and waited patiently for her to pet him, which she did. Hand on his square little head, she stroked him and kept her eyes on him as she said, “He told me Emily Breckenridge came by your grandparents’ for dessert.”
“She did.” Catherine didn’t offer more. She had an idea where this was going, had almost been expecting it.
Jessica looked up then, her blue eyes gentle and her expression hesitant as she asked, “Are you seeing her?”
Catherine shook her head and sipped her coffee while Jessica studied her.
“Do you want to see her?”
It took a moment, maybe two, for Catherine to think about that one. When she finally answered, it was honest. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
Jessica pressed her lips together in a thin line as she seemed to think about her words before she spoke. “You know I love you, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m worried.” Jessica let the words hang in the air. Catherine waited her out, something she did often. People tended to avoid silences, needed to fill them. Catherine did not. In fact, she enjoyed silence just fine. After a beat or two, Jessica said, “I like Emily. I like her a lot and I can see why you’d be attracted to her.” She was obviously uncomfortable, judging from the flush in her neck and the way her eyes darted away from Catherine’s. She didn’t like this conversation. It was obvious. “It wouldn’t look good, Cat. You know?”
Catherine nodded slowly, understanding exactly what Jessica was saying and trying to tell herself that it didn’t really matter because nothing had happened anyway, and probably nothing would. “Look, I like Emily. I didn’t at first, I can admit that, and there are still things about her that drive me a little crazy. But she’s nice and genuine and…I like her.” She cleared her throat and needlessly rearranged a few things on her desk. “And I think she likes me as well.”
“You understand where I’m coming from, though, right?”
“I do.”
“I just…we’ve got a reputation. Breckenridge donates a lot of money to us. A lot of money.”
“I do the books, Jess. I’m aware.”
“I know you are. I know. Sorry.” Jessica rolled her lips in and bit down on them, then repeated herself. “I just worry.”
“I know.”
“Any appearance of…I hate the word impropriety, but…any appearance of something like that, something questionable, and people will talk. When people talk, the donations decrease. You know how social media can be. Nothing gets past anybody and even something tiny and insignificant can be blown out of proportion…” Jessica had started to ramble, which Catherine understood completely. They were friends and this was not a conversation Jessica wanted to be having, but Catherine had left her no choice. This was her own fault, Catherine knew, and she felt awful. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she held up a hand.
“Jess. You’re right. You’re right. I know exactly what you’re saying and I will make sure the shelter’s reputation stays intact.” She did her best to stay calm and reassuring, but inside, her stomach was churning sourly. The idea of the shelter’s reputation coming under fire because of her literally made her feel ill.
“I’m sorry,” Jessica said as she stood, her voice quiet now. “I don’t mean to come across as a controlling bitch. I just—”
“You worry. I know. I’ve met you.” Catherine went for a gentle smile, but was pretty sure she hit “I smell something foul” instead.
Jessica looked at her for a moment before gathering up her coat and coffee. “Okay, well.” She was uncomfortable now and she felt bad. Catherine could tell both things easily as she’d known Jessica for years. The fact that she’d caused her to feel this way only made Catherine feel worse. Jessica was right. She was totally right. Maybe Catherine had just needed to hear it, uncomfortable and embarrassing as it had been.
“Okay,” Jessica said again. “Thanks for hearing me out.”
Catherine watched her go, called to Mo when he started to follow her. Much to her surprise and his credit, he came right back and sat next to her, and put his front paws on her thigh so she could reach him. Looking down at his gorgeous face, at his soulful brown eyes, she said simply, “Ugh.”
***
Catherine wasn’t sure if the day had kept Jessica busy or if she’d just been avoiding her. Frankly, she was fine with either, as the more she thought about their earlier conversation, the more embarrassed she became about it. God, she should know better. She was a professional in a business environment, not some intern just learning the ropes. Jessica was right to be concerned. Junebug Farms might be a nonprofit, but that only made its reputation that much more valuable. Screwing with it would only bring trouble. Catherine should know that, damn it.
She’d taken advantage of the quiet day and gotten a ton of work done, which always made her feel better. Finishing up her response to an e-mail, she hit Send and then reached up over her head to stretch out her back. Rolling her head around on her shoulders caused some alarming cracking sounds to come from her vertebrae, but it felt good, so she let it go. Lowering her arms, her eyes fell on the vase of flowers from Emily, still colorful and lush even after a weekend in her chilly office and the fact that Catherine had let the water evaporate almost completely before remembering to refill it. She’d been able to push Emily out of her head for the duration of the day, but now she came screeching back in, her face combining with Jessica’s concerned words to make her mind one giant soup of confusion. She blew out a frustrated breath and shook her head.
“Well, that seems ominous.” Emily’s voice startled Catherine as she looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. Did I just conjure her up? Mo popped up from his bed with a happy yelp and ran to the door, wagging tail shaking his entire body in his excitement to see her. “That was quite a sigh,” she said as she scratched Mo’s ears. “Can I help?”
“What are you doing here?” Catherine asked, then realized how it sounded and added, “I didn’t expect to see you today.”
“I had some free time this afternoon, so I thought I’d come and walk a couple of dogs.” She looked amazing today, and Catherine absently wondered if it was because she now had an invisible Do Not Touch sign hanging around her neck thanks to Jessica. Her jeans were faded, snug, and looked soft. Her shirt was a simple hooded top in gray and green slashed stripes, and the sleeves were long enough to cover the palms of her hands. Yet again, she looked both casual and elegant, and Catherine was envious even as she felt a flutter low in her stomach.
“That was nice of you. I know Lisa can always use help with that.”
“I enjoy it.” Emily gave a half-smile. “I also wanted to…talk to you. About something.”
With a nod, Catherine gestured for her to sit. Emily surprised her by closing the door first, then moving to the chairs. Once she’d sat—and Mo had jumped up into her lap—Catherine asked, “What’s up?”
Emily grimaced and moved her gaze to the window. “This is…um…” S
he scratched at her eyebrow, then shifted her eyes to rest on Catherine. “It’s sensitive. Kind of.”
Catherine furrowed her brow. “Okay.”
“The other day, Thanksgiving, when I told my mother where I was going…”
“To my grandparents’?”
“Yes. To your grandparents’. But, to see you, really.” Emily cleared her throat. She was clearly uncomfortable, and she shifted in her seat and dropped her gaze to Mo. Focusing on his face, his ears, his fur seemed to steady her. “My mom knows me pretty well.”
Catherine nodded once and waited.
“The next day, she called me in to see her because she wanted to address the possibility that I might…”
Catherine cocked her head when Emily neglected to finish the sentence. “That you might—?”
“That I might be attracted to you.” Emily looked up at her.
Their gazes held. Catherine felt her heart skip a beat and that fluttering in her abdomen kicked into high gear. “I see. And if you are?”
“That it’s not a good idea to…” Emily cleared her throat again. “Pursue anything. Because of how it might look.”
“I see,” Catherine said again.
“Do you?” Emily sat forward in her chair, which Mo decided he was unhappy with and jumped down to return to his bed.
“I do because…” Catherine didn’t realize she was going to say it until the words actually left her mouth. “I had a similar conversation with Jessica this morning.”
That surprised Emily. Catherine could tell by the way she raised her eyebrows, sat back in her chair, and allowed a ghost of a satisfied smile cross her face. “You did?”
Catherine nodded, caught her bottom lip between her teeth, and arched one eyebrow, which caused what could only be called a soft whimper to come from Emily.
“Enough with the eyebrow thing. You’re killing me over here.”
Catherine swallowed hard. She could feel the heat start at her chest, rise up her throat and color her face.
Emily seemed amused by it and said quietly, “I love it when you blush, especially if I’m the cause.”
“Stop it,” Catherine said on a whisper.
Emily inhaled slowly, then exhaled. “Here’s what I know: I am attracted to you. And I think you’re attracted to me, too—even if you haven’t admitted it.”
If you only knew, Catherine thought, but managed to keep the words inside.
“So?” Emily asked. “What do we do?”
“I don’t know that there’s anything we can do. Your mother is right. My boss is right.”
“I know.”
“I think we need to…keep it professional.” Catherine had to force the words out, but she knew it was for the best. There was the work issue and it was a big one. There was also the fact that they came from such radically different backgrounds. They were very different people without a ton in common. Yeah, this was definitely the best course of action. No doubt about it.
“I agree.” Emily nodded, looking down at her hands. “It’s for the best, really.”
“It is. It’s for the best.”
They sat quietly for several moments. Catherine wasn’t quite sure what to say at that point. She suspected Emily was in the same boat, and she allowed herself a small glimmer of mirth over Emily at a loss for words.
With another audible sigh, Emily slapped her hands on her thighs and pushed herself to a standing position. “Well. I guess I should go.” Catherine stood as well. Emily stared at her shoes for a beat. When she looked up, her eyes were soft, tender. In a voice that was barely above a whisper, she asked, “Can I at least hug you? It feels kind of like good-bye and…I’d like to give you a hug. If that’s okay.”
She looked so sweet just then, Catherine couldn’t have stopped herself if she’d tried…which she didn’t. Emily stood looking at her, a gentle smile on her face, a tinge of hope in her voice, and Catherine was stepping toward her almost immediately, watching as Emily opened her arms and took her in, embracing her tightly. They were nearly the same height with Catherine in her heels, and their bodies fit together perfectly, like they were supposed to. Emily’s arms were strong and tight around Catherine’s torso, her body warm, and Catherine found herself feeling oddly protected, safe from the world around her. She inhaled quietly, took in the fresh, outdoorsy scent of Emily, of her hair, her clothes, her skin.
Knowing she could stand right there, wrapped up in Emily’s embrace for hours, didn’t help Catherine to keep a clear head, but she gently began to extricate herself, relieved to feel Emily doing the same. They parted slowly, but when they stood face-to-face, almost nose-to-nose, Catherine felt Emily’s fingers tighten on her sides, preventing her from stepping away. She knew what was about to happen, but she couldn’t stop it. She didn’t want to stop it—a thought that both frightened her and turned her on in a way she hadn’t felt since before Anna. Emily’s brown eyes were locked on hers, the heat in them, the desire, plain to see.
And then Emily’s mouth was on hers.
Emily’s mouth was on hers and—oh, my God—all coherent thought was lost, sucked right out of her head and thrown into the atmosphere. Catherine’s hands tightened on Emily’s shoulders because she was sure if she let go, she’d fly off into oblivion. Emily’s kiss was soft and hard, giving and demanding, shy and bold. She tasted like honey, sweet and clingy, and when she pushed her tongue into Catherine’s mouth, Catherine whimpered. Actually whimpered.
The concept of time completely fled from Catherine’s brain and when the kiss finally—slowly—ended, she had no idea how long they’d been fused together. Minutes? Hours? Days? She had no clue. Her head was fuzzy, her lips were swollen, her stomach was fluttering. Foreheads touching, she heard Emily whisper softly, “Oh, shit.”
“Yeah.”
Emily raised her hand, touched Catherine’s bottom lip with her thumb, and said breathlessly, “God, you’re a good kisser.” And before Catherine could respond, Emily’s hand slid around the back of her head and pulled her in for another soul-searing kiss that went on for days.
This time when they parted, Catherine put her palm flat against Emily’s chest and gently pushed her to arm’s length. Breathing raggedly, she said, “We have to stop.”
Emily nodded, but words seemed to elude her and she looked so ridiculously sexy in that moment—her cheeks flushed hotly, her lips glistening, her pupils dilated—that Catherine had to grit her teeth and squeeze her eyes shut to keep from pulling her in for a third make-out round.
“Okay,” she said, not happy with the tremor in her voice. “We…this…” She gave up for a moment, swallowed, gave herself time to catch her breath. Trying to focus more on keeping Emily away than on how close her hand was to Emily’s breast, she wet her lips. “Okay,” she tried again. “This doesn’t change anything. At all. Everything we said earlier still applies.”
“I know.” Emily seemed to finally breathe at a normal rate. “I know. You’re right.”
“So. We have to…we just…” Catherine’s knees felt weak and she felt too dangerously close to Emily at this point. Pushing away from her, she retreated to her chair and tried to sit like a normal person rather than drop into it, which was more what she did. “We’re adults. We know this is a tricky situation. We’re professionals. So…we act like it.”
“Act like professionals,” Emily said, nodding yet again.
“Yes.”
“I can do that.”
“Yes, you can. So can I.”
Emily sucked in a deep breath. “Okay. Good. I’m glad we settled that.”
“Me, too.”
Jerking a thumb over her shoulder, Emily said, “I’ll just go walk some dogs now.”
It was Catherine’s turn to nod like a bobblehead doll. “Okay. Good. You do that.”
“I’m gonna go do that.” Emily turned to the door, grasped the doorknob. As she pulled the door open, she looked back at Catherine and there was a mischievous glint in her eye. Then she winked and was
gone.
Catherine gave it a beat. Two. Three. Then she dropped her head to her desk with a thump and groaned loudly enough that Mo came over to her and tried to get to her face with his snout. She looked at him, suddenly thrilled to have his company. His head in her hands, she looked deep into his eyes and asked him, “What the hell do I do with that, Mo? Hmm? Tell me what to do now.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JESSICA WAS AN OBSERVER. She liked to sit back and take it all in, and she knew her people well. In fact, she would be willing to bet she knew them better than any of them realized. It wasn’t because she was nosy, or because she was looking for anything to hold over them. It was because she cared. Plain and simple. She knew Maggie Simon had arthritis in her knees, so Jessica made sure to keep an eye on how much lifting and bending she did in the gift shop, popping in “unexpectedly” to help more often than not. She knew that Bill Tracey didn’t have anybody at home to talk to or appreciate him, and that he would stay at the shelter twenty-four hours a day if he could, so she made sure to thank him for his hard work and let him know every day how valuable he was to Junebug Farms.
She pushed through the double doors to the dog wing and walked halfway down the row to Lisa’s desk. She knew about Lisa, too. She knew Lisa’d had a decade-long rift with her mother, and she’d known when Lisa had been fighting her attraction to Ashley. Jessica had watched from the sidelines, stepping in once or twice just to place some perspective in front of Lisa before stepping back out again. Jessica considered herself a silent observer. It wasn’t her place to meddle—though if she thought the shelter was being aversely affected, she’d stick her nose in. For the most part, though, she sat back and watched, amused by life in general.
As she stopped in front of Lisa’s desk, she noticed Emily Breckenridge heading out the back door with a large Lab mix of some sort on a leash, and she was reminded of her discussion with Catherine that morning. To Lisa, she said, “You got yourself another dog walker, I see.”
Run To You (Puppy Love Romance Book 2) Page 13
