by Lexy Timms
“Do you have any way to get in touch with his teacher or something?” Simon asked. “The school is closed, but maybe his teacher might have some more information.”
She pulled her hand away to open her bag and grab her cell phone. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“You were stressed,” he replied. “Sometimes that makes it harder to think clearly. But that’s what I’m here for. To help you find him.”
With shaking hands she searched through her contacts and called her son’s teacher. When Finn’s teacher answered, it was impossible to keep the panic out of her voice as she pressed her for information. After his teacher informed her about Finn’s injury she quickly hung up and turned to Simon.
He frowned. “What is it?”
“Finn’s teacher says he fell off the slide and my parents picked him up,” she said.
“Is he okay?”
She felt the tears prick the back of her eyes. “I don’t know. His teacher sounded calm, but I can’t stand thinking that he might have hurt himself and I wasn’t there for him.”
The sound of a car engine outside grabbed her attention, and before she could think she ran out of the house. Her parents’ beat-up old station wagon had just pulled up, and she watched as her father helped Finn limp towards her.
“Mommy!”
“Finn!” At the sight of her son, Heather ran towards Finnley and wrapped her arms around him. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine, Mommy,” Finn said.
She pulled back to get a good look at him. There was a bewildered expression on her son’s round face.
“Your teacher said you hurt yourself falling off the slide,” she said as she noticed the bandages around his lower leg.
“He sprained his ankle a tiny bit, that’s all,” her father said. “When we picked him up he was crying and howling up a storm.”
Her mother stepped out of the car. “But he was so brave when the doctor had a look at him.”
“So, he’s okay?” Heather demanded.
“I’m fine, Mommy.” Her son flashed her a smile. “The doctor says I get to miss P.E. for the next week! I got a note and everything.”
She almost laughed. He was still missing some of his front teeth, and a smile from Finnley was rare these days. Heather patted his head gently. “That’s nice. I’m glad to see that you’re okay, pumpkin. Why don’t you go inside with Grandpa?”
Finn nodded, and her father guided him up the driveway and inside the house. Inside the house. She almost groaned. Simon was still inside. Which meant he’d end up talking to her father. And her son would meet him.
Her professional life and her personal life were about to get tangled up in a way she hadn’t foreseen.
Leaving her mother staring after her, Heather rushed back into the house and found Simon shaking her father’s hand.
“I knew I recognized you!” Her father turned to her. “Hey, Heather, it’s your old buddy, Simon.”
She forced herself to keep from rolling her eyes. “I know, Dad. He’s my boss now. I told you all of this last week.”
Her father scratched his graying beard thoughtfully. “Simon Diesel in the flesh. You know, nobody at work ever believes me when I tell them you grew up next door. Granted, we’ve moved now, but we lived at the old place for years. And still, nobody believes me. Ah, well.”
“Dad, could you please take Finn upstairs?” Heather bit back an exasperated sigh. If she hoped to avoid awkwardly introducing Simon to her son, she had to keep the drama to a minimum.
“Sure thing, hon.” Her father grinned at Simon. “Nice to see you again after all these years, Simon. One of these days we ought to talk. Catch up on old times.”
“That would be my pleasure, sir,” Simon said stiffly.
As her father took Finn upstairs and out of sight, her mother wandered in.
“Simon! I knew I recognized your voice.” Her mother’s face lit up. “Goodness, you’re still as handsome as ever.”
Simon gave a faint smile.
“Mother.”
Her mother frowned. “What is it, sweetie?”
“Why didn’t you guys call me when you found out that Finn got hurt?” Heather asked, trying to steer her mother’s attention away from Simon. All it would take to reveal her scandalous behavior with her boss were a few awkward questions Heather couldn’t answer.
“Well, you explained how important today was,” her mother replied. “We assumed that your conference would run late, and since it was so important we didn’t want to call you and worry you. Not to mention, we couldn’t have our cell phones on in the doctor’s office. Your father and I had everything under control. Finn is totally fine, as you can see. It’s just a sprain.”
Heather frowned, knowing all too well that her parents had probably decided not to call because they didn’t think she could handle it. After the divorce, they had taken to treating her like she was made of glass. Keeping bad news from her. Bending over backwards to help all the time. Heather appreciated their efforts, but it was so stifling sometimes.
Thankfully, Finn’s injury was just a sprain. Heather’s thoughts were still racing, but her anxiety was subsiding somewhat. At least Finn wasn’t seriously hurt and her parents were okay.
“How about a cup of tea, Simon?” her mother asked.
“That sounds great, Mrs. Monroe,” he said. “Thank you.”
Her mother slipped off towards the kitchen, leaving them alone together.
“You’re not staying for tea,” Heather said over her shoulder as she marched out of the house.
He walked behind her, the length of his strides so long he was already walking ahead of her by the time she got to his sleek electric car.
“Why not?” he asked.
“You hate social interactions,” she reminded him.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. There was something so oddly endearing about him outside of work, which only made her even more annoyed. “Not if they include you.”
“Stop with the flattery,” she snapped. “I appreciate you helping me, but it’s time for you to leave.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” He paused. “Since you left your car at the office, how about I pick you up tomorrow morning?”
“Why?”
“We can talk. About what we did,” he replied. “Figure out where we stand.”
“With my son in the car?” she asked. “If you’re going to be picking me up tomorrow, you’ll also have to pick up Finn. And I don’t think we need to be having that kind of conversation around my son.”
“I don’t mind picking both of you up—”
“That’s enough,” she said, coldly cutting him off. This had to stop now. He was going to break her heart all over again. They both knew that. It would only end disastrously for her. She had Finn to think about. “We’ve had our fun. It’s time for things to get back to normal.”
“At least let me send you a driver,” he murmured. “If you don’t want to talk, let me at least help you since this situation is my fault anyway.”
“It’s not your fault.” She sighed heavily. “We both let the moment get the best of us. Now that moment has passed.”
“You don’t want me around your family, do you?”
She didn’t reply. What could she say? If she explained that she didn’t want to bring a romantic partner around her son, it would probably insult Simon. But after her divorce, her son needed stability.
Bringing a fleeting office romance home was only going to confuse her son, and that was the last thing they needed. Right now she had to focus on proving that she was a good mom, even if she was single. Especially since the divorce had been Gary’s idea. He had cast her aside to finally live the exciting life he had always wanted. The best way to move past the divorce was to show Gary and her family that she was doing just fine without her ex.
Simon straightened and his face became unreadable. “Fine. Have it your way,” he said. “I’ll
be on my way home now. Thank your mother for the tea.” He got inside his car and turned on the ignition. “And Heather, don’t worry about what happened today. We can put it behind us. We can act like professionals and get past this minor mistake.” Without another glance at her Simon pulled out of the driveway and drove off, leaving her standing on the pavement.
Heather ignored the pain knifing through her heart. Simon had released her. They could go back to what they were and act like nothing had happened.
Now all she had to do was shake off her attraction to him once and for all. Easier said than done, but as long as she avoided being alone with her handsome boss everything would be fine.
Chapter 10
“Heather.” Simon’s eyes narrowed on her. “In my office.”
Her heart started pounding like crazy. She had only just stepped into her small office to begin making early morning phone calls to confirm staff attendance at a meeting later today.
“What’s this about?” she asked, her voice shaking.
But it was too late. Simon had already turned around and vanished from sight.
She set her handbag on her desk and inhaled a deep breath. After last night, her nerves were fried. And having to meet Simon in his office—presumably alone—was the last thing she wanted to do.
Heather headed into Simon’s office, trying her best to ignore her sweaty palms and racing heart. Yesterday was a mistake they had both agreed to get over. Put aside for the greater good. Her reputation. His career. Those were the things that mattered right now. Not whether Simon had spent all night thinking about her like she had been thinking about him.
He pulled out two chairs in front of his desk and gestured for her to sit across from him. “Have a seat. I’ve got some news. Things to discuss.”
Swallowing hard, she forced herself to shut the door behind her and walk over to him without showing the panic that was rising in her. She sat down and crossed her legs, trying to look professional and project a confidence she didn’t feel.
“What news?” she asked.
He sat down and leaned back in his chair. Simon was so tall that even when he leaned back his legs were practically brushing against hers. “First of all, I hope the driver got your son to school on time.”
Her stomach fluttered. Her boss was sitting to close to her that it made her body respond before she could even think. “Yes,” she said. “Thank you for sending the driver this morning. It was very kind of you.” After I was such a bitch last night. She didn’t bother saying that part out loud.
“No problem. It was my pleasure,” he said.
Her cheeks warmed when he said the word pleasure, so she tore her gaze away from him to stare at her hands. What was wrong with her? If she didn’t get it together quickly she was liable to make a complete fool of herself. “You wanted to discuss some news?”
“Right.” He crossed his arms. “I have a couple of things to go over with you. First things first: this is delicate, but I’ll be informing one of the board members about yesterday’s...events.”
Her mouth went dry. “What?”
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “It’s Dover policy. If colleagues do something...sexual in nature, they have to report it.”
“Report it?” She practically choked on her words. “You mean like, every single time staff at Dover sleeps together they have to give some kind of detailed report?”
“Well, no. Not every single time. Didn’t you read the handbook? It was very clear,” Simon replied. “We just have to report any kind of romantic relationship—”
“We’re not in a relationship,” she said, cutting him off.
Simon blinked. “No. We’re definitely not.” He sighed. “But we were intimate, and that has to be reported. You’re not expected to give details. Just something that says that we were intimate together.”
“No. Absolutely not.” She hated to sound so terse, but she refused to have that kind of information getting out.
“It’s company policy,” Simon explained. “We run a very ethical company here, Heather. We even have an ethics office.”
She glared at him. “You seriously think I’m going to sign off on someone at Dover knowing I screwed my boss?”
He winced. “You make it sound so mercenary. As if there weren’t any emotions involved.”
“There weren’t,” she said, knowing full well what a lie that was.
What she and Simon had shared together wasn’t just physical. She knew that. Which was why they had to put it behind them completely. Letting Simon back into her heart would be disastrous. He had broken her heart once, and with a recent divorce barely behind her letting feelings get in the way of rebuilding her life would only torpedo her plans. She needed a clean break from what they had done yesterday.
“I see.” His jaw clenched, and his blue eyes narrowed. “I guess I read too much into it.”
“I let my emotions from the speech get the best of me,” she said. “And I suspect you finally getting confirmation that I was hiding my identity got the best of you, too. We had a good time. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that.”
“There’s still the matter of telling one of the board members what happened,” he pointed out.
“Please, Simon, don’t do this. Working together is complicated enough as it is.” She hated having to beg, however, appealing to Simon’s old feelings for her was the only strategy she had left. The only way she knew how to protect her career. “I can’t have this getting out. It would destroy my reputation.”
“I don’t want to cause you any distress,” he said. “That’s the last thing I want to do. But this is for our protection. If we report this, your evaluation will get taken out of my hands. Someone else will decide if your three-month contract should be renewed. That means your job won’t be influenced by anything we’ve done together. You’ll get a fair and impartial evaluation.”
“Can’t you just have someone else evaluate me without explaining exactly why?” she asked desperately.
Simon frowned. “I don’t know... I guess I could act like I need help evaluating you.”
She nodded vigorously. “Yes. Exactly. You’d be doing the ethical thing by asking someone else to evaluate me, while keeping what we did a secret. Can you that for me, Simon? Keep this between us?”
He gazed at her, a pained expression evident on his chiseled features. “I suppose. But this probably complicates my next piece of news.”
“Oh? What is it?”
Simon sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. “There’s another conference coming up that I have to attend. Only it’s out of town, and you and I will be the only people from Dover attending.”
SIMON WATCHED HER ENTIRE body stiffen.
“We should tell the board member what we did,” he said firmly. Heather was clearly uncomfortable with this new development, and maybe drafting a report about their encounter in his hotel room would fix things.
“No,” she said. “We really shouldn’t. I don’t have a problem going to an out of town conference with you. I’m just worried about how to take care of my son when I’m out of town. How long is the conference?”
“Two days,” he said. “I don’t usually attend this particular conference, but since it coincides with the roll- out of this new generation of Dover products, it seemed like a good idea to show up. Drum up a little extra press.”
She bit her lip. “I’ll go to the conference with you. But only if you swear not to tell anyone what we did.”
“I won’t tell the board.”
“Not just the board,” she said. “No one can know. Not your friends. Not your family. Not even your therapist.”
Simon arched an eyebrow. “I have no friends. My family has practically disowned me. And I’ve got no use for therapists.”
She blinked, and the expression on her face softened. “Your family disowned you?”
His stomach tightened. The drama with his parents was the last thi
ng he wanted to talk about. He had buried that pain so long ago that he refused to talk about it with anyone. Even Heather.
Simon surged to his feet and walked over to his desk. “We don’t have time to get into that.”
“I guess I’m not the only one with secrets,” she said softly.
He paused to look down at her. Really look at her. Drink her in. Heather was staring back at him, a light burning in her hazel eyes. There was something between concern and suspicion in her gaze. Concern for him. Suspicion over what he might do with their secret. Simon had never seen anything like it, and it unnerved him.
It was like she was looking right into his soul, which wasn’t the kind of thing that happened often. Women didn’t get close enough to even know he had a family. But Heather knew.
It was strange to have been proven right. To have his suspicions that she was the girl from his childhood confirmed. Yet, now that he knew the truth, he didn’t feel vindicated at all. All he felt was that he was getting dangerously close to the razor’s edge. As if pushing just a little would mean scandal and destruction for them both. That thought shouldn’t have thrilled him, but it did.
Heather might have been prim and proper, but every moment he spent with her excited him like nothing else ever had. His pulse was racing, and he was finding it very hard to breathe. Because, in this moment, he had the sinking feeling that he hadn’t scratched the surface with Heather. Hadn’t come close to prying all her secrets out of her.
“I won’t tell anyone what we did,” he murmured. “But I don’t regret it.”
“I find that very hard to believe,” she said.
“Why?” he asked, taken aback.
She shrugged. “You don’t let anyone get close to you anymore. I remember you were a loner before high school, but when you got to high school you started to bloom. Especially toward all the girls who threw themselves at you.”
“I never wanted that attention,” he insisted.
“When you become the school’s star athlete and end up being the valedictorian, it’s impossible for people not to notice,” she said with a faint smile. “And all the girls certainly noticed you.”
