Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
PARKER
I settled in at my desk early on Saturday morning with a weird sense of dissonance. Today was the last day of the trial period. The guys had been so busy this week, there’d been no discussion of whether they wanted me to stay on or if this was the end of things. And, honestly, I wasn’t sure how I felt one way or the other. Despite the fact that I’d been all in on this job from the beginning, I was no longer sure it was the right fit for me. Or, more properly, I wasn’t sure if I was willing to put myself into a position where I might be used as a verbal punching bag.
Not that Callum had done it again. In truth, he’d been scarce around the office ever since. Some of that was on me for making sure he was fully booked and occupied. Some of it had clearly been by his own choice. We were, I supposed, avoiding each other. Which had been fine for a day or two. But honestly, I’d expected better of him. Maybe it was my own romanticism making me think he’d come apologize.
He hadn’t.
That shouldn’t have stung as much as it did. What were we to each other, truly? I’d known the man for barely more than two weeks. He was one of my three bosses. Our outing on the loch didn’t make us friends. I’d probably imagined that moment of connection the day we’d first met. For him, I’d been only a convenient solution to a problem.
Well, at least I could comfort myself with knowing I’d given my all these two weeks, and if they elected not to keep me, I was leaving them in better shape than I’d found them.
A noise from the back told me someone had arrived. More than one someone by the sounds of the footsteps making their way through the warehouse section of the building. Alex and Finn emerged from the back hall and converged on my desk. Finn held a familiar box under one arm.
“Good morning, Parker.” He put the box on my desk and opened it. “We brought you breakfast.”
I cautiously eyed the bakery box. “Is this a going-away pastry?”
Alex leaned on the counter. “We’re hoping it’s a you’re-going-to-stay pastry, because we’d like to formally offer you the full-time position of office manager at Out of Bounds Scotland.”
Finley closed in on the other side. “You’ve revolutionized everything in the time you’ve been here, and frankly we dinna ken what we’d do without you.”
Their appreciation warmed something inside me. And yet, I didn’t immediately say yes. Callum’s absence from this offer was glaring. Did that mean he wasn’t in favor of my staying? Surely his business partners wouldn’t be making the offer if they weren’t all in agreement.
“I appreciate all of that. Can I have some time to think about it? I need to consider all the aspects of really staying. From the visa application to the cost of living. There are a lot of moving parts involved in all of this, and I want to make sure this is the right move before I say yes. I wouldn’t want to put you in some sort of position where you got left hanging.”
The two men exchanged a look, obviously not having expected my reticence.
Alex broke the silence first. “Of course. Take all the time you need. And if we can answer any questions for you, or if you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Did I imagine that little hesitation before he said “concerns?” Did I want to bring up my complicated feelings around Callum? No. He was their friend. Their brother-in-arms. Their allegiance would be to him—as it should be.
I mustered a smile. “Thanks. And thanks for the pastries.”
When they might have pursued the issue, the front door opening put an end to the opportunity. The first of their clients were arriving. I offered a warm smile to the group of university students who’d booked a mountain biking excursion.
“Welcome to Out of Bounds Scotland. If I could just get y’all to sign in here and fill out this paperwork.”
We all fell into our expected roles, getting the liability waivers signed, going over base-level safety instructions, and getting each participant kitted out with whatever equipment they needed to rent for the day. I appreciated the busy. It kept my mind off the decision I needed to make.
But eventually, the guys headed out, taking their clients with them, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the scones still perched on my desk. I nibbled on one as I input the new client paperwork from this morning’s batch of adventurers.
“I’d like to speak with you.”
At the deep male voice behind me, I startled so hard the scone went flying. Callum stepped into view, scooping up the ruined pastry from the floor. As he straightened to his full height—towering over me where I sat—I caught the familiar scent of coffee. He held a steaming to-go cup with the bakery’s logo on the side.
I pressed a hand to my galloping heart and glared at him. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? I thought I was here alone.”
His mouth twisted in a wince. “Sorry. Stealth is kind of second nature at this point.” He set the cup down on my meticulously organized desk, careful to use the coaster I’d added my first week. “I’ll try to warn you I’m coming next time.”
Next time? Did that mean he expected me to stay? And what was this coffee? Some kind of peace offering after days of silence?
The tension of our last real interaction still hummed between us, and I wasn’t at all sure it was something I could live with long term. I hadn’t been tiptoeing around him. That wasn’t my way, and I wasn’t afraid of him, no matter how loud his bark. But I had stuck to my job and avoided any additional effort to help him with anything, figuring that if he wanted to wallow, that was his business.
“What did you want to speak to me about?”
He shifted on his feet, glancing down at the floor before forcing himself to look back at me. “My behavior earlier this week was absolutely unacceptable. The work you’ve done here has been nothing short of miraculous, including all the small things you’ve done to make my life easier. I didn’t know that color coding would help. And digitizing everything with the project management system so I could blow everything up to a larger size on any screen was… well, it was more useful than I would have imagined.”
He continued to fidget, obviously uncomfortable. “I’ve been struggling with accepting help. Some days are worse than others, but that’s no’ an excuse. All that to say, I’m sorry I was an arsehole, and I want you to stay.”
He did?
I was so stunned by the admission I said nothing at all.
Evidently compelled to fill the silence, Callum kept talking. “I’ll understand if you dinna want to. If I’ve ruined the idea of that for you. But I hope I haven’t. I promise I’ll do better, and that I’ll work on my reactions. Because you’re good for the business and good for the team. And… you’re good for me. Beyond the fact that you keep me off the bloody phones.”
I couldn’t help but snicker a little at that rueful admission.
“Please stay, Parker.”
Leaning back in my chair, I absorbed all of this. By this point, I hadn’t expected an apology at all, let alone a proper one that acknowledged what he’d done wrong. He hadn’t struck me as the kind of guy who’d do that, because it required talking and admitting weakness, neither of which were things he tolerated well. But it was what I’d needed to hear.
The tension I’d been carrying around for days finally bled out, the wall between us collapsing. I had to acknowledge to myself that this job wasn’t just about escaping my parents. If it had been, any job would have done. But I wanted this job in this place. And, for better or worse, part of why was the man standing in front of me.
I didn’t know what that meant. Maybe nothing. But I felt, deep in my bones, that he and I were meant to be in each other’s lives for a while.
“Thank you for the apology. And yes, I do intend to stay.”
He visibly relaxed, his shoulders lowering, his posture shifting. “Good.”
“I do have one really major issue I need to sort out in a hurry.”
“What’s that?”
“Lovely as the B and B is, staying there long term is cost prohibitive. I’ve got to find an actual place to live.”
His shoulders straightened, as if with renewed purpose. “I can help with that.”