Big Built Boss (Cherrywood Village #8)

Chapter One

Alex

“Alex, you have a minute?” I turn around knowing exactly who I’ll see—Josh, the man who acts as manager when I’m not around. For all intents and purposes, Josh is my right hand man.

“Yeah, what’s up?” I ask, looking away from the group of teenagers practicing on our sandbag. One of my favorite parts about owning a boxing gym, and the only one for miles around, is how much raw potential I see pass through these doors.

“Have you seen our numbers for this quarter?” Josh says with his arms crossed.

“I have,” I admit, not sure where this conversation is going.

“There’s more than enough room in the budget for us to hire another person,” he continues, running a hand through his hair.

I can tell he’s nervous. I’ve been hesitant about hiring someone else. The first time he suggested it, I snapped at him. It isn’t even because I thought it was a bad idea. I’m just not a fan of change, and there’s been very little since I took this place over from my dad. In fact, there’s only been one new hire since he retired, and it was because the last manager retired too.

“I’m aware.” I glance away rubbing my palm over the stubble along my chin from him to ensure the teenagers aren’t doing anything to hurt themselves. “Finding someone new takes time.”

“How upset would you be if I told you that I’ve already got that taken care of?” Josh pushes sounding even more meek and more than a little scared.

“What do you mean by that?” I snap, clenching my jaw to hide my irritation.

“I’ve been interviewing potential employees,” he admits with a shrug. “I haven’t hired anyone yet, but I have my top pick stopping by in about twenty minutes.”

“Of course you do,” I say, pinching the bridge of my nose as I center myself. I should be thankful that he’s done most of the legwork, and maybe I will be in due time. But for now, I’m frustrated that this change is happening without my permission. “Tell me about him.”

“Her, actually,” Josh corrects, clearly picking his words carefully. “Her name is Olivia, and she just moved to Cherrywood Village. She has a degree in accounting, so she’d spend most of the time in the office.”

“So she’d free up your hours to help out on the floor,” I add, finally dropping my hand. “Smart.”

“You’re not pissed?”

“No, I am,” I say before sighing and deciding that it’s not worth getting upset over. “Still, I guess I should probably thank you.”

This is a problem that I’ve been avoiding solving. If he hadn’t taken the initiative, I doubt that I would have gotten around to it anytime soon. This move, though frustrating, is going to do wonders for morale around here. I know my staff misses their days off.

“No need to do that,” he says as he claps a hand over my shoulder. “I’m just trying to keep this place running smoothly.”

“Well, it’s appreciated,” I admit, rolling my shoulders back and dislodging his hand. “Am I conducting an interview when she gets here?”

“It’s more of just a meet and greet,” Josh says, gesturing for me to follow him into the office. “If you like her, I think we should go ahead and hire her.”

“You’re moving fast,” I note as he unlocks the door and makes a beeline for the desk.

“I might be tired of taking care of the numbers now that we’re busy,” he grunts, pulling out a packet from a manila envelope. “Here’s her application and resume.”

I accept the pages from him and look them over. Everything seems to be in order, but I truthfully don’t know much about picking out someone to hire. I’ve only ever done it once, and Josh was a recommendation from his predecessor.

“I’m going to leave you with that,” he says while I’m scanning through her resume. “It’s probably not best to leave the front desk unattended.”

“Uh huh,” I murmur, wondering what would bring a girl from Los Angeles to Cherrywood Village. This place is less than a fraction of the size of LA.

“I’ll send her in when she gets here.” With that, he slips through the door.

Once he’s gone, I settle into the swivel chair in front of the computer monitor. There are notes from Josh’s interview with her scribbled on the back of her resume. It seems as though he’s covered everything that I would, and I wonder what the hell I’m supposed to ask her when she gets here.

I suppose I could ask her about the last gym she worked out at. It says here that she likes to do yoga and would start her mornings by doing an hour of cardio. I’m not sure if that’s an appropriate question, but I need something to break the ice. There’s no way I’ll be able to get a good gauge of her competence just by looking at her.

I’m reading through her resume for the second time when someone knocks on the door. Without looking up, I call for them to come in, assuming that it’s Josh with something else he wants to tell me before our potential new employee gets here. It hasn’t been more than ten minutes, so I can’t imagine it’s Olivia.

“Alex?” a female voice I don’t recognize says.

It’s enough to pull me away from my reading. Standing in front of me is a gorgeous woman with sun-kissed skin and big brown eyes. Her brown hair is pulled half-up, showing off her feminine cheekbones and plump pink lips.

“Yep,” I say, snapping out of my stupor. “That’s me.”

“Hi, I’m Olivia,” she greets, stating what I’ve already assumed. “Josh told me to go ahead and come back here, but if I’m interrupting something, I can wait a few minutes. I am early, after all.”

“No, you’re fine,” I assure her, setting her file on the desk in front of me. “I was actually just looking over your resume. Take a seat.”

She smiles and walks into the room with an air of confidence that I can’t help but admire. I can understand how she was the president of her sorority. As she settles into the chair across from me, she tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“So,” I say, clearing my throat and reminding myself that I need to keep this professional. We’re at the gym I own, and I’m poised to be her boss if all goes well. I can’t be checking her out or doing anything to make her uncomfortable. “I’ve looked over Josh’s notes from your initial interview, and everything looks good there.”

“That’s good to hear.” Her voice is melodic and warm. “Although, I kind of assumed that considering I’m meeting with you.”

Despite myself, the corner of my mouth lifts. She’s funny, and rather than coming off as cocky, her statement is charming. The woman only said a few sentences to me, and I’m already enamored.

“I notice that you’re a bit of a gym rat yourself,” I begin, leaning back in my chair and resting my palms on the curves of the armrest. “Tell me about the gym you worked out at before you came to Cherrywood Village.”

“It was nothing special,” Olivia says, pursing her lips as she considers how to answer. “Most of the gyms out in LA are…lavish? Focused on aesthetics? I kind of hated that, so I found one that wasn’t much bigger than this to do my morning cardio.”

“Did they offer yoga?” I say, remembering that line in Josh’s notes.

“No, I did that on campus at the gym there,” she replies easily, crossing her legs as she relaxes into her seat. “It was included with tuition, so I figured I’d take advantage of it.”

“So you’re probably much stronger than you look,” I say with a smirk, noting the slight blush starting to color her pretty little cheeks.

“I wouldn’t know,” she says, still holding my gaze despite the fact that she’s clearly flustered. “I don’t really do weight training.”

“Well, you’ll be free to use the gym whenever you’re not on the clock,” I say, admiring the way she’s so unshakable.

“Are you offering me the job?” Olivia asks, her smile getting even wider.

Truthfully, I’ve never done an interview this fast. But, I don’t even have to ask her any questions to know that I want to bring her onto the staff. And that’s as much because of her credentials as it is the fact that I need to see more of her. Call me crazy. Call it what you want, but I can feel it in my chest that this woman is going to undo me.

“That I am,” I say. “That is, if you want it.”

“If I didn’t want it, why would I have applied?” she counters.

“Okay, fair enough,” I chuckle. “We’ll get your paperwork filed out on your first day. When can you start?”

“Would I sound too desperate if I said tomorrow?”

“Would it sound too desperate if I said that would be ideal?” I say, turning the question back on her.

“Not at all,” she laughs, shifting forward as she prepares to stand.

“Oh, before you go,” I say, causing her to stop in her tracks. “I was wondering what brought you to Cherrywood Village from LA.”

“It’s not a super interesting story,” she says with a shrug. “Life was so fast-paced in Los Angeles that I just wanted to slow down a little.”

“And how’d you land on Cherrywood Village as the place that you’d try?” I ask, understanding her reasoning but not knowing what’s so special about this small town—don’t get me wrong, I love it here, but I find it hard to believe anyone outside of the state knows it exists.

“I saw an ad for an entire house for about half of what I’d pay for a studio back home,” she says, scratching the back of her neck. “I didn’t really do a lot of research, but the price was too good to pass up.”

“Fair enough,” I say, thanking whatever higher power there is that she ended up here. “Anyway, I’ll let you go. How’s nine tomorrow sound for your first shift?”

“Sounds perfect,” she says, standing up and offering me her hand.

I stand and take it, noting how soft her lithe hands are. As I reluctantly release her, I say, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The last thing she says before she leaves the office is, “Looking forward to it.”

And I really was, too. Probably too much for how little I actually know about her. Still, for the rest of the night, I counted down to the moment I would see her again. That led me to this morning where I now stare down the clock as if it will get those hands to move.

Nine sharp.

That’s when she’s supposed to show up. It’s not like I’ve got anything to worry about. Josh will handle the paperwork, the same as he’s done with every new hire since he came on board. Olivia will settle in and probably spend most of her time in the office, and the gym will keep running smoothly.

So why am I so on edge?

It’s because of her. The way she smiled during our interview, her easy confidence—hell, even the way she tucked her hair behind her ear—it’s all still fresh in my head. And that’s dangerous. I’m her boss now. Whatever this...thing is, I need to shut it down before it even starts. Before it gets any stronger than it already is.

The door to my office creaks open, and Josh sticks his head in. “She’s here,” he says, keeping his voice low. “Want me to handle the intro?”

I nod, swallowing the knot in my throat. “Yeah, take care of it. Get her started on the paperwork and show her around. I’ll come out once she’s settled.”

Josh smirks, and it’s enough to make my jaw tighten. He doesn’t say anything, though, just gives me a thumbs-up and disappears.

I sit down, running a hand through my hair. This is fine. I’ll just keep my distance and let Josh break the ice. By the time I walk out there, I’ll be cool, composed, and professional.

That plan lasts all of five minutes.

When I step into the main gym, she’s standing by the front desk with Josh, holding a clipboard. She’s wearing a fitted blazer over a simple blouse, paired with slacks that somehow manage to look professional and infuriatingly flattering all at once. Her brown hair is pulled back today, revealing the curve of her neck, and I force myself to focus on something—anything—else.

Like the clipboard. That’s safe.

A few seconds later, she disappears into her new office, never having noticed me. I resolve not to bother her. There are plenty of things to do around here that don’t involve going into my new accountant’s office. And for a good few hours, I busy myself with those things, but eventually, I find myself drifting closer and closer until I’m standing outside of her door.

“How are things going?” I ask, after finally caving and stepping into the office where Olivia’s seated. She jumps slightly, her hand flying to her cheek, and I bite back a smirk.

“Good,” she says, her voice flustered, as she rubs at her flushed skin. “You scared me.”

“Sorry,” I reply, though I’m not really sorry. Her reaction is kind of adorable, and I can’t help but feel amused. “You close to finishing up?”

“Yep,” she says, signing the last page of the paperwork. “Just got done with the last one.”

“Perfect.” I motion for her to stand. “Leave that there, and I’ll take care of it later. I want to show you around the gym real quick. Then I’ll get you into our system so you can get your bearings.”

“Sounds good,” she says as she rises, the chair scraping lightly against the floor.

She stops a step in front of me, and suddenly we’re standing closer than I realized. Too close. For a second, her gaze meets mine, and I catch the flecks of gold in her hazel eyes. She looks at me like she’s seeing something she didn’t expect, and it’s impossible not to notice the subtle curve of her lips, the way her breath catches.

I clear my throat and break the moment. “Let’s go,” I say, turning toward the door.

As I lead the way, I hear her exhale sharply behind me, and I wonder if she felt it too—the tension, the unspoken thing crackling between us. Probably not. She’s just getting used to the place, and I’m reading into it because I need to get a grip. We move through the gym, and I point out the machines, explaining their functions.

“You probably won’t be doing much cleaning or demoing for guests,” I tell her, “but it’s good to know how everything works.”

She nods, her focus on me and then on the equipment, taking it all in like she’s already piecing things together. It’s impressive. Distracting, too, because every time I catch her nodding or tilting her head thoughtfully, I feel the pull to keep talking just to hold her attention.

When we finish the walkthrough, I ask if she has any questions. She shakes her head, her answer confident, and I motion for us to head back to the office.

“So,” I say as we step inside, “now that we’ve got the basics covered, I’ll log you into the system so you can get comfortable with it.”

“I’m sure that won’t take long.” Her voice is steady, though there’s a hint of playfulness in her tone. “I’m a pretty fast learner.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” I grin, sliding into the chair and pulling up the system.

She steps to my side, standing close enough that I catch a whiff of her perfume—subtle and floral, nothing overwhelming, but it lingers in the air between us. I focus on the computer, showing her where the passwords are stored. She makes a note to herself, probably already thinking about improving our setup.

By the time I’m walking her through the books—a simple Excel sheet—I can tell she’s got it. She’s sharp, and I already know she’s going to have ideas to streamline things.

“Josh just finished our reports for the last quarter,” I say, glancing over my shoulder at her. “So you’ll have plenty of time to get acclimated.”

She’s standing so close, and when I look up, our eyes meet again. This time, the air feels heavier, charged.

“Then what’d you hire me for?” she says, a teasing lilt in her voice, though there’s something almost breathless about it.

I smirk, leaning back in the chair a little. “We needed a pretty face around here.”

She holds my gaze, not flinching, her expression steady even as her cheeks flush a little deeper. “You really think I’m qualified for that?”

My eyes drift over her—her posture, the way her slacks fit just right, her blouse hinting at her curves without being obvious. She’s beautiful, and the confidence in her stance makes her more so.

“I believe you’re more than qualified,” I say, my voice lower than I intend.

She shudders, just slightly, and I know she’s trying to hide it. It sends a thrill through me, one I shouldn’t feel. I look away, breaking the moment. “I knew I was going to hire you the minute I saw you.”

The words hang in the air, and for a second, it feels like we’re teetering on the edge of something. But I know better. This isn’t a line I can cross.

I push back from the desk and stand. “Anyway, I’ll let you get comfortable with this for the rest of the day.”

She blinks, snapping out of whatever she was thinking, and nods. “Okay. Is there anything else I need to know before I dive in here?”

“Not really. If you find ways to make things better, go for it—just take notes so Josh and I can keep up.”

“Sounds good,” she says, settling into the chair as I walk to the door.

I glance back once, seeing her already absorbed in the screen. The tension from earlier lingers in my chest as I step out, closing the door behind me.

I need to be careful. Whatever just happened between us...I can’t let it happen again.