Chapter 25
INEZ
25
It’s Tuesday afternoon and the bar isn’t so busy, which is a nice change of pace. It means that the staff has extra time to get other things done around the place.
Nolan is here, doing a couple hours of inventory. As I’m simultaneously serving my customers and restocking the bar, I feel him half-staring at me. Every time I catch him checking me out, his face turns red and he grins like a fool before looking away.
Trying not to let the attention get to my head, I load the dishwasher before I focus on filling up the garnish station behind the bar. Then I move on to slicing the lemons, limes and oranges I’ll need for the rush this evening. As I work, I’m desperate to keep my mind busy. Anything to keep my thoughts off of what the next few days have in store for me.
My sit-down interview with the TV studio is scheduled for early next week. It will take place right here at The North Node. When I confided in Nicky, she suggested it might be best for me to do this in an environment where I feel comfortable. Nolan declared that the bar would be the perfect setting and I definitely agree. I feel safe here.
So the production studio is sending a crew out to Starlight Falls to film the interview at the bar. As the date ticks closer, I’m just desperate to keep my mind off of it all.
As I’m working, I feel bad vibes on me. When I look up, I find Suzy shooting me the stink eye from where she’s rolling the silverware into paper napkins at the other end of the counter.
That girl.
She really is a miserable, raggedy person. She’s constantly firing vitriol my way for no particular reason. But I’ve become pretty good at ignoring her.
Whenever Nolan grumbles about firing her for being catty to me, I rush to her defense. After all, she’s okay at her job—on the days when she actually shows up—and the last thing we need around here is having to worry about hiring and training new servers.
Still, a petty part of me takes an unreasonable amount of pleasure from knowing that Nolan would fire that bitch in a heartbeat if I asked him to.
Luckily for her, I use my powers for good. Not for evil.
But she’d better not take my kindness for weakness.
Anyway, now I find that my mind is on the subject of Nolan. I realize that I haven’t seen him in a little while. I’d bet he’s somewhere around here with his clipboard, making checklists and counting the inventory.
A smile comes to my face and my brain is automatically searching for an excuse to go off, looking for him. Cocktail stirrers. Yeah. We’re out of cocktail stirrers. I need to go talk to him about that. Right now.
I give my hands a quick rinse, fluff up my hair and head off to look for my sexy boss. I don’t find him in the kitchen, or in his office, or in the storage room. But I do notice that the emergency exit at the back is now wedged half-open with a garbage bin. So I wander in that direction.
I squeeze through the doorway and step out into the balmy afternoon. “Hey Nolan, can you remember to order cocktail stirrers on your nex—?”
My words die on my tongue when I spot him in the parking lot, crouched down beside a shiny blue SUV. He doesn’t notice me approaching because he’s completely focused on whatever it is he’s doing.
When I get closer, I realize that he’s applying a decal to the back window of the vehicle. It says, ‘Princess on-board. Back the heck off!’
“You finally got a new car!” I exclaim, playfully slapping him on the shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Glancing over his back, he grins widely. “I got two of them, actually.” He rises to his feet and nods to where an identical vehicle is parked a few spaces down. It’s got the same sticker affixed to the back.
“Nice, Boss Man.” I stroll over to brush my fingertips over the smooth paint. Ooh—so shiny and new! And so pretty. “Two for one special at the car dealership?” I tease him with a giggle.
“Something like that, I guess. I spoke to a financial advisor the other day and he was spewing some mumbo jumbo about tax benefits for employee cars. Leasing versus buying or something like that. I wasn’t really listening.”
“Employee cars?” I spin to face him.
He digs his hand into the back pocket of his jeans, producing a key fob. “Some of my employees have been walking their sexy butts all around town in this humidity. I figured it would benefit the company if our workers aren’t passing out from heat stroke on the sidewalks of Starlight Falls.” He extends his arm, dropping the key into my palm.
My heart starts to pound now as I blink at him. I’m trying to make sense of what’s happening here.
“Go ahead. Check it out.” He jerks his chin in the direction of the second SUV, barely restraining a smirk.
When I don’t move, Nolan comes up behind me and, hands on my shoulders, he pushes me in the direction of the vehicle. He opens the door and nudges me into the driver’s seat.
My palms go sweaty as my fingers curl around the steering wheel. I look around. Oh my god. This is so nice. Sleek black and gray interior. High-tech dashboard. And that unmistakable new car smell.
“You’re giving me a…a new car…?” I whisper, my voice quivering as I peek up at Nolan who’s leaning in through the open window.
An uncomfortable look comes over his face, almost like embarrassment. “I’m not giving you a new car. It’s a company car. For tax benefits,” he emphasizes.
I refrain from rolling my eyes as I climb out of the vehicle. God—I want to feel special. Would he at least allow me that?
“Right. A company car. For tax benefits.” I stand toe-to-toe with him. “So you won’t mind if I let Joe drive it? Or if I pass the keys to Suzy now and then?”
He moves so fast I feel a breeze as he snatches the keys back from my hand. “You wouldn’t dare let that woman drive this car.”
I toss my head back, cackling. “So, as I said, you’re giving me a company car.”
Nolan growls. “Fine. I’m giving you a company car.” He steps forward, taking my cheeks in his big hands. “I want you to have a car while you’re here. Something safe and reliable. And I want you to have one less thing to worry about when you’re out and about around town. Is that okay with you?”
“That’s okay with me.” I give the SUV another once-over and it’s finally sinking in.
My very own car. My very own car. Nolan got me my very own car.
I squeal out loud, hopping around before throwing myself against Nolan’s strong chest. “Thank you, thank you, Boss Man! No more sweating my ass off in the sun. And getting blisters on my feet. And spending half my paychecks on taxis.” I laugh and laugh with my arms thrown around his neck.
But then I realize that Nolan’s not laughing at all. In fact, he’s standing completely motionless with his arms around my waist, breathing hard. The only part of his body that’s moving is his—
I gasp out loud as his erection high-kicks me in the stomach.
“You’re an incredibly pervy boss,” I say, trying to sound stern but failing miserably.
Nolan doesn’t look embarrassed one bit. The bastard is actually smirking.
He quirks a shoulder. “What? I was just standing here, minding my business. And then the most gorgeous woman came up and started rubbing herself all over me. I’d say this is a perfectly normal bodily reaction.”
I laugh again, dropping my forehead to his chest, enjoying the woodland fragrance of his shirt and the heat of his solid body.
When I lift my face, our eyes lock and his knuckle brushes my windblown tendrils away from my eyes. “Is the color okay?” he asks me.
I glance at the gorgeous cobalt blue paint job. “It’s beautiful. Blue is my favorite color.”
Maybe that’s why I love Nolan’s eyes so much.
Or maybe his eyes are the reason I love the color blue.
I watch a sheepish smile twist his lips. “I know…” he says softly.
My heart misses a step and stumbles down a flight of stairs. He knows my favorite color. He bought me a freaking car in my favorite color. The delusional, hopeless romantic part of me is having a field day right now.
“Are you happy?” he asks me softly.
I smile as my stomach does flips and twists. “Very. Thank you, Nolan.”
The way he puffs up with pride makes me tingle on the inside. He enjoys making me happy. He takes pleasure in seeing me smile. I feel so blessed to have someone in my circle who looks for ways to make my life easier.
My eyes fall to his lips. The soft, firm, scruff-framed lips that are lowering toward mine.
God—I want his kiss so much. But I promised myself I wouldn’t cross that line with him again.
But can’t I have one kiss? Just one little kiss. No one has to know. Right?
I glance toward the building, right in time to see a figure duck back into the shadows of the doorway. Suzy. Fuck.
Rumors about Nolan and me? I don’t need any of that right now.
Ruefully, I unwrap myself from his arms. “Thank you again, Nolan,” I say softly. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am for this.”
He tugs at the neckline of his T-shirt, clearing his throat. “Y—yeah, um. Yeah.”
I offer him a half-smile as I skip back toward the bar. I take another peek over my shoulder at my new ride. Squee!
“Thank you, thank you!” I say to my boss again right before I head back inside.
Nolan Brighton is such a good man. Kind, protective, incredibly generous. At least with me.
I know that resisting him is the right thing to do. But with each passing day, it gets harder and harder.