Twenty-Two
Clover
My skin begins to itch the farther away Edith leads me from Thor. It’s ridiculous. This building is obviously secure. But, despite my better judgment, I’ve allowed Thor to become my safe place. And without him near, I simply don’t feel safe.
My chest tightens as I rub the beads on my bracelet in an attempt to ground myself. Edith is talking, but all I can hear is the blood rushing to my head. I just need to be able to catch a deep breath.
“Is there a bathroom?” I manage to croak out, twisting the material of my T-shirt in my trembling fingers.
“Oh, of course, dear.” Pointing to a door ahead of us to our right, she gives me a soft smile. “I’ll be in the break room right here.” She motions to the doorway on our left.
“Thank you.” The words are barely out of my mouth before I’m rushing into the bathroom and locking the door behind me. Apparently this is my new thing. Hiding away in the bathroom anytime things get to be too much. At least this time I’m not attempting to escape through a tiny window .
Sighing, I glance in the mirror and groan. I look worse than I did at Thor’s house. Oh well, nothing to be done about it. I let out a strangled, bitter chuckle in an attempt to not give in to the tears threatening to break loose. In only a couple of weeks, my life has been flipped completely upside down, and the emotional turmoil is taking its toll on me. My limbs are heavy with exhaustion and I’m numb all over.
Except for when Thor looks at me or touches me.
I press a hand to my stomach. It’s too soon for me to be feeling anything for him, but I can’t deny that I do. I’m not sure what it is yet. Friendship? Maybe. Attraction? The memory of a shirtless Thor in the video flashes through my mind.
Yup . Most definitely attraction.
But there’s so much more there that I’m too mentally drained to dissect at the moment.
What I need is a hot shower, chocolate, and a good night’s sleep. Maybe then I can make sense of all these mixed emotions and feelings.
“Lord, please make things clear and help me not to jump into anything without Your guidance,” I whisper quietly into the small bathroom. I can’t help but add to my prayer that no matter what happens, Thor and I will be able to remain friends after this is all over. Because if Thor has shown me one thing over the last several days, it’s that I desperately need a friend in my corner. And I think that I can have that with Thor .
My pocket vibrates, and I pull out the phone. I don’t mean to pry, but before my brain has registered that it’s Thor’s phone and not mine, I see a message flash across the screen.
LifeGiver
Keep our girl safe, Thorin. I like her.
Tears burn my eyes as I smile at Joanne’s text. The phone buzzes again, and my curiosity gets the best of me.
LifeGiver
Gunner says to tell you that she’s still too good for you.
I chuckle and shake my head, warmth flooding my chest as peace settles over me. If nothing else, I’m definitely in love with Thor’s mom and brother.
Slipping Thor’s phone back into my pocket, I gather my nerves. Something about Joanne and Gunner’s sweet acceptance of me calms the anxiety rippling through my body. It feels good knowing I might have friends who actually care about me and not my connections.
Gripping the doorknob, I open the door, better prepared to face Edith. Thor seemed to respect her and genuinely like her, and he promised I was safe with her.
I hurry to the break room and Edith smiles. “Now we can have some girl talk.”
“I’m sorry? ”
“Come on, now.” She motions for me to sit at one of the tables and I obey, watching her as she puts together a plate of snacks and prepares our coffee.
In no time, she has a steaming mug of coffee, a selection of creamers, and a platter of cookies, muffins, scones, and brownies sitting in front of me.
“I may have a baking addiction,” she stage-whispers as if it’s some secret flaw.
“That’s the best kind.”
Chuckling, she grabs plates, utensils, and a couple of napkins and sits across from me. “Well, after my Benny died, I had too much time on my hands.” She places a scone and brownie on her plate. “My son is grown with a family of his own and my daughter was in grad school at the time. So I started taking baking classes at the community center.”
“Oh, umm . . .” I stutter, not sure what to say. Dropping my eyes to my plate, I reply, “I’m sorry about your loss.”
“Thank you. It’s been almost three years. The pain never really goes away, but it softens, so it’s not quite so sharp.”
Fiddling with my napkin, I grasp for something to say but come up short. I’m not used to someone baring their painful pasts to me on the first meeting. Or any meeting.
Because you never give anyone the chance.
I inwardly flinch, but guilt wraps around me because it’s true. I don’t give people the chance to get to know me. And I don’t get the chance to know anyone else. Until Thor.
“Pain is an unforgiving fiend,” I say quietly .
“Yes, it can be.” Patting my hand gently, she says, “But God uses it to shape and mold us into something stronger, kinder, and braver. If we trust Him enough to release it to Him.”
Lifting my gaze, I blink back the sudden tears at her gentle reminder. Her blue eyes soften as she watches me.
“I suppose that’s true,” I offer weakly. Then, because I’m a coward, I change the subject. “Is Thor in trouble? Rock sounded frustrated.”
Edith laughs. “Oh, I’m sure he is. But he’s all bark and no bite.”
I lift a brow, bringing my mug to my lips. “Thor or Rock?”
This has her throwing her head back, laughing again. “Rock. He talks a big game, but he’s a big softie underneath all that muscle and crabbiness.” Leaning forward, she lowers her voice. “He slept with a nightlight and his favorite stuffed animal until he was fourteen.” Bringing her finger up to her lips, she continues. “But you didn’t hear that from me.” Winking, she settles back into her chair.
I smile, sipping my coffee. “So Thor’s not going to get fired or anything?”
She huffs. “Rock will never fire that boy. He won’t say it, but Thor’s like a son to him. Rock took him under his wing when he was having a really difficult time.”
“When his dad died?”
Edith studies me for a moment. “Among other things.”
My brow furrows as I nibble at the brownie to keep from digging into Thor’s past. If he wants me to know, he’ll tell me .
“Anything else you want to know?” Edith raises an eyebrow over the rim of her mug, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Um . . .” I finish chewing the bite of brownie, dabbing the corners of my mouth. “About?”
“Why, Thorin, of course.”
Flames lick my cheeks and my hand tightens around my mug. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
She makes a humming sound and takes a slow drink before setting her mug down and propping her chin up on her palm. “He’s very handsome. Isn’t he?”
My face heats even more, and I’m fumbling on how to respond when a gorgeous blonde walks into the room, a wide smile on her face as she talks on the phone. “Oh, that is perfect. Thank you so much. No, I don’t need anything else. I can get it with the access you gave me earlier. Thanks again!”
Sliding her phone into her pocket, her smile drops and she huffs. “I hope Rock’s satisfied now. You really need to find him a girlfriend or something, Edith. He’s killing us.”
Chuckling, Edith shakes her head. “That ship sailed long ago. That man is more stubborn than a mule.”
The blonde plops down beside us and crosses her arms. “He needs to trust me a little more. Just because I’m young doesn’t mean that I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Edith narrows her eyes, pushing the platter of pastries to her. “Did you hack into someone’s computers?”
The woman rolls her eyes. “That’s my job. I did my job.”
“Without getting their verbal consent? ”
She gives Edith a sheepish look. “I got partial consent.”
Edith tsks. “Rock is only looking out for the company and you . We have to go by the book, Bex.”
Bex raises a brow. “Really? One hundred percent of the time? No matter what?”
Edith’s mouth twitches on a smile as she sips her coffee. “Well, at least ninety percent of the time.”
Spinning to me, Bex smiles wide and stretches out her hand. “I’m sorry, I’m being so rude. I’m Bexley Boone, but you can call me Bex.”
I grasp her hand tentatively, offering what I hope is a smile and not a grimace. “Ni—Clover Mason.”
Her pale blue eyes light up as she leans forward and bites into her muffin. “So, Clover, what do you do? What are your hobbies? Got a hot boyfriend? And if you do, does he have a hot brother? Or even cousin? I’m not picky.” She waggles her eyebrows.
“Bexley, leave the poor girl alone,” Edith chides, though she appears to be covering a laugh.
Clearing my throat, I give a shaky smile, even though my face is flaming with that hot boyfriend question. And not because an image of Thor in his leather jacket leaning against his motorcycle immediately popped into my mind. “It’s okay. No boyfriends. I’m an editor. I work mostly with romance authors.”
Bex’s eyes widen, her lips tugging up even more. “Oh my goodness! That’s so exciting. I love books.” Grasping my hand, she gasps. “We should go to the big romance readers’ meetup they’re having this fall. I was going to go alone, but it would be so much fun to have a book loving friend to go along with me. What do you say?”
My throat tightens and my skin burns where Bex is still clasping my hand, though I’m touched that she would invite a practical stranger. “I . . . uh—”
“Bexie Boo, are you causing trouble with our client?” a deep voice says from the doorway and my body immediately relaxes, my lungs opening up to allow a full breath as Thor saunters into the break room.
His winks at me. “You doing okay there, Lo—Miss Mason?”
I blink, a little taken aback by the formality in his voice.
Edith scoffs. “Oh, stop it, Thorin. We all know you haven’t been calling her Miss Mason for two weeks.”
Thor laughs and sits down between Bex and me. I’m startled by how calm his presence instantly makes me feel. I’m also startled when he places a discreet hand on my leg, right above my knee, and gives it a comforting squeeze. And even though I’m wearing jeans, warmth spreads from the touch throughout my entire body. His fingers massage my leg, and I just know I’m going to combust right here on the spot. Heat inches up my neck and my cheeks, but before I completely melt into a puddle on the floor, he gives me one last squeeze and moves his hand.
It’s all over in a matter of seconds, but I almost whimper at the loss of his touch.
As if nothing happened, Thor reaches over and swipes the muffin off of Bex’s plate .
She slaps his hand. “Really, Thor. There’s an entire platter right here.” She motions to the one at the end of the table.
Shrugging, Thor stuffs the muffin in his mouth. “Yours was closer.”
Bex lets out a little growl. “You are like the fifth brother I never asked for. You know that?”
Thor grins at her. “You love me and you know it, Bexie Boo.”
Grumbling, she grabs another muffin and stands. “You better be glad I love you,” she says, before biting into her muffin, “or I’d drain your bank account. Might want to keep that in mind next time you steal my food.” She sends him a warning glance, but he only chuckles.
With my growing attraction to Thor, I expect to feel a smidge of jealousy with how close the two of them seem. But they’re treating each other like friends or siblings. And when Thor turns to me, his eyes soften into a look that I know from experience can’t be faked. It’s the one look that no one has ever seen from Mom on the big screen. Because it’s the one she saves for midnight dances in the kitchen with Daddy.
And now Thor is gazing at me with that same expression and my heart flutters like a hummingbird trying to escape my chest.
“It was good to meet you, Clover.” Bex draws my attention from Thor as she offers me a warm smile. “Don’t let this big lug scare you. I have to get back to work before Rock pops another forehead vein, but I’ll text you, Clover, about that readers’ meetup. Okay?”
“Oh. Um . . . sure? ”
Flashing me a beaming smile, she replies, “Great! See you!”
I turn to Thor. “She’s—”
“More hyper than me?” Thor grins.
I nod. “Yeah, that.”
Edith places a large cup of coffee in front of Thor. “Edith, you spoil me. Thank you.”
Leaning against the counter, she crosses her arms. “You’re welcome. Now, how bad is it? Do I need to go calm my brother down?”
Thor chuckles. “Nah. He’ll be fine.” Meeting my eyes, he watches me carefully as he continues. “He does want to talk to Clover though.”
I swallow the apprehension. I’m not truly afraid of Thor’s boss, it’s just been an exhausting day, both mentally and physically. All I want to do is curl up in bed and sleep. “Okay. Let’s get it over with.”
“Alone,” Thor adds with a grimace, casting me an apologetic look.
There’s nothing to be worried about. Yet, my fingers shake as I finish my coffee and snack and Thor leads me to his boss’s office. I also can’t help but notice the distance that Thor puts between us as we walk down the hallway. No smiles. No soft looks. No flirty remarks.
Maybe Edith’s wrong. Maybe Thor is in trouble with his boss.