Chapter 29
29
PAIGE
I still couldn’t believe I asked him to sleep in my bed last night. Sitting at the desk, I stared out the window, mentally berating myself. I loved every minute of it, but because of it, we were both acting a little awkward this morning. We said a lot of things that would’ve never been said in the light of day, but it somehow seemed so much easier in the dark.
He didn’t think I was stupid. I misjudged him, and he misjudged me. It was one of those ridiculous misunderstandings that I always rolled my eyes at in the movies. How could people be so blind as to not see what was really going on. But I never considered their own insecurities leading the charge. My mind interpreted his mood around me as dislike when the truth was that we were both dealing with stereotypes that plagued us most of our adult lives. We were defensive because we’d both been hurt by people who put us in a box just by looking at us.
I woke up this morning to an empty bed, but it was still warm, so I knew he’d stayed all night, bringing a smile to my lips. I’d never slept in a bed with a man and not had sex. It was nice to just talk with no pressure to do more and no expectations.
The little bell on the door rang when it was pushed open, and I snapped out of my Cole-induced fog. A man wearing jeans and a T-shirt walked through just as I stood. I’d purposely unlocked the door a few minutes ago so the man coming in for the interview didn’t question why the door was locked, and I sure as hell didn’t want to explain. I didn’t want Cole to lose a potential hire because I had a crazy person after me. Cole needed the help. He worked almost nonstop, and I didn’t want to be the reason that continued.
I smoothed my hand over the silky material of my dress. I wasn’t sure I was going to wear it, but after studying myself in the mirror wearing a T-shirt and jeans again, I realized I was taking a giant step backward. Last night had the power to destroy all the work I’d been doing to feel strong again, and I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wanted to do something I missed, something that made me feel strong, so without giving it too much thought, I’d grabbed a dress. The moment I put it on and looked in the mirror, I saw a little bit of my old self staring back at me. It wasn’t me, not entirely, but it was a glimpse, and I needed that if I was going to make it through the shit Paul Lewis kept throwing at me.
I walked around the outside of the desk and held out my hand. “You must be Matt.”
“Yeah,” he answered, but he was quiet. He had been on the phone too when I called him for an interview. “Are you Paige?”
“I am.” I smiled and pointed at the chairs in front of my desk. “Have a seat. I’ll let Cole know you’re here.”
“Thanks.”
As I walked to the office door, I glanced at him over my shoulder but noticed his eyes were on his phone and not on my ass. I liked this one already.
Smiling, I pushed open the door to the garage. I only saw Cole for a minute this morning when I was getting a cup of coffee, and he was ready to leave. We shared an awkward smile but nothing beyond that, so I was a little nervous to have a real conversation with him.
“Cole.” I stepped into the garage, and his head popped up from where he worked on a car in the second bay.
His eyes traveled slowly over my dress. The dress wasn’t tight or slinky in any way. It actually hung to my ankles and was made of the lightest blue fabric. It even had long sleeves. When his eyes met mine again, a shiver ran over my skin, but it was when he prowled toward me that I wondered if I made the right choice.
“Yeah?”
“Matt is here for his interview.” He stopped in front of me, and because I felt nervous, I kept talking. “Where do you want me?”
His eyes heated. “That’s a loaded fucking question, sweetheart.”
I swallowed hard when he took another step closer. “I meant while you interview him?”
He nodded slowly. “You can sit in.”
My eyebrows drew together. “Sit in? Why?”
“I want your opinion.” Reaching out, he ran his hand over my hip. “I like this.”
I ignored that and the belly flop it caused, instead deciding to focus on work. It was a hell of a lot safer. “Why do you want my opinion?”
“Because I want your opinion on who I hire.” His hand lingered on my hip, making it really hard to concentrate. “You're gonna have to work with him too.”
With his other hand, he reached around me and shoved open the door to the office. He gestured for me to go in first, but I was stuck to the concrete. No one wanted my opinion unless it was about what to wear. I never had a job where the boss even thought to ask my opinion.
“Paige.” He squeezed my hip.
“Yeah.” I jumped out of the fog I was in.
“You ready?”
“Yeah,” I said again before turning slowly and walking through the office door.
I waited by the door while Cole walked through and heard him introduce himself. He walked around the desk and grabbed a chair, pulling it beside mine. When he looked at me expectantly, I moved quickly and sat in my own chair while he did the same.
“I’m assuming you already met Paige.”
“Yeah,” Matt said.
“She’s going to sit in on the interview.”
“Okay,” Matt answered.
Dropping my head, I grinned. Matt sure was a man of few words, but he also seemed young and a little inexperienced, so maybe that was why he was quiet.
The interview only lasted about twenty minutes, but Cole looked at me while they were wrapping it up. “Do you have any questions?”
“Umm...” I hesitated, not prepared to be included in the questioning. “No, not really.”
I honestly couldn’t think of a question Cole hadn’t already asked. We all stood, and Matt thanked us both before leaving, which I thought was considerate.
When the door closed behind him, Cole locked it and faced me. “What did you think?”
“I like him,” I answered.
“That’s it?”
“I’m not sure what you’re asking me,” I admitted.
“I’m just asking for your honest opinion on him. How you think he’ll fit here.”
I considered that. “He seems shy.”
“Yeah, I agree.” He jerked up his chin, which, for some reason, I found sexy. “But I don't care about that as long as he’s a good worker.”
“I wonder if he has any experience one-on-one with customers?” I thought aloud. “I mean, he worked for one of those big companies, but do the mechanics ever really talk to customers there?”
“No. Usually, the front desk person handles the customers. That’s something we need to know, considering he’ll be interacting with customers if we hire him. Can you call his references? Ask if he had any experience with customer service and if he was reliable. Showed up on time and finished the jobs when he was supposed to. Shit like that.”
“Sure,” I replied, a little surprised he was giving me that responsibility. “Are you sure you don't want to talk to his references?”
“No.” He stepped closer. “I trust and respect your opinion. I need you to handle it so I can get back to work.” When I hesitated, his brow furrowed. “Are you okay? You’re not getting a headache, are you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ve never been responsible for hiring someone. I’ve never even interviewed someone, so I’m not confident I know what I’m doing. That’s all.”
He grinned. “It’s just talking to people, and you’re great at that. A hell of a lot better than I am.”
“Okay.” I smiled and picked up the folder I’d started for Matt. “I’ll call them now.”
He nodded and began to turn but then turned back to face me. “You good?”
“Yeah.” I smiled and laid my hand on his arm when I saw doubt in his expression. “I’m good. I promise.”
“Last night was…”
“Scary.” I finished for him. “But I’m better now. You staying with me helped a lot.”
He reached out and wrapped his arm around my waist. “I’ll stay with you anytime you need me, but that’s not why you’re better today. You’re better because you’re a fighter, because you’re strong, because you’re not going to let some punk-ass take you down.” When I smiled, he continued. “And neither am I.”
Pushing up to my tiptoes, I grabbed the sides of his shoulders and pressed my lips against his cheek. “Thank you for saying that.”
I dropped back down, but we both stayed close, our eyes locked until a noise from the garage tore through the silence. I dropped my hands, and he slid his arm from my waist, but his hand lingered on my hip.
His fingers flexed against my hip before he turned and began walking to the door to the garage, but I called out his name and swallowed hard when he looked back at me over his shoulder. “I won’t let you down.”
His stare held mine. “You could never let me down, Paige.”
Warmth wrapped around me like a blanket, and with a surge of confidence, I sat down in my chair and opened Matt’s folder with a smile on my lips.