Chapter Three #4
He tried another tactic. “Look, even if I thought she was attractive…” Nope, he was not going down that path, especially since he did think Rachel was attractive.
“Even if I did,” he tried again, “I’m not mixing business and pleasure.
That’s what my first Emerald Ridge admin wanted, and we all saw how that worked out.
I had to fire her because of her advances. ” The memory made him shudder.
“I’ve been through the same seminars as you have. If it’s mutual, and you are transparent with HR, what’s the harm?”
“The harm is, I lose an admin who rivals the one I had in Dallas. And thanks to Dad, I almost did. Besides, she’s always talking to someone named Taylor.
Sounds like a boyfriend.” He didn’t explain how Rachel’s voice would change, becoming even more intimate and friendly while talking to this Taylor person.
Just then, his phone beeped. The text was a reply from the employment agency.
Jenny had told him she was meeting with Rachel in the morning to review the paperwork and get the new terms into writing.
She’d send him an electronic file to sign around 10:00 a.m.
“Good news?” Cheyenne asked.
“Yes. It seems my admin accepted my offer. She’ll be returning to work.”
His sister beamed at him. “Then I can’t wait to meet her and see pictures of her adorable child. And who knows, maybe Taylor is just a friend.”
“I doubt that.” Besides, as much as he already liked Rachel, her having a boyfriend would keep things professional. He did not poach, ever.
“Let’s say it is. If so, maybe a single mom and a baby could be exactly what you need in your life. You’d get a premade family. Besides, your love life is pretty dead, and you thought you’d have your own kids by now.”
Oakley scowled. “What did I just say about mixing business and pleasure and some dude named Taylor?”
“Oh please,” Cheyenne scoffed, in a show of what Oakley considered more of her naivete.
“Look, just because you got squashed like a bug by an ex-wife who betrayed you with another man and complained you were too focused on work, that isn’t a reason to stop dating.
Your love life is flatter than part of the Texas Panhandle.
If not Rachel, you should find someone else. You can get on one of those apps.”
“That’s not happening.” Oakley wished he hadn’t finished his old-fashioned. He shook the glass and the square ice cube rattled. “And let me remind you, even if I did like her, she doesn’t trust me. And my own trust level is pretty low. Maybe this is all a ploy to pay our father back through me.”
“Really?” Cheyenne stared at him. “Should I remind you that she was the one who quit and you’re the one who chased after her?”
“True. It was an idiotic thought,” he admitted—one that he’d immediately dismissed the moment it popped into his head. “No. She’s not like that. I know that for sure.” It was a gut feeling, an instinct, and one he did trust.
Besides, he’d seen her tiny, crammed apartment with the stacked boxes and noticed her shock when he’d arrived carrying food.
This wasn’t a con he had to worry about.
Plus, Jenny ran a legitimate business, which she wouldn’t risk.
“As I said, Rachel barely trusts me, and I was out of line before. She isn’t faking anything.
Remember, I have to get things in writing in order to get her to come back and work for me. ”
“As long as she signed an NDA.”
“She did that when she first accepted employment.” He sucked the last remains from his glass and set it on the table in front of him. “No, I’m not worried about her. I’m more interested in Johnny Doe.”
Speaking of trust issues, Oakley didn’t quite believe the fact that his father didn’t know the man or didn’t have some sort of connection to him. The incident with Rachel had him on guard where his dad was concerned. One thing about Clemons—drama always followed in his wake like flies to honey.
Finished with their drinks and the bill settled, Oakley walked his sister as far as the elevators to the upper floors. She’d been looking at condos along the river, near where he’d found the injured man, but she hadn’t decided what she wanted to purchase.
“Thanks for meeting me for a drink. I needed this,” Cheyenne said. She gave him a hug.
He kissed her cheek. “Me too and anytime. And, sis? Don’t let your so-called friends get to you. You’re doing them a favor by still going to the wedding. I’ll see you tomorrow at one.”
He waited until the doors closed and the only thing he saw was his own image reflected in the shiny brass.
He left for home, which was a rented townhouse in a luxury complex.
He’d chosen the place because of its view of the river.
He drove toward the edge of town. Tomorrow Rachel would return.
He’d also find out more about the mystery man, Johnny Doe.
And hopefully, if he was lucky enough, after that life would go back to normal. As for his interest in Rachel, it was nothing he couldn’t squash. He had too much to lose if he didn’t.