Chapter 6 #2
“And this is temporary,” Luke continues, as if I hadn’t spoken at all. “Let’s keep it professional.”
I take a step back and straighten my shoulders. “Understood.” I meet and hold his gaze.
Despite the humiliation burning low in my belly, I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’s thrown me off. “Goodnight, Luke.”
Without waiting for a response, I turn and walk down the hall. I refuse to rush, feeling his eyes on my back all the way to the guest room.
Only when the door closes behind me do I release the breath I’ve been holding.
I lean back against the door and take a few deep breaths.
Professional. Right. As if there were any other option.
My embarrassment burns into anger. I was not trying to be unprofessional. I’ve done nothing but be professional.
If I had any other option, I’d go right back out there and give him a piece of my mind. Except…I don’t have any other option.
This is it. My job. My place to live.
For at least a month.
Hopefully by then I’d have something else figured out.
I grab my laptop and flop onto my bed to check my emails.
Maybe if I’m lucky, there will be a response to one of the many emails I’ve sent out offering me my dream job, so I can get the hell off the mountain.
Away from Luke and his way too broad shoulders that take up too much damn space.
And his strong, muscular chest that—dammit.
I wasn’t being unprofessional. But I’d be lying if I said one or two unprofessional thoughts hadn’t popped into my head over the last twenty-four hours.
I’ve never seen a man who looks like him. Not in real life. He’s built like the mountain he lives on. All hard, immovable muscle, towering over me. Maybe if he wasn’t so damn grumpy, I might actually—no.
I need to focus. The last thing I need is to actually start feeling any kind of way about my grumpy mountain man boss.
It only takes me a few minutes to scan through my emails. There aren’t any job offers, but there are a few rejection letters, so I spend the next thirty minutes before my eyes grow too tired, applying to more than a dozen roles that I’m more than qualified for.
I’m finally climbing into bed when my phone buzzes with an incoming call.
Tessa.
I hesitate for a second, then answer.
“Hi.”
“How was your first day?” My friend’s voice comes through bright and cheery as if she has no idea how difficult her dad can really be. “Are you still alive? Or did my dad scare you off already?”
A small laugh slips out. “I’m still here.”
“That’s a win,” she says. “I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t sure he’d be open to the idea.”
“He’s not.” I shake my head and pull the covers over my legs. “Too bad for him, I’m not a quitter.” And I have nowhere else to go, I think, but don’t bother saying out loud.
“And that’s exactly why I suggested you for the job,” Tessa says. “That, and you were the smartest in our class. He’d be a fool to let you walk out of there without fully using you.”
It doesn’t make sense, and it’s completely inappropriate, but dirty thoughts flash through my brain at her choice of words.
“Yeah,” I hesitate for a moment. “Well, I don’t know if that’s going to happen,” I say honestly. “I think at this rate, I’ll be lucky to make it through the month.”
“Why?” Concern floods her voice. “What happened?”
I shake my head even though she can’t see me. “Nothing. It’s fine. And nothing I can’t handle.”
There’s a pause on the other end. “I know you can,” Tessa says after a moment. “Whatever he’s throwing at you, it’s got a lot more to do with him than you.”
That actually makes me feel a little bit better.
“I’ll make it work,” I say with confidence. If there’s one thing I can do, it’s make the best of a bad situation. After all, I was with Barrett way longer than I should have been.
“Speaking of…” Tessa’s voice drops. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“There’s honestly not much to talk about it.
” I tip my head back against the headboard.
“It was never right for so many reasons,” I admit.
“I think I just didn’t want to see it. He wants a good little executive wife, and I want a career.
I thought he might come to see that as I got closer to graduation, but he never listened to what I wanted.
” That was definitely the first red flag.
“And then there was the whole sleeping with his best friend thing.”
“What?” I can almost see her jaw hit the floor.
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter. I’m not even mad about it.” As I say the words, I realize how much truth they hold. “It kind of felt like a relief to find out,” I continue. “It validated all the things I was thinking and gave me a clear way out.”
“And now you’re out.”
I nod. “Now, I’m out.” But then I laugh, remember how tenuous my current work and living situation is. “But I guess I’ll need to figure out a plan B, too.”
Tessa’s quiet for a beat before she blows out a breath. “You never know,” she says quietly. “Don’t count this out yet, Lilly. It could be really good for you. For both of you.”
I glance toward the door and the quiet hallway beyond.
“He’s intense,” I say.
She laughs. “You have no idea.”
“I think I’m starting to get a pretty good idea.”
“And?”
I hesitate.
And what?
And he makes my heart beat fast for all the wrong reasons?
Standing too close to him feels like a mistake I haven’t made yet, but desperately want to?
That somehow I’m already very aware of him in ways I definitely shouldn’t be?
“He’s…a lot,” I settle on.
“Yup,” she laughs. “That’s him. Just don’t let him bulldoze you.”
“I won’t.”
I mean it.