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Had he not even looked at it and wanted her to come and collect it?
The man twisted her up like Christmas lights that had been shoved in a box.
Should she go to see what he wanted? Or did she ignore him?
“Eveline!”
She jumped at Gerald’s shout. Eveline looked up to find him standing by her desk. An annoyed look pulled his bushy brows together. Back in the day, he was probably attractive, but time hadn’t been nice to her boss. He sported a pot belly and was beginning to go bald. If he’d been muscular at the start of his security career, he wasn’t now. The arm muscles he’d once had were now flabby. Too much time spent behind the desk rather than being active. “Sorry, I was thinking about, umm?—”
“I don’t care what you were doing. I’ve been standing here for ten minutes calling your name. I need you in my office now.” He stomped off not giving her a chance to respond.
Ten minutes?
No way had she been lost in her thoughts for a full ten minutes, had she?
No. Maybe two but definitely not ten.
Gerald liked to exaggerate, as much as he liked to demand—like he just had.
No way could she ignore his command the way she was still contemplating ignoring Kyle’s. She needed a regular paycheck.
Popping her phone into her skirt pocket, Eveline grabbed her tablet as well as a notepad and pen and headed to Gerald’s office.
She’d think about whether she’d meet Kyle—later. Way later.
Chapter Five
The sun was dipping beneath the horizon, spreading fingers of orange, yellow, and red across the sky. Ox didn’t see the pretty display Mother Nature was putting on. He was waiting.
Waiting to see if Eveline would answer his request.
Could he have sounded friendlier on the call? Possibly, but this was business. It wasn’t a call thinking about a hookup—no matter how much his body may want it.
Anticipation fired through him, hoping that she’d turn up.
Looking at his watch, he noted that there was still another ten minutes before the clock hit seven, the time he’d asked her to be there by.
Everything was laid out on the coffee table. The papers she’d given him and printouts he’d made from the thumb drive. There was a lot of information, so it made sense to keep it on the thumb drive.
This time he heard the soft tread of footsteps and the whisper of fabric. Ox waited for whoever was walking his way to turn up. It wasn’t Eveline. She wouldn’t be early, if anything she’d probably make him wait well past her supposed arrival time.
“Need anything before I bug out?” Growler asked.
“Thought you’d already be home with Astrid.”
Growler’s expression softened at the mention of his celebrity chef fiancée.
Ox was happy for his colleague, the restlessness that’d coated Growler when he’d first arrived at Alliez had disappeared. He was more grounded and settled into his life after being a SEAL. The love of a good woman had brought him the peace he’d needed.
“She’s down in San Diego with Penni and the others. They’re having a girl’s night because the team’s gone on a mission. Apparently, this is the thing they always do, and Penni insisted that Astrid join them, even though I’m right here and not in some godforsaken jungle or desert.”
Ox smiled thinking about Penni Porter, although his hand immediately went to his side where the scars from where he’d tried and failed to stop a group of assholes from kidnapping Penni were a constant reminder.
Like always when he thought about that time, he quickly shut the door so that the memories couldn’t escape. No one liked to be reminded of their failures, even though Penni and Fort didn’t blame him for what happened—Ox did. He blamed himself that she’d suffered a nightmarish experience. It didn’t matter that he’d almost died. That was the risk that came with the job. A risk he’d gladly acknowledged.
“How are Penni and the other women?” he asked instead.
“They’re all good. Penni’s PR business is doing well. She’s certainly helped Astrid with all the endorsement deals she’s getting.”
