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That seems to win Mike over. “You make sure Grayson here shows you the best sights in Stoney Creek now, won’t you?”
Gray chuckles as I my eyes flick to his. “I’ll be sure to do that,” he says.
“What can I get for y’all?” Mike asks.
I order a lemon bar and a mug of cappuccino, while Gray orders pecan pie and a macchiato.
“The lemon bars are famous around here,” Mike tells me with a wink. “My wife has passed the recipe down to the grandkids. We let them and our daughter Caroline run the show, mostly. But we still like to help out where we can.”
I smile. “I can’t wait to try it.”
Gray sits back after he leaves with our order. “I’m so sorry about that,” he wipes a hand down his face. “Firstly, he’s not really my uncle. May insists on calling her ‘Aunt’ because she’s known my family since day one. And secondly, as you can see, everyone talks around here.”
I shake my head. “I’ve only been here for a few days and they already know things about me.”
“That’s small town living, which is probably why we should have our meetings at the office, or you could come out to the ranch. There are too many prying eyes around here.”
“He seems very sweet though,” I say, contemplating his words. I can’t be seen being too friendly to Gray while this is going on. I know his ex doesn’t live here, but I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her.
“He is,” he says, adding with a chuckle, “To put up with Aunt May? The man is a saint. They’re both about retiring age, but they love to keep busy. They’ve been running the place since before I was born.”
“Wow.”
“I guess we could set some tongues wagging.” He runs a hand through his hair. “If we really wanted to.”
I look down at the table, an uneasy feeling spreading through me because I know this situation is now more than complicated. My stomach is in knots.
“That’s just the thing.” My voice is small so nobody can overhear us. “Now that I’m working on your divorce, we can’t, uh… continue… with us.”
He frowns. “Why not?”
Should my heart be leaping hearing that he wants to? Or should I not let my thoughts get the better of me? Either way, it seems I’m screwed.
I lower my voice even more. "If anyone were to find out, it could be seen as a conflict of interest, or unethical, and I could be disbarred."
He scratched his chin, deep in thought. “That sucks.”
I lean forward. “So, you’re wanting to… uh… continue?”
His eyes heat as that sexy little smirk appears. “What do you think?”
“I honestly wasn’t sure. I know I haven’t been very forthcoming.”
“You haven’t.” His tone is all Mr. Dark and Dangerous, just like that night in New York.
“And you know what happens to bad girls, don’t you, Miss. Chambers?”
My cheeks flush. I clear my throat. “So, you see how this is a predicament?”
“A predicament because you want to continue, too.”
“I do, but I’m still processing it all,” I admit. “I wasn’t exactly planning on running into you on my first day at work.”
“Tell me about it.” He shakes his head. “I mean, I had no idea you were moving here.”
“Yeah, dad took a turn, and it all happened so quickly. We had talked about it previously, but I decided it was time. He’s a stubborn old fool, though.
“I can’t believe he thought he could turn up at work!” He exclaims.
