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He clutched his chest dramatically once more. “It’s just blow after blow from you, isn’t it?”
“I’m honest to a fault with my friends, and since you offered yourself that title, you’ll have to suck it up.” I shot him my best innocent smile. “Don’t worry; as soon as seven a.m. rolls around tomorrow, I’ll be the perfect secretary once more.”
Theodore tilted his head to the side, gazing at me with the tiniest of smiles teasing his lips. “You know what, Chloe? I’d rather you be yourself when we’re alone.”
I paused. “Really?”
“Mm. This version of you is much better than the cold, aloof secretary with no cracks in her armour.”
“Ooft, what a low blow.”
“There’s a reason everyone at the company thinks you’re the perfect secretary for me, and it’s because they see us both as aloof, cold-hearted people.”
“That’s how people see me?”
“Mhmm.”
“Excellent,” I said, grinning. “That’s what I was shooting for.”
He shook his head. “Just when I think I’m beginning to understand you, you say things like that.”
“There’s a reason for that. I don’t think you need to understand me.”
“That’s a shame. I really think I’d like to know everything about you. I can’t think of anything better than finding out what makes you tick.”
My stomach did a weird little flippy-flip thing at his words.
No. Not just at his words, but the way he said them. In his smooth-as-honey voice with his stupid smirky lips and his deadly deep gaze that, despite its cold colour, was surprisingly warm whenever it met mine.
“Do you really want to know what makes me tick?” I leant forwards, meeting his eyes. “It might surprise you.”
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”
I stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to take those words back, but he didn’t. The sincerity in his gaze tickled at me with its genuine warmth, and I couldn’t help but let my mouth curve up at the corners.
“It’d be no fun if I told you,” I said after a moment of holding his gaze. “You’ll have to figure it out yourself.”
Theodore narrowed his eyes. “You might regret saying that.”
I shrugged. “We’ll see.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – CHLOE
Pervert On The Loose
The next few days passed by at what felt like the speed of light.
The opening of Adair Travel’s flagship letting office was in one little day, and Theodore and I spent most of the working week up to our eyeballs in paperwork, phone calls, and errands.
Well, he was mostly the phone calls, I was mostly the errands, and the paperwork was a good split of the two.
Auntie Pat came in and out of the cottage without so much as a whisper. Often the only sign of her having been here was the absence of toast crumbs on the kitchen counter and a hot meal stewing away in the slow cooker.
I still wasn’t comfortable allowing her to do my laundry or any other personal chores for me, but I’d come to accept the food she cooked and the fact she always made time to hoover my bedroom floor and put fresh flowers on top of the drawers.
I was going to miss those flowers when I went home.
The food was especially welcome amidst the chaos of our work. I spent half my days going back and forth between the store on the high street to co-ordinate with the assistant manager, Lennon, and the sales associate, Sarah, who was helping him oversee everything.
