AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I pinch my lips. “So—you know more about him than I do.”
“I’m not trying to sound like a know-it-all. I just think… you know… it’s way better to meet someone in person before passing judgment on them. Maybe he’s a great guy.”
“Kate usually goes for no-good trouble-makers. I stay out of her life. But now, because of you, I’ve been roped in.”
When Gwen reaches for her coffee, it’s with a resigned look on her pretty features. She draws in a long sip, sighs, then eyes me. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this. But, fine. I see your point. I got you into this, so I should help out. And I guess I did sneak in a trip up here yesterday during lunch… so, yeah, I could do that again.” She sighs again, then sinks into one of her long pauses.
“Thank you.”
Her eyebrows pop up. “Oh, wow. Really? Mandy said you never said those two words to her.”
“Mandy never went above and beyond.” I dig into my parfait. “Keep the house key. Come and go as you please. They need to go to a dog park once a day, too, for an hour. I’m sure you can figure that out. And the later you can take out Mr. Brown before settling him in for bed and going home yourself, the better. Maybe Zoey will settle into the routine around here and let me get some sleep.”
Her shoulders slump, like she’s feeling the weight of the added work.
“I know I’m asking a lot of you,” I say. “I’ll throw in a couple thousand if you manage them for the week.”
She clutches her coffee. “I can’t believe this is happening. I must be out of my mind.” Then she nods a few times rapidly. “Yeah. I guess that works. I do need the money…”
“Then it’s a deal. On top of the hourly pay increase you’re already getting, maybe that’ll make up for the inconvenience of spending a little extra time with monstrous me.” I can’t help it—I wink at her.
Then I check the wall clock. “Shoot. I really have to run, or I won’t get time to prep for the podcast before coaching calls start up. Thanks for taking care of these two before you leave the house.”
I grab my parfait glass and now-empty mug. On my way past Gwen to the sink, the strangest urge comes over me. I want to pause, lean in, and give her a quick kiss on her pretty, perfect lips formed in a pout right now.
I want to tell her, ‘See you later, honey.’
Strange.
I barely know this woman. We’ve been thrown together, and yes, she’s been sitting in my kitchen with me before the sun is even up, but still. The urge to kiss her makes no sense.
Instead of hesitating near her, I force my feet to the sink. “You’ll meet me in my office mid-morning, correct?”
She nods but stays quiet.
She’s flustered again.
“I can’t believe HR hasn’t found someone yet,” I say as I place my dishes in the sink. “Last time the position opened up, Elizabeth found a replacement within hours.”
She narrows her eyes and her brow furrows. “Really?”
“Yup. Okay, any last-minute questions before I head out?”
“Oh… I have questions,” she mutters. “Lots of them. But not for you.”
“Gwen, you remain mysterious.”
“Really, I’m not.”
“See you at ten o’clock then, my office. Don’t be late.” I leave the room.
It’s no surprise when the dogs choose to stay with her rather than follow me. They’re loyal to her already, and that Mr. Brown still growls at me whenever I look his way.
A smile flits across my lips as I stride across the entryway to my front door. Gwen has a real knack with the dogs. She’s great with both people and animals. She’s warm, friendly, and kind.
I’ll see her in a couple of hours.
Until then, I’m sure I’ll be thinking about her.
