“Great,” Alexis said. “I won’t be home until late. I have that closing today, and then I’m sure the client will want to go out for drinks.”
“Do you have to?” Sophia asked.
Alexis’s expression faltered before she quickly masked it with a smile. “Yes, baby. Somebody has to pay for the big mermaid extravaganza.”
Sophia was excited now, her earlier disappointment easily forgotten. “Can I wear a mermaid tail?”
“You can wear whatever you want. We can go shopping next Tuesday, when I’m off.”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Sophia chanted. She wrapped her arms around Alexis’s waist and squeezed. “Thank you, Mommy. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Alexis closed her eyes, breathing her daughter in. “So, so much,” she whispered. I considered looking away, feeling like I was watching an intimate moment between the two of them.
“All right—” Alexis straightened, and I already sensed a shift. “I’ve got to get to work. Call me if you need anything.” Where was the warmth from a few days ago? The lingering glances?
“Will do, boss.”
She flinched as if she’d been slapped and quickly grabbed her things before bolting for the door. I stood there feeling like a jackass, until I noticed she’d left her smoothie on the counter. I grabbed it and rushed after her.
“Alexis,” I called, but that only seemed to spur her to move faster. How she could walk so quickly in those damn heels was a mystery. “Alexis. Wait.”
She paused at the front door with her back still to me. Her shoulders were hunched, and I hated that I’d been the one to cause her pain. That was the last thing I wanted.
She spun around, her expression fierce. She was intimidating, and I could see how she was so successful. “What?” she snapped.
“I… You forgot your smoothie,” I said.
“Oh.” Her expression fell, and I watched as she deflated. “Thank you.”
She went to grab the smoothie, but I held it just out of reach. It had the effect of bringing her closer to me. I stared down at her, thinking that if I moved just a little closer, we could be kissing.
“And I’m sorry.” My voice was gravelly when I spoke. “My comment was uncalled for.”
Her eyes were fixed on the floor, and what I wouldn’t give for her to look at me. She hadn’t looked at me in days, not since we’d kissed under the stars. It was slowly killing me. That and her yoga sessions on the lawn, and the way she dressed for work, and…
Okay, everything about this woman was killing me. Especially the fact that we’d shared such an incredible moment, and she preferred to act like it had never happened.
She lifted a shoulder. “It wasn’t untrue.”
“Yeah, but…still,” I huffed. “I shouldn’t have called you ‘boss’ in that tone. I certainly don’t think of you as my boss.”
She straightened, and I could see her armor sliding back into place. “And maybe that’s the problem. Look,” she sighed. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I had a little too much to drink, and—can’t we just forget about it?”
I wanted to call bullshit, but instead, I said, “I don’t think I can.”
And judging from the conflicted look in her eyes, she couldn’t either. Even if she wasn’t ready to admit it.
Her phone chimed, saving her from a response. She snagged the cup from me. “Thanks. I have to go.”
She left me standing there, staring after her, until Sophia called my name. I huffed and returned to the kitchen, wondering where we went from here.
* * *
A few dayslater and I was no closer to figuring out the answer. Alexis was still as busy as ever, though she did seem more relaxed since the closing. Sophia was happy, but I could tell she missed her mom. And it made me feel guilty—like my role in the kiss had not only pushed Alexis away from me, but Sophia too.
To compensate, I did my best to keep her busy. We’d spent the day at the children’s museum, and the way her shoulders drooped told me she was getting tired.
“You ready, princess?”
