Oh God, she was so in trouble.
Why had she ever thought she could handle working for him?
Seeing him every day. Hearing his voice.
Not the teasing one from that night, but the calm, confident one that made everyone around him straighten up and listen.
He was respected. Not just for his name, but for the man himself.
She saw it. The subtle hum that rippled through people when he passed. The way they looked up, smiled and stood taller.
And here she was, trying not to melt beside him on a jog or trip over her own two feet and make a fool of herself.
“How so?” he asked. “We agreed to forget about that night.”
Only she couldn’t.
“Guess it’s easier for you,” she mumbled.
He laughed, the sound shaking her more than she thought it could. “No, it’s not.”
She turned to look at him, this time her foot caught, but she righted herself at the same time he reached for her.
“Sorry. I’m not a klutz.”
She picked up her pace. She needed this run over. Maybe ten minutes left and would be faster if her feet would move properly.
“I never thought you were. You’ve got too good of form. See, we’ll change it to something we’ve got in common. Running. Have you done it long?”
Okay, that she could handle. “A few years,” she said. “Running on a treadmill isn’t that great, but running outside with this view... I never knew what I was missing. I only got two days in last week after work, so I told myself the weekends were a must.”
“Sorry if I’m holding you back. I didn’t think you got out that late,” he said.
“It’s not you. Don’t think that. I’m just trying to get into a routine. I normally only ran five times a week, but walking to and from work daily, I’m still feeling as if I’m exercising. But you know, getting food, doing laundry. Still trying to figure the food part out more than anything.”
“How close are you to a store?”
“Fort Point Market is across the street from my apartment. I can grab quick things there. Trader Joe’s two blocks. Going there is better, but walking back with more than two bags is a pain.”
“The easiest thing to do is drive to a bigger store a few times a month, load up and use the other two for fresh or last-minute things. That’s what I do.”
“Whoa, you do your own shopping?” she asked, her smile bright, her breath coming in harder now. She didn’t think it had to do with the run either when he winked at her.
His elbow nudged the air toward her arm. “Who else is going to do it for me? Blair sure the heck won’t.”
She knew, because she’d asked. The closest Blair got to doing anything personal was lunch for Ethan and most times he’d ask her to order it, which Nora had done for other bosses in jobs before too.
That didn’t seem like a reach for her.
“I’d think you’d have it delivered.”
“I do at times, but I’m not always sure when I’ll be around or want to wait. Today is my shopping day. After my run.”
“Ethan Bond,” she said quietly. The fact that he had a hat on his head said he might not want to be noticed. “You have a food shopping day. I’m stunned.”
“I’m a person who has to eat just like you. My name doesn’t mean I’m snotty. My mother would have never allowed us to be that way.”
“I guess you learn something new every day,” she said.
