“Don’t be. I’m the one who should be sorry. I keep pushing myself on you, and you’ve been more than clear with your intentions. I’m acting like a predatory dude, and that’s not cool. I’ll back off. Let’s get back out there, yeah?”
“You’re not acting like a dude. I’m just.” I sighed. I was going about all of this so wrong. I didn’t know what to say. “I want you but I don’t want to want you because our lives are so different and I’ve never dated anyone like you?” Yeah, definitely not saying any of that.
“Yeah, maybe we should get back to the party. Thanks for checking up on me.”
She smiled, but it wasn’t her typical heart-stopping smile. “Of course, princesa. After you.” She stepped to the side and let me lead the way outside and back to the party. At least she was still calling me “princesa,” so I knew I hadn’t upset her too much.
“You guys were gone a long time. Is everything okay?” Vera probably thought Drea was just being concerned, but I could sense the sarcasm in her tone. I’d been around Drea long enough to know that, while she actually did care, there would always be something smart-ass said around it.
I put on a smile and put my hands on Vera’s shoulder. She put her arms around me and pulled me closer. “Yup. Everything’s fine. I just needed a few stolen minutes with my girl.”
My girl?No, brain! We do not like the sound of that. It’s just her accent, that’s all. It confuses us and makes us feel things we shouldn’t! It’s an illusion, it’s not real!
We fell back into easy conversation, all of us coupled up and it was nice. Mackenzie kept trying to talk to Vera and she was… polite enough, but other than that, no issues. I was thankful we all seemed to get along pretty well.
Vera kept her touches respectable and the flirting was light. I was glad everything was okay with us after the almost kiss. I felt like we were finally getting to a good place in our…friendship? I didn’t know if we were friends, but we got along well enough. Hopefully, things would continue that way.
Chapter Eighteen
CARA
“Good morning, princesa.” I opened the door to a smiling Vera wearing tight jeans and a white tank top. Did the woman own long sleeves? Or sweatpants? Maybe not sweatpants. The image of vera in gray sweatpants and a tight tank top was not helpful for a productive day of work.
“Yes, it is,” I said, looking not at all at her face. She needed to start wearing long sleeves and gloves to cover her arms and fingers.
I cleared my throat and opened the door wider for her to come in. I was excited to get started on the renovations. I wanted to do several things to the office. I wanted to add some shelvings to the walls. I also wanted to change the floor from carpet to hardwood.
“You got the email of what I’m looking for, right?”
She nodded. “Floors and shelves. Anything else?”
“No, I don’t think so. Is that too much? I know it’s a little last minute, and if it’s just not feasible to get it done in the timeframe I’m looking for?—”
“Cara. It’s totally fine. Relax, okay? I’ve got this. Everything will get done before the wedding. I’m going to get started on the shelves before I tackle the floors. Everything I need is in my truck, so go relax or do whatever you need to do.”
I sighed and nodded. I didn’t like it when other people took over for me, but I wasn’t dumb enough to think I could rip out carpet and replace it. “Thank you.” She smiled as I left the room to leave her in her element.
While Vera worked in my office, I tried not to think about how sweaty she was probably getting. It was none of my business. I was in the kitchen working at the island, far enough away from Vera and her hard working arms.
I was able to send a few emails, but overall, it wasn’t looking like a work day for me. How could I get anything done when Vera was a few rooms over from me? I told myself I was concerned about the office, and that’s why I went to check on her.
Before I said anything, I just stood there like a creep, watching her work. She was dripping with sweat and I had to bite my lip to hold in my groan. She was bending down to get something in her tool box, and I had the most perfect view of her firm ass in her jeans.
You could tell she worked hard for her body. Whatever she was doing was paying off. There wasn’t a single flaw about her. At least, I hadn’t found any yet. There had to have been. No one was that good looking, that fit, and that sweet.
After a few more seconds of taking her in, I cleared my throat and knocked on the office door.
Vera looked up and smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey. I was just checking in. I’m about to make some lunch. Are you hungry?”
“I could eat. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Just come to the kitchen whenever you want to take a break.” I found myself smiling as I turned to walk away, hoping she was checking me out. I’d worn this skirt, specifically for that reason.
It had been a week of polite, but short conversations, talking about wedding activities, but no flirting. She’d brought me lunch almost every day, but she’d drop it off and leave. No winking, no lingering in my office, and no inappropriate but flustering-inducing one-liners. I hated to admit that I missed it.
So, for no reason at all, I threw on a tight pencil skirt, and had left my shirt unbuttoned a little more than I normally would’ve. But so far, she hadn’t even glanced down past my face.
