“What about you guys?” Her lopsided smile covered me in warmth. “We’re only human; we can’t help who we’re attracted to.
“But when you assigned me this article, you told me I was the only one you could trust to be professional…” The guilt returned, covering me in a blanket of shame.
Donna’s finger lifted my chin. “I just didn’t want Delilah to think she deserved to write the article. Her dad might have his thumb on me, being one of our biggest investors, but I’m smarter than he’ll ever give me credit for.”
“A lady after my own heart.” I haphazardly smirked before turning away from her and shuffling to the door. I stopped, grabbing her attention again. “Thank you, Donna. I’ll let you know what I decide.”
“Okay, darlin’, please do.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Seven days seemed like a lot more time when you didn’t have a deadline looming over your head.
“What can I get for you?” asked the short, cute barista from behind the counter. Her brown apron hadHaddie Jo’sstitched in caramel-colored thread on the upper left side and it looked like it was swallowing her up.
“I’ll take a large black coffee, please.”
I’d been cooped up in my apartment, reading the article that had consumed me and contemplating what I was supposed to do next, but I was getting absolutely nowhere.
I needed a change of scenery, and I needed to stop staring at my computer screen. There were no answers in there, only a million little reasons that made saying goodbye to Stetson and the article harder.
It also didn’t help that I missed Stetson. The aching in my chest and the constant phantom touches proved it, but despite my best efforts, I still couldn’t find my way around the truth.
So, like I always did, I took to writing, but this time, I didn’t chase words for the article. I chased the lyrics.
“Is this seat taken?” My headphones muffled the voice of the person talking to me, but it was only a mystery for a few seconds.
“Stetson…” His name softly left my mouth as I tried to adjust myself, or at least make it look like I hadn’t been in the same clothes since last Saturday, even though I definitely had been. I looked down to see the same T-shirt staring back at me—the one I’d stolen from him.
This was humiliating. I casually crossed my arms over the shirt, attempting to hide it.
Our town tried to be subtle too, and while some people were used to seeing him out and about, there were others who couldn’t take their eyes off him. Honestly, I didn’t blame them. Although, upon closer inspection, he looked like hell right now. At least as much as he was capable of.
His six-foot stature towered over me, his presence dominating me. His hat shaded his eyes, but darkness surrounded the normally brilliant bulbs of blue, and only his rounded lips and square jaw that was uncharacteristically covered by a lot of scruff were on full display.
“Can I sit?” he asked again.
My head agreed before my mouth could.
“Are you good?” I found myself caring more than I’d hoped.
“As good as I can be,” he responded. “And you?”
“I’m all right,” I admitted, giving him more than I should have.
“What are you working on? Can’t be the article, because Donna said you haven’t sent her anything new since she saw you on Saturday.”
I shot a look of bewilderment at him. “Donna?”
“Yeah, she called me.”
“And?” I asked, basically falling out of my seat.
“And she told me you came to see her last Saturday morning, said that you couldn’t finish the article. Or that you didn’t want to.”
“I never said I didn’t want to,” I sternly responded.
His grinded his teeth, forcing the muscles in his jaw to tense. “Then why in the hell can’t you finish the article, Scarlett? Because I told Donna about us, told her everything. How I’ve never met anyone like you. That it isn’t your fault I overstepped our professional relationship, and how even though I shouldn’t have, I’m so glad I did.” He released a breath from deep in his chest. “I even told her that I’d understand if she didn’t want you to work on the article because of everything that had happened, and you know what she said?”
