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He held open the oversize glass door. The early November air hung heavy with moisture, chilling her. She zipped up her jacket a little farther.
Like he had when they walked to the conference room this morning, he fell in step next to her.
“Do you always work such long hours?” she asked.
“It’s not unusual,” he replied. “You?”
“Mr. Newman often told me I shouldn’t, but yes. I like to be organized.”
“It’s appreciated.”
When they entered the coffee shop, she inhaled the scent of sugar dancing on the air. It was a good thing she’d already worked out.
“Chocolate cake?” Marvin guessed when she walked to the counter after taking a peek at the pastry case.
“Come here often?” Nathan teased.
“I’ve been in once or twice,” she replied.
“A day,” Marvin added helpfully, after wiping his hands on his apron.
“There goes your tip,” she told the older man. “What are you doing here so late, anyway?”
“Lydia wasn’t feeling well,” he replied, mentioning his daughter. “So I sent her home. Told her I would cover for her.” He shrugged. “Figured I’d keep baking since I was here.”
“The place smells amazing.” Her mouth was already watering.
“Cappuccino to go with that?”
“Please.”
He glanced at the clock. “Decaf?”
“That would be perfect. Thanks.”
He started to enter the amount into the cash register but she hooked her thumb toward Nathan. “He’s paying.”
“About time you brought a young man in here.”
Heat seared her face. “He’s my boss.”
“Anything you say, Kelsey.” Marvin nodded, as if he didn’t believe her.
She glanced over her shoulder at Nathan, frantically hoping he wasn’t as mortified as she was.
Nathan quirked an eyebrow at the man and gave a conspiratorial shrug.
“What will it be, Kelsey’s boss?”
“We’re sharing the cake.”
“What?” She spun to face him. “I don’t share my cake. Not with you. Not with anyone.”
He swept his gaze over her before saying, “You can’t eat the whole thing.”
“Watch me.”
“Two forks,” he said to Marvin. Ignoring her scowl, Nathan continued, “I’ll have a cappuccino, as well. Regular.”
“I’m serious,” she warned him.
“Your boss must know you well if he knows you always get a to-go box,” Marvin said.
Shaking her head at both of them, she went to her favorite table and watched Nathan finish placing his order then pull out enough cash to pay the bill. She unzipped her jacket and hung her purse from the chair back while still watching him. He went up a bit in her estimation when she saw him stuff a five-dollar bill in the tip jar.
After putting his wallet back into his pocket, he sought her out with his gaze.
For a wild moment, she wondered what it would be like if they were more than employer and employee. But before the thought could careen across her mind and spin out of control, she shoved it aside and took her seat.
Nathan Donovan was her boss. Nothing more. Not ever.
He sat across from her and dropped her duffel bag at his side. “You know I invited you here for ulterior motives,” he said.
Kelsey frowned. “Something you want to discuss about work?” Maybe the fact she’d left without saying goodnight?
“No. That stays at the office.”
She crossed her legs. “Then?”
“I’m curious about you.”
“Me?” She glanced around, as if he could possibly be talking to anyone else.
“I’ve read your résumé. I know about your job experience, your education, your GPA and the civic organizations you volunteer at. Now I want to know about the blank lines. The stuff you left out, either because you needed to or thought you should.”
She crossed her legs in the opposite direction. His cell phone was out of sight. His watch was blanked out. He was watching her so intently it was as if there were no other person on the planet and he was determined to uncover all her secrets. Some of them were so deep even she didn’t want to excavate them. But she had a sudden and uncomfortable feeling that he knew something about her that she’d prefer he didn’t. “And why would I tell you?” she asked. Then she realized her tone sounded sharp, defensive.
“I’ll go first,” he said conversationally, as if they were friends, or even more than friends. “Earlier you asked about my grandfather, the Colonel. He was really only a captain, but after he married my grandmother, he was placed in charge of one of the divisions of her family’s business. That was their wedding gift from her father. He had to work his ass off to prove himself. And apparently he was gruff. So he earned the nickname.”
