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“A cat?”
“Yes. I’ve always loved them and wanted to adopt a kitten two years ago, but I… I just didn’t.”
Right, Jordan thought, Ron had probably objected.
“Do you want company while you go looking for one?” he asked.
“Maybe. Nicole says there were a lot of kittens and cats at the rescue shelter where she got Toby, so I’ll start there. Maybe you should adopt one, too.”
“Not a good idea. I’d feel like scum having to kennel it whenever I go out of town. You know how much I travel.”
“Except now you have a sister living nearby. I could take care of an animal for you.”
“I’ll think about it,” he answered, mostly to get her off the subject. He didn’t want to adopt a dog or cat any more than he wanted any other permanent involvements.
His life worked fine the way it was.
CHAPTER EIGHT
AFTER A CALL with Rachel to discuss agency business, Nicole took the salad she’d brought for lunch out of the refrigerator and did paperwork as she ate. Some of it was stuff Chelsea would eventually learn to do, and Nicole could hardly wait to surrender it to her.
“Isn’t it important to relax over lunch?” Jordan’s voice interrupted her concentration.
She glanced up to see him in the doorway of her office. “Right now I need to use every minute I can.” She refrained from mentioning that the interviews were one of the reasons her schedule was so full. The timer chimed on her desk, reminding her of the next task.
“An alarm?” Jordan asked.
“Sure. I get absorbed in what I’m doing and set an alarm so I don’t have to break my concentration to keep checking the clock.”
Nicole stood and stretched and saw heat flare in his eyes. She swallowed; it was best to ignore any hint that he might think she was attractive. The relationship with Jordan was strictly business, and temporary at best. Nor was there anything unusual in a man finding her desirable. She’d been fortunate to be born with good looks and it wasn’t anything to be smug about. After all, her appearance wasn’t an achievement. While she’d learned how to present herself, it wasn’t the same as her business degree, which had required hard work. Well, she had to exercise and be careful about eating, but that wasn’t quite the same.
“Ready to go?” Jordan asked. The husky note in his voice sent tingles up her spine. Obviously her body wasn’t cooperating with her wish to stay free of entanglements.
“Just about,” she answered as casually as possible. “I need to check with Chelsea before leaving.”
He followed as she went out to the reception area.
“Chelsea, I’m going to that photo shoot now. Do you have any questions about what you’ve looked at so far?”
“No. But I’m working on a new way of recording the hours our clients are on assignment, rates and such. I found the note from the accounting firm saying they’d like a new format.”
Nicole frowned. “That never got to me. Could you let them know we’ve had staff changes and that you’ll work with them on a process that meets both our needs?”
“I hope it’s all right, but I already emailed and told them that I didn’t think you’d seen the request and I would bring it to your attention once you were free.”
“That’s terrific. Things are already going smoother with you here.”
Chelsea’s face glowed pink with the compliment. “If anybody calls or stops in to see you, what shall I tell them?”
“Just that I’m out on business and you’ll give me the message. Call or text with anything truly urgent.”
Nicole was acutely aware of Jordan’s presence as they walked outside to her car.
Renewed tension crawled through her. Perhaps she’d feel the same with any other reporter, but it was more intense because it was Jordan and the new office manager was his sister. All the same, she didn’t believe she would have interacted with Chelsea in any other way. A word of approval had seemed appropriate, though she hadn’t been able to keep from wondering whether Jordan would think she was trying to get on his good side.
Yet it was also unfair to withhold a compliment to an employee just because she didn’t want to be perceived as trying to butter someone up.
