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When she spoke again, the words that tumbled from her sounded both awkward and a little scripted, and yet strangely earnest and endearing. “The thing is, Mary, when I focus on something, I tend toreallyfocus on it. It’s a particular strength of mine, and if you hire me as your assistant manager, I will make this store my top priority. I’ll make sure to learn everything there is to know about it, so you don’t have to worry about it when it’s time to take care of your baby.”
There was a quiet beat, then Mary said, “You know, I do believe you would.”
A moment later, Luke heard his sister make Andy an offer, and the only thing louder than the excited gasp that followed it was his own massive sigh of relief.
Thank fuck.
His sister had finally found someone to replace Carla, and he and Dylan didn’t have to sweat running the store while Mary was gone for the better part of a year. Sure, they could have done it, but it would have meant a lot of late hours spent on backed-up orders. Which would have then prompted Kyle to send in Ski. Which would have subsequently pissed off Luke’s sister.
And pissing off a brand new mama bear didn’t sound like a wise thing to do.
So, yeah, the hiring of an assistant manager was a definite cause to rejoice.
Which is why for the next half hour, as more customers ventured into the shop, Luke whirled about the place with a smile on his face.
This summer was going to be epic.
He was sure of it.
At the next lull in business, Luke glanced back at the door behind the cashwrap. It sounded as though his sister was finishing up Andy’s new-hire paperwork, and he had half a mind to poke his head in and high-five the woman. Both of them.
Andalise Rhodes was a good omen.
Mary must have thought so too because she was suddenly gushing. “Oh my gosh, Andy, you are a godsend. Let me give you a tour of the store and introduce you to the team.” The door slid open, and Mary appeared in the entrance. “I just know Luke and Dylan are going to love you.”
“I’m sure I’ll like them too,” Andy murmured as Mary stepped from the room.
Then, with a swish of her long flowy skirt, Luke’s sister danced to the left and said, “Andalise Rhodes, meet my brother Lucas MacCallum. Luke, meet Andy with ay.”
There was a moment of silence as startled eyes swung up to his. A moment where those big blue orbs seemed to widen considerably and Luke’s smile was wiped clean from his face.
“You.” The word slipped from her — appropriately — like the startled cheep of a bird.
Luke answered with a growl of a syllable that rose from his chest.“You!”
Chapter seven
Lookaway,Andy told herself for the second time that week.Look away from the guy glaring at you like you just kicked his dog.The thought screamed through her head, but for some reason, she couldn’t seem to heed it.
Strange considering her normal response to anyone staring her down with this much intensity would be to shift her gaze to the nearest square inch of wall, sky, or freaking mountain mural she could find. But, nope, not this time. The pull of this man’s gaze was magnetic.
It was also kind of infuriating because one, Andy would never kick someone’s dog — she loved animals, probably even more than she did people — and two, it wasn’t like she’d planned on getting hired at the same place where Kyle’s mean-ass friend worked. And yet, by the surly expression plastered on his face, she could swear that was precisely what Luke thought.
Jesus.
Lucas MacCallum.
Mr. Freaky-deaky himself.
Her new boss’s freakingbrother.
How freaking unlucky could one girl be?
“Oh, fun,” Mary said beside her, “you kids already know each other.”
At his sister’s droll tone, Luke glanced away, and Andy released the breath she’d been holding.
“We’ve bumped into each other at the beach.” Luke’s reply was accompanied by a shrug of broad shoulders clad in a boxier, significantly longer, version of the shop T-shirt his sister wore.
