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“He knows I’ll be his secretary?”
“Yes.”
“What, uh, what did he say when you told him?”
“He said he was fine with it as long as you didn’t disturb him while he worked or got in his way.”
That bastard. As if she wanted to disturb him at all. He was the one disturbing her simply by living.
“Don’t get mad. He says that about all his secretaries,” Vivian told her, trying to soften the insult.
For some reason, knowing he said that about all his secretaries only made her angrier.
“Now that we’ve settled that, let’s go eat. These pregnancy cravings ain’t no joke.” Vivian grabbed her arm and steered her toward the exit.
Tiera’s gaze drifted to Caleb when they returned to the table, drawn there like a moth to fire. He was staring at her while wearing that cocky grin she hated to love. He winked. Tiera rolled her eyes as she returned to her seat. Grabbing her glass of champagne, she took a huge sip. Was she really about to work for Caleb again?
The last time she worked at their company, they’d all been so busy that they hadn’t had time to argue or be awkward. Plus, with her brother present, she simply avoided Caleb as much as she could. This time, her brother wouldn’t be present. This time, she wouldn’t be able to avoid Caleb. Once again, her gaze met his. He was the first to look away.
For some reason, that made her even angrier.
CHAPTER 4
Tiera
It was raining when they finished eating dinner.
Everyone else had valet parked their cars. So, they had to wait for their vehicles to be brought around. Tiera didn't like strangers touching her things. She’d chosen to park in the parking garage and walk almost a block to the restaurant.
She'd checked the weather forecast earlier that day and had known it was going to rain, which was why she'd grabbed an umbrella before leaving her hotel room. Too bad she'd left it on the front passenger seat of her car.
"Tiera, dear," Mrs. Fitzgerald called to her. "Let Caleb drive you to your car."
"It's okay,” Tiera replied. “I'm fine with walking."
Her hair was going to get wet. Ugh. If Vivian hadn't begun feeling nauseous and left before everyone else, she could’ve driven Tiera to her car. Her mom and Mrs. Fitzgerald couldn't drop her off because they'd driven the two-seater Terrence brought them for Christmas last year. He’d gotten Tiera a watch while they’d gotten an expensive car to share. Something about that didn't seem right.
"Stop being stubborn," her mother insisted. "Allow Caleb to drive you to your car. Who will take care of you if you get sick from getting wet? I won’t be here. We’re leaving for our cruise tomorrow."
"Don't worry, Mrs. Wright," Caleb said as their parent's car pulled up. "I have no intention of letting her get wet."
Tiera chuckled. He wasn't lying about that. Caleb glared over his shoulder at her. No longer feeling like laughing, her gaze dropped to the ground. She didn’t look up until he resumed talking to their parents. He helped them into the car. Whenever Tiera tried to help them with something, they told her to stop treating them like they were old.
However, when he or Terrence did it, it was always, thank you, we raised you boys right. Tiera sighed. It was a good thing she was a daddy’s girl, or she’d truly feel left out. While Caleb was distracted by them, Tiera decided to make a dash for it. She honestly didn’t want to ride in the car with him.
She’d rather get rained on than be seated next to him during the drive to her hotel room. Oh, wait. He would only have to drive her to the parking garage. He didn’t even know she was staying at a hotel. Everyone, including her mother, thought she’d be staying at her mother’s place while her mom was on her cruise. A few years ago, the boys bought their parents new houses.
And the houses were right next to each other. Tiera had told her mother she’d stay with her until she found a new place and that she’d house-sit while they were on their cruise. She hadn’t lied. She had every intention of checking on both homes while the ladies were away. She’d even left a decoy suitcase at her mother’s place to further convince her.
It was packed with items she’d need if she had no choice but to stay a night at her mother’s house. But, she hoped that didn’t happen. She needed her own space. And until she found a place of her own, she’d be staying at a hotel. Caleb didn’t need to know that, though. She didn’t need him lecturing her on how unsafe it was for a woman to stay at hotels alone.
As a former travel nurse, she’d stayed at plenty of hotels alone. She preferred her own company over others. Just like she’d rather get drenched than ride with Caleb the short distance to the garage. She’d just made it halfway across the parking lot when she heard someone behind her. She looked back to find Caleb running after her. What the hell?
“Don’t chase me,” she yelled, running faster.
“Don’t run,” he called after her. He caught up with her in no time. Grabbing her arm, he attempted to pull her back to his waiting car.
“Let me go.”
