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“I had no idea you worked for me,” he said. “You said you were in accounts payable? I guess it all makes sense now.”
His frown had increased as he worked through things in his head. My stomach clenched. Please tell me I hadn’t blown this. I’d never felt this connection with anyone before, and I doubted I’d find it again.
“I didn’t have the chance to hide it from you,” I said. “We never discussed much about our lives.”
Even in our phone calls, we didn’t go into work talk. It just never came up. We talked about our families, our Christmas traditions, and what we wanted to do when he returned to Pleasure Valley—both non-sexual and sexual.
“You’re right,” he said. “But you knew what I did for a living.”
“I didn’t care. You weren’tthatBlake Kincaid when I was with you. It was like you became another person for a little while.”
He stared off into space thoughtfully. I was getting through to him. I was speaking from the heart, so if it struck a chord, it wasn’t deliberate.
“I’ve been struggling at work all morning,” he said. “I just keep thinking that as much as I love what I do now, I have a purpose.” He shifted his gaze to me. “You’ve shown me what’s been missing in my life all this time.”
“I’ve been wandering around pretty lost myself,” I said. “I love my job here, don’t get me wrong, and my roommates are great. But I just want something more, you know.”
He nodded. “I know. How are we going to explain this to everyone here, though?”
I glanced at the door, knowing my coworkers were still in the break room, no doubt wondering why I’d rushed off with the boss.
“We don’t tell them,” I said. “Not until we’re ready. I can find another job if you think it’d help.”
“Oh no, you can’t.” He took a step closer to me. “I’m not letting one of the best accounts payable people in Pleasure Valley go.”
I tilted my head. “You didn’t even know I worked here until now.”
“I knew there was an accounts payable person who kicked ass. You can help me with that, though.”
“With your bills?”
“With my management skills,” he said. “I should know all my employees’ names. I should do more things like this pizza lunch. I should be a good person, both in my personal and business lives.”
“Youarea good person,” I said, taking a tentative step toward him. We were both gradually bridging the gap between us. “You just need a little work-life balance.”
We both took another step, then he reached out and pulled me toward him, taking care of the rest of that gap. “That sounds like an important project,” he said.
“Make sure you pencil me in for the rest of tonight,” I said. “Not just dinner.”
He lowered his head and placed his lips close to mine. “How about the rest of my life?”
I smiled. “I’m in.”
And then we kissed, and I knew that even though we might not be saying the words yet, we were already well on our way to falling in love.
EPILOGUE
BLAKE
Three years had passed, and a lot had changed since that night Carly and I met at the Lamplighter Lounge. That included the fact that she was no longer working for WorkBetter Spaces. She freelanced these days, working from home for clients all across the country.
“What can I get you tonight, Mr. Kincaid?” a server named Josie asked, stepping up to the table with a tired smile.
Jordana no longer worked here. She’d moved on long ago and, true to form, the sleazebucket owner of this place had hired a young, attractive server to replace her. She was probably the fourth or fifth replacement in the time I’d been a regular here.
“Whiskey sour,” I said.
“And a cosmopolitan for Mrs. Kincaid?”
