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And for some reason, he felt a wave of protectiveness for the woman, which was why he decided against revealing her full name. “Her name is Waverley, but I doubt any of you know her. She’s from the Denver area.”
“How did you find her?” Poppy persisted.
“She actually came in for a consultation and saw the need for a receptionist and offered her services.” There. It was to the point, true, but didn’t divulge anything more than they needed to know.
“I’m going to have to swing by and say hi,” Poppy said. “Maybe answer any questions she might have about the job.”
“Poppy, you don’t have to feel guilty for finding a new job. Teaching is what you always wanted to do, and if I remember correctly, I pushed you to apply.”
She shrugged and gave a sheepish smile, not denying her guilt. “I know. I just want to make sure you’re set up with someone qualified.”
Waverley qualified? That remained to be seen, something he’d decide by Friday. That detail he wasn’t going to share, though.
“Sounds like you’ve got things handled at work. Let’s talk about that bachelor party again…” Landon said just as their parents came in carrying Lola, who had an adorable cap on her head that matched her pink cheeks.
Avery hopped up to retrieve her, making ridiculous noises as she did, while Conner watched them both with a warm smile. Conner certainly looked happy, making the settled life of a soon-to-be married man and father look almost appealing.
Almost. But Reynolds knew from experience that with his life and his demanding hours, time for any kind of relationship was minimal to none. And no woman wanted to take second place to a man’s job. He couldn’t blame them, and he accepted that he would probably be a bachelor for a very long time if not forever.
He liked it that way, actually. Liked the freedom and independence of not having anyone to answer to.
Things were good. No reason to rock the boat.
Chapter 5
Waverley’s teeth were chattering as she stood outside Cavanaugh Investigations Monday morning, gripping the two coffees in her hands that were more tepid than hot at this point. Despite it being the first week of April, the temperatures today were barely touching forty degrees, and the brisk chill in the air had left her cheeks and the tips of her ears nearly numb.
Why hadn’t she confirmed what time he opened the office? She might have stayed in bed a little longer. Or better yet, gotten back to scrubbing down her tiny apartment that had looked like it might have once been a crack house. Okay, that was a stretch. This was Blue Haven, not downtown Denver.
But it didn’t change the fact that there were a few holes in the walls someone had bashed in, the walls were covered in a ghastly purple floral wallpaper that was four decades out of style, and every corner and cranny of the place was brown with dirt and dust and…well, she would rather not think about the other stains. She doubted the place had seen a good cleaning in the past decade.
It had been a long time since Waverley had gotten down on her hands and knees and scrubbed anything clean. Not since she and her mom had that little place in Idaho Falls and there hadn’t been any maids or housekeepers or groundskeepers to keep things running and clean. It had just been the two of them. And although she had likely balked at having to scrub the bathroom clean every Saturday or help to mop the floors when they got sticky, there had been something satisfying in seeing the fruits of her labors so clearly in front of her.
Not like working at the foundation, where it felt like she’d spent all her time planning and hosting parties, parties that would hopefully bring in money to eventually go to some charity that had been voted on by the board.
She checked her watch again. Almost nine. If he didn’t get here in ten minutes, she’d go back to the coffee shop and hang out where it was nice and warm.
She swallowed the last of her coffee and considered drinking the cup she’d originally bought for Reynolds. It had been a bit of a dip into her funds, but she’d thought it would be a good start to the new job.
A black sedan pulled up a couple of parking spots down, and she turned, hoping it might be her new boss. The guy in the car took his time turning off the ignition and undoing his seat belt before checking through something in the glove box. A minute or two passed before the door opened and he stood, his sunglasses still on his face. He was wearing dark dress pants fitted around his hips and a fresh white shirt that showcased his broad chest and thick arms.
Yummy.
Yeah. That was him.
She should know since instantly her libido kicked up and the coolness of the morning was dissipating as her body flushed as he drew nearer. She caught sight of that smooth, handsome face that had a spot of toilet paper still stuck to the jawline with a tinge of blood bleeding through, likely from nicking himself shaving.
Something that Spencer would say was an example of why one should buy the best, most expensive blades one could afford instead of generic drugstore razors.
She smiled, finding the added touch adorable, a quirk to Reynolds’s moody countenance as he came to stand in front of her, with his keys in hand and a look of what might have been surprise at finding her outside the office. “How long have you been waiting here?”
“Oh, you know. Not too long,” she said vaguely as he opened the door and let her go in. He took a moment to turn the lights on and flip the closed sign to open.
“Here. I got this for you,” she said and handed him his cup, grateful she hadn’t had a sip. “I didn’t know how you liked it, so I got it black. Figured you could add what you wanted.”
“Thanks.” He held the cup up and took a sip. He grimaced not too subtly. “From the temperature of this coffee, I’d guess you were here longer than ‘not too long.’ Why didn’t you just wait in your car? It would have been warmer.”
“My car?” She went over to her newly cleared desk and opened the bottom drawer and dropped her purse inside, then set her cell phone on the desk. She didn’t throw away the empty coffee cup, though, choosing to hold on to that for carrying her cheaper, made-from-home coffee tomorrow. “Actually I don’t currently have one. But as soon as I get settled in, I’m going to look into getting one.”
