My mind stopped operating, at least everything other than my eyes burning the image into my brain. Her hair was wet, and long strands whipped over her shoulder as she saw me and let out a little yelp. She grabbed at the towel, pulling it higher over her cleavage, and I noticed her skin was redder, flushed by the hot water. A droplet fell between her breasts, and I suddenly realized I needed to look away. I averted my eyes behind the laptop, pulling my knees up so it blocked my view of her.
“Oh, God,” she said, backing up to the bedroom. “I’m so sorry, I thought you were still asleep.”
“It’s fine,” I said, as she ducked back into the bedroom. Suddenly, her head popped around the doorframe and looked into the room and then to me.
“Umm,” she said, and I dramatically closed my eyes.
“Go for it,” I said and listened for the patter of her feet across the room and back. I wanted, with everything in my body, to open my eyes and watch her, but I held true. When she was back in the bathroom again, she closed the door and I let out a breath.
After staring at the closed door for a few moments, I swallowed hard and tried to regain my composure. I looked down at my hand and noticed the phone sitting in it, my thumb still in the lower center of the screen. It dawned on me I’d been about to make a phone call.
The fan in the bathroom went on and soon after, the hairdryer, so I figured I had a few minutes. I hit the Call button and sat back. The PI, Dallas Patterson, answered on the first ring.
“Tom,” he said, “glad you got back so quickly.”
“Yeah, I’m eager to hear what you’ve found out, Dallas,” I said.
“Before we begin, I do want to warn you that the information I am about to give you is not enough to get an official look by police yet. This is all public record and speculative information and should be treated as such.”
“I know the spiel, Dallas,” I said, motioning with my hands for him to get on with it even though he couldn’t see me.
“So a strange bit of information popped up on Danny’s history when I was running it through some other state records. Were you aware Danny owned another bar in another town?”
“No, I only knew about his current place. From the looks of it, he has had that place since Nixon was in office,” I said.
“Yes, well, almost. But before that bar, he had a place a few towns over. Very curious situation there. Apparently, there were two neighboring bars, much like in your situation, and they had a rather intense competition for customers.”
The door opened across from me again, and Amanda came out of the room. I could hear Dallas’s voice droning on, but my mind went blank. Even with her hair still slightly wet, and fully dressed in a black blouse and slacks, my mind filled with the vision of her wet, covered only in the towel. I shifted uncomfortably on the couch, moving the laptop to cover myself a bit more modestly. She didn’t seem to notice and went to the table where her laptop sat, opening it up and sitting down in front of it.
“Tom?” Dallas said in my ear, and I suddenly snapped back to reality.
“I’m sorry, I think my connection cut you off for a second there. I didn’t hear a word you said after the two bars were competing,” I lied.
“Right, well, the competition got rather heated, if you will excuse the pun. One day, the rival bar went up in flames,” he said. “And it too was found to be arson.” There was a pause as I processed it, and then Dallas spoke again. “Did I lose you again?”
“No,” I said. “No, I heard you that time. Loud and clear. That is very good information, Dallas, good work.”
“It’s what I do. I plan on doing a fair bit of investigating, specifically about this arson, but from what I gather, he didn’t stick around long after that. I will let you know if I find anything else out,” he said.
“Fantastic. Keep digging. I think this might be the smoking gun,” I said.
“Let’s hope so,” Dallas said and then offered his goodbyes. I hung up the phone and stared down at it for a moment, adrenaline coursing through my veins.
“Sorry about that,” I said to Amanda as I stood, turning my back to her in case my body was still reacting to the images that danced in front of my eyes a moment ago.
“No worries,” she said, her back still turned as well. “If you would like me to leave so you can get dressed…” she began.
“No, it’s fine,” I said. I pulled out my drawer and grabbed the jeans and polo from inside that I planned on wearing today. As I stepped into the jeans, I turned back toward Amanda. I unfolded the shirt and was about to pull it on when I caught her reflection in the laptop screen. I could swear she was staring at me.
I pulled the shirt on, and the screen changed to something with a white background, eliminating my ability to see her reflection. I gathered up my keys and wallet, stuffing them in my pockets, and walked up beside her. She looked up at me with a slight smile, and I wondered if she really was watching me get dressed.
“I’m going to brush my teeth and head out to see my brothers. Will you be okay here alone?”
She nodded and I went into the bathroom, dialing my mom’s house phone out of instinct. Matt answered after a couple of rings.
“Hey, Tom, what’s up?” Matt asked.
“I just got a call from my PI,” I said, turning the water on. “Danny burned down a bar before ours.”
“What?” Matt said, confused.
“That’s what we think happened, at least. Who else is up?”
“No one. Just me,” Matt said, and I noticed he sounded a bit groggy. It was still early, and the rest of my brothers were used to the long nights of running a bar, and the late mornings afterward. I had to remind myself that the world didn’t get up with me at six.
“Get everyone else over there. I’m heading over,” I said and hung up. I brushed my teeth and headed out of the door, waving to Amanda as I left.
* * *
The short drive gave me enough time to think through what Dallas had said. While it was an extraordinary coincidence that two bars near him, two bars he was in competition with no less, had burned down, it wasn’t proof he had anything to do with it. But it certainly seemed fishy.
I pulled into the driveway and shut the door, noticing movement through the curtains. Rather than knocking on the door, I turned the knob, and to my surprise it opened easily.
All of my brothers were there, though in varying stages of consciousness it seemed, and the smell of coffee and bacon was strong. Matt was in the kitchen doling out plates, and Mason stood closest to the door, an entire pot of coffee in his hand.
“Coffee?” he muttered before I even shut the door.
“Yes,” I said. “Everybody needs coffee. Let’s go to the dining room.”
“Where’s Mom?” I asked.
“Still sleeping,” Tyler responded.
I took a seat at the head of the table, and the guys filtered in around me. Jordan brought a plate and sat it in front of me. Eggs and bacon piled high, much like the one in front of him and another in front of Matt.
“Thanks, Jordan,” I said.
He waved me off, stuffing eggs into his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten in a year.
“So,” Mason said as a way of beginning the conversation. “What’s so important we all had to get up at”—he checked his watch— “seven in the morning?”
“Well, for one, that’s not a crazy early time for people who aren’t used to running a bar every night. And for two, I told Matt. Did he not clue you guys in?”
Everyone shook their head, and Matt looked up from his plate of already rapidly disappearing eggs.
“No, figured I’d let you tell them,” he said.
“Right,” I said. “My PI got some information about Danny. Apparently, he owned a bar before this one in another town. And he had a rival bar there, too, and it just so happened to burn down one night.”
“No shit,” Jordan said, dropping his fork. “I knew it, I knew it!”
“Hold on,” I said, put
ting my hands up to stop him, to very little success. He was already standing and starting to pace.
“I knew that old fucker would be behind this. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him. Hell, less. Why don’t we go down there and find out exactly?” he asked, his voice rising as he got more intense.
“Jordan, chill,” Mason said, and Jordan’s eyes snapped to him. “You said the bar happened to burn down but did anyone ever implicate Danny?”
“As far as I know, no,” I admitted. “Dallas is digging into it further today.”
“So, it really could be a coincidence,” Tyler said.
“Or the first bar gave him an idea for the second,” Matt muttered.
“Either way,” I said, cutting in, “Mason has a point. We don’t know for sure.”
“So, what do we do?” Tyler asked.
“Right now, nothing,” Mason said. “The insurance person is coming today to take pictures so we can file the claim. It should be our focus right now. Let’s start the rebuild, get the bar up and running, and worry about who did it later.”
“I agree,” I said, steepling my fingers in front of me. “This information might be a smoking gun, but it might also be smoke and mirrors. Let’s give Dallas a little more time and take care of ourselves first.”
14
Amanda
Well that was certainly a life lesson I didn’t think I was ever going to have to learn. Don’t walk out into the hotel room where your boss is sleeping in nothing but a towel. It sounded like the beginning of a cheesy movie I certainly didn’t need to envision myself as a part of. Especially considering if that was what was happening, I would have makeup on and be much more alluring.
As it was, I was just rolled up in the hotel towel like a burrito, no makeup, wet hair, and a startled expression. Not the best combination in the world. I’d scurried back into the bathroom and hid behind the closed door like I was running from a serial killer.
What the hell was going on with me? Since when did just being in the same room with him make my brain stop functioning?
I couldn’t deny the reaction he caused in me. The same reaction that made me put on my makeup and get dressed slower than I ever had in my life. It gave me enough time to regain my composure so I could walk back out and look like everything was totally normal.
Not the easiest feat, but I managed it.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to try to maintain that for too long. Within an hour, Tom told me he needed to go. He was meeting with his brothers and the private investigator again. He hesitated like he was going to ask if I wanted to go with him, but I ducked my head down and kept my eyes focused on my laptop.
Finally, he said he would give me a call later, reiterated that I should get anything I wanted from room service and order anything I realized I needed, then left. As soon as the door closed behind him, the muscles on the sides of my neck and my shoulders noticeably relaxed.
I was finally able to really focus and get down to work. When my phone rang several hours later, I was surprised to see how late in the day it had gotten.
“Amanda? This is Ava,” she said when I answered.
“Hey, Ava,” I said. “How are you doing?”
“Doing well. I’m out with Susan, and we wanted to know if you would like to have lunch with us,” she said. “We could swing by the hotel and pick you up.”
“That would be great,” I replied.
“Perfect. We’ll be by in about fifteen minutes.”
She called me when they pulled up in front of the hotel, and I went downstairs to meet them. I slid into the back seat next to Robert. He was sleeping peacefully in his car seat, and I couldn’t help but swoon a little as I stared at him. He was so precious.
“Hi,” Ava said. “Good to see you.”
“You too,” I said. “Thank you for getting me out of there. I’m seriously getting sick of hotel food.”
“Well, I’m glad we could spring you at least for this afternoon. I have a feeling you’ll be in town for a while, so you’ll be getting your fill of that hotel food,” Susan said. “But we will come spirit you away as often as we can.”
I grinned. “I appreciate it.”
“How do you feel about seafood?” Ava asked.
“I love it.”
“Good. We’re bringing you to one of my favorite restaurants. It’s right by the beach, and they have some of the most amazing seafood in the area.”
When she said the restaurant was right on the beach, she wasn’t exaggerating. The back half of the building sat out on the sand, and a deck gave diners an exceptional view of the ocean. It was small, but very popular.
The hostess promptly brought us out onto the deck and escorted us to a table in the corner. A large umbrella cast enough shade to protect all of the chairs around the table from the bright sun, and Ava placed Robert’s car seat in the chair next to hers so he could keep sleeping.
“So, how are you liking Astoria so far?” Susan asked when the waiter had taken up our menus and walked away.
“It’s really nice,” I said. “A wonderful change of pace from San Francisco. Not that I dislike California or anything, but everything just moves so fast all the time, and it’s nice to just kind of have a change of surroundings and slow down a little bit.”
“Speaking of surroundings,” Ava said. “How are you and Tom navigating the whole sharing a hotel room thing?”
Susan’s mouth fell open in her eyes widened. Color sprung up to my cheekbones, and I did my best to will the reaction away.
“You’re sharing a hotel room?” she asked.
I would have expected her to sound a little upset, or at least scandalized by the prospect. Instead, she almost sounded hopeful.
“Only out of necessity,” I said. “When he got into town, the only place he could find was really unacceptable. He wanted to move over into that hotel, but there was only one room available. It’s a suite, so it’s convenient for us to share.”
“For you maybe,” Ava stated.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“He doesn’t have any experience living with anybody but his brothers and my late husband and me,” Susan said. “And I say it’s about time he gets some practice. I just wish he would settle down already.”
I laughed. “Honestly, if I were you, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that one. He’s far too into his work to even begin to think about settling down with anybody.”
Susan and Ava exchanged glances.
“I’m not so sure that’s true,” Ava said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I just don’t think he’s only concentrating on work all the time,” she said. “I saw the way he looks at you.”
“You know what, I noticed that, too,” Susan said. “While we were having dinner, he couldn’t keep his eyes off you. He looked at you every time you spoke, then didn’t look away for a long time.”
I didn’t know what to say. All I could think about was the conversation I had with Emily. Emily was so convinced about Tom’s and my feelings for each other, and she had barely spent any time around us together. The people in his family, on the other hand, knew him extremely well and had seen us interact.
Despite hearing the same things from these women, I still shook my head.
“No, it’s not like that,” I said. “We work well together, and I suppose you would say we’re friends, that’s it.”
“Are you absolutely sure about that?” Ava asked.
The thing was, I wasn’t so sure about that anymore. But I couldn’t let on to that. Regardless of what I might be feeling or what kind of effect Tom was having on me, I just knew it would never be possible. We came from very different worlds and had very different lives.
Even putting class politics aside, the thought of trying to navigate any type of relationship with him in the context of also working together wasn’t something I wanted to dwell on. It sounded like it could get extremely awkward very fast. I never wanted to be s
een as the woman who slept her way to the top.
I had another flashback to the night before when Tom had caught me so confidently and protectively, how we stared at one another, not wanting to move.
From there, my brain shifted over to that morning when he saw me in nothing but my towel. It was a complete accident. An honest mistake. I figured he was still asleep, and I could scurry out to grab my bag without him even noticing I was there.
I blushed and looked away so neither of the women would notice the color suddenly on my cheeks. I didn’t want to try to explain any of it to Tom’s sister-in-law and mother.
My phone started ringing, and I nearly jumped at the vibration on the table in front of me. I grabbed it and leaned into the ladies.
“Sorry, I have to take this, I’ll be right back,” I said and stood to walk away a few feet. The caller ID said that it was Landon, and if he was calling me directly, something was up.
“Amanda?” Landon asked when I answered the phone. His voice sounded flustered and stressed.
“Landon? What’s going on?” I asked.
“Oh, thank God. There’s a problem with the new prototype engine. It’s not executing commands and is glitching out just a few frames in on a specific game. I need to talk to Tom, but he won’t answer my calls.” All the words came tumbling out as if it was one big run-on sentence.
“Whoa, slow down, Landon. The coding is off, how?”
“I just… I need to talk to Tom. Is he there? Do you know where he is?” Landon asked.
“I’ll get ahold of him,” I said.
“Okay, thank you, Amanda. Just tell him to call me as soon as you get to him.”
I hung up on Landon and turned to face the girls.
“Everything okay?” Ava asked.
“It will be. I just need to get ahold of Tom for some work stuff and he’s not answering his phone. Do you know where he is? It’s kind of time-sensitive,” I said.
“I think I know,” Ava said, standing.
Taboo Boss: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance Page 8