Miss Understanding (The Miss Series Book 1)

by Aubrey Bondurant

  “Mountains I think.” I really wished I’d done more research on the town.

  “Then, I hope you have some snow boots.”

  I doubted my secondhand three-inch-heel soft leather booties were what he meant.

  The chill of the air was evident the moment I deboarded the plane and walked along the sky ramp in Chicago. Holy crap. It almost took my breath, it was so dry and cold. I was in serious trouble. I’d have to figure out something when it came to getting warmer clothes, but for now I only had a short layover with barely enough time to get to the next flight.

  I was surprised to see my boss waiting for me outside of the gate with my suitcase in hand.

  “Have a good rest of your trip,” my row mate said, touching my arm and giving me a smile as he walked past. He was cute in a backpacking-across-Europe-without-a-care-or-a-shower type of way.

  “Thanks. You, too.”

  Liam was frowning. “We need to hurry. Our gate is some distance from here.” He acted as if I was at the back of the plane just to irritate him.

  I took my rolling carry-on from his hand and noticed he didn’t argue this time.

  He seemed to know his way around O’Hare, only pausing a moment in front of the monitor screen, reading it quickly, before striding away.

  I had trouble keeping up even in my flats. I’d have to add an entry to my notepad document.

  Him tripping over his own feet and sprawling in the middle of the terminal floor. Yep. I wouldn’t mind that scenario at all. But with my luck, he’d probably fall gracefully or get hurt and make me feel horrible.

  We didn’t stop until we were at the gate. Thankfully, they weren’t boarding yet which gave me a few minutes. “I’ll be back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “The ladies’ room, and then to grab something to eat.”

  “They didn’t feed you on the plane?”

  “No, not in coach. I’ll be back.” I turned to go only to have him stop me with his words.

  “While you’re in the ladies’ room, please remove your personal items from your suitcase.”

  “What?” I pivoted around so I could face him.

  “Your clothes. Especially your, you know, underthings. They’re on top of my folders.”

  Underthings? The term reminded me of something someone would say in Little House on the Prairie. I deadpanned him with a look that said you can’t be serious. “Yes. They’re on top of your folders in my suitcase. I have nowhere else to put my stuff even if I wanted to.”

  I had a small purse into which I wasn’t shoving my clothes.

  Annoyance was obvious in his expression. “Can you at least put them in a bag, so I don’t have to touch them again?”

  He’d touched my underwear? The thought sent a shiver down my body and heat straight to parts that had no business taking notice of such a thing. “You could always put the files in your carry-on.” It didn’t look big, but if he was so adamant not to see my personal belongings, he could simply take them.

  “I don’t have the room.”

  “Fine. I’ll see what I can do.” Frankly, I had to pee, and I didn’t want to stand there discussing the thongs he’d touched. I wanted to point out that if I’d known about his insistence in keeping my suitcase with him, I would’ve put them in a bag to begin with.

  I quickly went to the ladies’ room before stopping at Hudson News. No down parkas here. Or snow boots. The store only sold snacks and souvenirs. And the Chicago Bears sweatshirts were way too expensive to consider buying. I’d have to see about buying a coat once we got to Virginia. I settled on a protein bar and a bottle of water. At least the purchase gave me a small plastic bag in which to put my underwear. Then I walked back to where the passengers were starting to line up at our gate for the flight to Roanoke.

  Setting my suitcase down on an empty seat in the waiting area, I moved my water bottle and protein bar into my purse and unzipped the pink case.

  “You’re not doing that here, are you?” came the sexy voice of Satan.

  Did he walk over here with the singular goal of criticizing me? “You asked me to put my stuff in a bag.”

  “Yes. In the ladies’ room where it’s private.”

  I glanced up in time to witness his neck turning red. I could only imagine what he’d think to see me bartending at the racy dance club every weekend. Had the man never been around a thong? I pitied the woman who had the disappointment of such a prude in the bedroom.

  “It isn’t as if I intended to hold them up and announce it.”

  “Thank God for small favors.”

  The fact his tone was so snobby was the only explanation for what I did next. I slowly removed my red thong and leisurely took the time to fold it before putting it into the plastic bag. I did the same thing for the black one. Lastly came my bra, which I took the time to fold in two before carefully placing it in the bag next to the other two items, and into my carry-on.

  “You can’t just keep the bag with you?”

  If there was ever a look for what the actual fuck, I was giving it to him now.

  “I’m not carrying a plastic bag of my underwear on the plane. It won’t fit in my purse, and here, I’ll even put it under the files.”

  “Fine. You can just get the folders for me once we’re on the plane. We’ll be seated next to each other.”

  “What do you mean we’re seated next to each other?”

  “I upgraded you to first class. You’re sitting next to me.”

  Oh, fucking goodie.

  Chapter Eight

  Liam

  “How can the SUV you rented not have four-wheel drive?” I posed this question to Kendall at the rental car counter. I couldn’t believe she hadn’t rented a four-wheel drive.

  “I didn’t know to ask the question about it being four-wheel drive. Not like you told me it was winter here.”

  My mouth almost fell open. “It’s the end of January. Do I need to educate you on the seasons?”

  She crossed her arms, hugging herself. “I’ve never traveled outside of Southern California.”

  “Never?”

  “Well, technically I drove to Vegas one time, but it was warm there, too.”

  A thought kicked in. “Was this your first time on an airplane?”

  Her chin went up a notch. “Yes.”

  I’d just assumed she was a nervous flier and tried not to notice her gripping the armrest or closing her eyes when we took off and landed on the second leg from Chicago. Hell, during the entire flight I’d tried to ignore her—to no avail. I was way too tuned into her movements, soft sighs, and the damn smell of strawberry gloss.

  I turned toward the guy at the counter. “Do you have any four-wheel drive vehicles available?” Although there was no snow currently, it didn’t mean there wouldn’t be. Especially two hours away, further into the mountains.

  “Unfortunately, we’re running low on inventory, but we do have a pickup truck. You may want to put some weight back in the bed, though. Sand bags or wood normally works for when you don’t have it in four-wheel drive.”

  The rules of snow driving in a truck were all coming back to me. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We’ll take it. Does it have a club cab at least?” Frankly, I didn’t want to put the suitcases with all of my precious files in the back of a truck exposed to the elements.

  “Sure does. And heated seats for the lady.” The guy smiled at Kendall, and I noticed she returned it.

  Having never been on the receiving end of one of her genuine smiles, I felt an unexpected pang of jealousy. Weird.

  As we got into the Dodge Ram four-wheel drive pickup truck, me in the driver’s seat while her in the passenger, I noticed for the second time she was shivering. “Do you have a jacket in your suitcase I can grab you?” I’d already taken my winter coat out of my luggage. I put on the heat, but even so, it was below freezing outside, and the temperature would only drop overnight.

  “No.”

  “No, you don’t want m
e to get it for you, or no, you don’t have one?” If she hadn’t thought of a four-wheel drive or what winter was like outside of Southern California, she might not be prepared with her clothing.

  “I’ll go by a store tomorrow to get a warmer one.”

  “Unless you’re planning to get it at the Dollar Store or Food Lion, you’re out of luck once we get to town.”

  She blew out a breath. “Could I trouble you to stop at a Walmart or Target, then, while we’re here in Roanoke?”

  “You’re okay with shopping at Walmart?”

  “What’s wrong with Walmart?” Her tone was defensive.

  “I didn’t say anything was wrong with it, but you’re sitting there in designer clothes and shoes, so you’ll have to excuse me if I’m surprised you’re okay with shopping at Target or Walmart.”

  Her lips flattened into a scowl as if she was biting her tongue.

  “It’s none of my business.” I typed into the GPS app on my phone, hating to admit I’d noticed her clothing. “Looks like Walmart is closest.”

  “Fine. Thank you.”

  Patience was not one of my better traits. So waiting on my assistant in the parking lot of Walmart, knowing we still had a two-hour drive to go, put me in a mood. I felt annoyed even though she’d only been gone twenty minutes so far, and I’d been busy part of that time myself—purchasing several bundles of wood to weigh down the back of the truck. There was nothing worse than a pickup with no weight in the back on a slippery road.

  I was perusing the email on my phone when Kendall came out. She looked as though she’d been swallowed by the ugliest, puffiest coat known to man.

  I climbed out to come around and take her shopping bags. “What the hell is that?” I was sure even the Army would reject this particular shade of green.

  She opened her door while I put her bags in the back. “It’s the only winter coat they had in my size.”

  “Being your size is debatable.” It was way too big. “Did you get boots, too?”

  “Yeah, they’re in the bag. Don’t worry. Those are a wonderful lavender color with sparkles.”

  I couldn’t help the chuckle. And when she attempted to climb into the truck in her cocoon of a coat, I nearly doubled over with laughter. Because she couldn’t bend her body in order to do it. It was a big puffy straitjacket. And she was like a green caterpillar trying to bend and wiggle her way in. I wiped my eyes as I watched her attempt it twice.

  Finally, she unsnapped the front and jumped in with a huff. She sat there with her hands on her lap. “If you’re quite through laughing at me, we can go now. Thank you.”

  I was still grinning when I got back into the driver’s side. God, I’d needed that. Humor had been in short supply lately for sure.

  “Did you get gloves?”

  “Yes, and a scarf and some ear thingies. All are basic black, thank God.”

  We got on the freeway in silence until I asked the question: “You really brought all of the case files?”

  “Yep. All fifty pounds of them.”

  The suitcase had seemed rather heavy when I’d lifted it up into the truck. Once again I kicked myself for not communicating better about which folders I’d needed. “What about a scanner and printer? The hotel has one?”

  “It says it does. Also wireless internet.”

  “Good. I realize it’s been a long day, but I have a document I need some edits done on once we arrive.”

  “Tonight?”

  “You’ll get the overtime.” I fought the guilt about making her work as soon as we arrived. But in my defense, it was in fact a workday, and we’d spent most of it traveling. I had at least a dozen more documents to go through. Every minute counted. That was one of the reasons I’d brought her with me.

  If I wasn’t mistaken, she was rolling her eyes in the darkened cab of the truck. “I figured you’d want to go over to your mother’s house once we arrived.”

  “You figured wrong. Tomorrow is soon enough.”

  She gave me a side-eye full of judgment. Again, I could’ve explained how I wasn’t affected by my father’s death the way most sons would be, but I chose to stay quiet. It wasn’t her business.

  “Are there any restaurants in your town?”

  She’d barely touched her lunch on the plane. Now I wondered if it was because she’d been anxious about flying. “Why? Are you hungry?”

  “I’m okay for now, but I will be.”

  I would be, too. “I think there’s a McDonald’s and Hardees if you want fast food. But I’m not sure. It’s been awhile since I’ve been home.” Like over a decade.

  “When was the last time?”

  “Why does it matter?” I regretted my harsh tone as soon as the words left my mouth.

  She simply sighed and gazed out the window, deciding to ignore me.

  I didn’t like speaking about my past. And I sure as hell didn’t want to do so with my assistant, a girl I had already vowed not to get involved with. The fact I’d already touched her panties, was taking her to my hometown, and was therefore involving her in my personal business wasn’t sitting well. Perhaps it had been a mistake to bring her after all.

  Two hours later as she guided me to our lodging, I absolutely knew it had been a mistake.

  Chapter Nine

  Kendall

  My temper was simmering. I’d asked an innocent question about the last time he’d been home and he’d reminded me there was no off duty for his asshole-ness. And to think we’d established some sort of human interaction when he’d helped me with my bags and laughed out loud at my ridiculous coat. Foolishly, I’d thought I was witnessing a glimmer of a different side to him. Let it be a lesson. Once a dick, always a dick. No matter how cute of a package it was part of.

  I’d be lucky if I didn’t murder my boss by the end of the week. Then again, I looked terrible in orange and was certain I wouldn’t like prison. Such a shame.

  The navigation on my phone took us into town, four blocks off of Main Street to the two-story house I’d rented through Airbnb. I’d texted the owner we were on our way, so she was there on the front porch to greet us.

  “What is this?” Liam asked, once we pulled into the narrow driveway in front of the house.

  “Where we’ll be staying. Let me jump out and get the keys from Shirley.” Easier said than done because my coat restricted my movement, even when unsnapped. But I managed to somewhat roll out. The moment I was outside of the warm truck, the cold took my breath away. Jesus. How did people live in this type of weather?

  “Hey there. I’m Shirley. You must be Kendall,” the older woman greeted. She was about my mom’s age, completely bundled up in a cute black coat with a matching hat and boots. Evidently cold weather could produce fashion. Just not for me.

  “I am. Thanks for meeting us. We ran a bit later than we thought we would.”

  “It’s no problem. I hope you and your boyfriend will be comfortable here for the week.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I said at the same time the dickhead said, “I’m not her boyfriend.”

  Shirley tugged on her ear. “All righty. Well, let me show you the place.”

  I was about to step inside to follow her when my elbow was tugged back, and Liam’s hot breath was in my ear. “Please tell me this is not what you booked. A house?”

  I was in no mood to deal with his dissatisfaction. Especially in front of Shirley. “Yes. It is.”

  “Um, y’all still with me?” Shirley asked from inside.

  “Yep, we’re here.” I quickly went inside, not waiting to see if he followed.

  Thankfully, the online pictures had done the house justice. It was both modern and clean.

  “Here is the living room. Woodstove will keep you plenty warm at night in this main room—wood is out back, but feel free to use the electric heat in the bedrooms. Kitchen is fully functioning. Go ahead and use anything left behind. There’s a cabinet full of spices, as well as condiments in the fridge. Down this hall is the master bedroo
m with the master bath. Has a nice new soaking tub put in with the renovation last year.”

  I couldn’t wait to sink into it. We followed her silently through the small but cozy home. “Up these stairs are two more bedrooms. One with a queen bed, the other with a twin which doubles as the office.”

  “With internet, a scanner, and a printer?” Liam inquired.

  “Yes, indeedy. There’s also a full bathroom up here. Linens are in the closets, but I did take the liberty of making up the beds. You’ll wanna go by the Food Lion to get groceries, I imagine. Also, we may be getting snow later this week, so best to stock up before then. But remember it closes at nine every night but Sunday, when it closes at eight.”

  We certainly weren’t in LA any longer with those early hours. “Thank you, Shirley.”

  As soon as the tour was completed and the front door closed with Shirley’s departure, Liam rounded on me. “We are not staying here.”

  “Fine. I’ll get my things from the truck, and you can go stay wherever you want.” I’d reached max capacity in trying to accommodate his unrealistic expectations.

  “What?” He was looking at me like I was crazy.

  “If you’re so displeased with the house, then you can leave me here and find a different place to stay.” Although I couldn’t believe the words were coming out of my mouth, I realized there was no stopping this runaway train. I was not Miss Understanding at this point. Instead I was Miss Over It.

  “But it’s your job.”

  “Correction. It was my job. But I was off the clock hours ago. So unless you want a two-star motel with less-than-favorable reviews, four of which included stories of bedbugs, or you’d rather stay at a bed-and-breakfast which only had one room available with a twin bed, or you’d prefer to stay ninety minutes away in Blacksburg, this is your only option. I’m cold. I’m hungry, and I’m tired, not to mention sore from lugging your stupid files in my suitcase. And if I don’t get dinner soon, I’m likely to lose my shit. I don’t do well when I’m hungry. Not well at all. So either take me to the Food Lion so I can get something to cook, or help me get my luggage out of the truck, so you can go find someplace else to stay.”