by Natalie Ann
“I’ve heard a few things,” he said, but wasn’t saying much more.
“That’s why he didn’t get your job when Richard retired. Richard told me he wasn’t going to advocate for him and even made it a point for Kyle and Mike to know he isn’t doing that great of a job now.”
He hated the cattiness that was coming out. “I’ll deal with all of that. If you want to forward me that email, please do so and I’ll look it over and think on how to address things.”
Colleen hesitated. “I don’t want to bother you with it.”
Yet she just called him at home with it. “No bother. Go ahead and send it to me,” he said.
“Okay. I will.”
When there was silence on the other end, he asked, “Was there anything else?”
“No. I guess not. I was just thinking that maybe it’s best if we didn’t talk at work with the door shut anymore.”
“That’s your choice if it makes you feel uncomfortable.”
“I’m not uncomfortable,” she was quick to say.
“Then what?”
“I just thought maybe we could meet after hours to talk or on the phone so no one sees us.”
“I’ve got nothing to hide,” he said back. “I prefer to keep work at work.”
“Then I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Colleen said.
“See you in the morning.”
He disconnected the call and then turned to see Sarah standing there. “Let me guess. Colleen?”
“Yeah.” He decided it was worth saying what just happened after the talk they had. “She’s going to be trouble I’m sure. I can see it. She called to say John sent her a nasty email about running to me and complaining about him and that she’s in my office a lot with the door shut.”
“So people are talking about that?” she asked.
“It seems so.”
Sarah nodded her head and went back to the kitchen and he followed, then pulled her into his arms. “I’m not going into the office and talking about my girlfriend. It’s not who I am and makes it look like I’ve got to defend myself against rumors. Rumors like that could happen even if I was married and you know it.”
“I do,” she said, hugging him back.
“But if you want to come pick me up for lunch one day when you are off, I wouldn’t have a problem with that.”
“Really?” she said. “You know I took this Friday off.”
He did know that. She had a dentist appointment in the morning and then wanted to go shopping after and get a pedicure. What she called her own form of a solo girl’s day.
His sisters did it often, but always together. When he asked Sarah why she wasn’t going with a friend, she’d said that she didn’t have too many close women friends.
He supposed it went back to everyone wanting to get close to Harris and he felt bad for her and that she didn’t trust people and hated more that he might still fall into that group.
Then he wondered if she felt that she didn’t get enough attention in her life. He’d always thought that about his own sisters. That so much was spent on him while he reached his goals. The traveling for the modeling, the comments everyone made to his parents about him growing up. How smart he was. How determined. He’d be a success no matter what he’d do, his teachers had said.
His sisters would whine at times and say they were sick of it, but then they’d say they were joking. He never felt they really were joking though.
“If you want to squeeze a lunch date in there, I’d love to show you my office.”
“I think I would like that,” she said. “Thank you.”
“No. I get it. My sisters had it rough with me growing up.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” she asked.
Now he probably put his foot in his mouth. “A lot of attention was on me. I just got thinking how you will be by yourself on Friday because you said you didn’t have a lot of friends.”
“I’ve got friends,” she said, crossing her arms.
When did he start to suck so much at talking to people? “You know what I mean. You’ve told me before about Harris and how men and women just wanted to get close to him through you. I’m just stating what you said.”
“And now you pity me.”
“Wow. Somehow I lost complete control of this conversation and I’m not sure how or what the hell to do to fix it,” he said running his hands through his hair.
“Why is everything so hard with us?” she asked.
“I have no idea. Let me summarize. You’ve got the day off, I’d like to go to lunch with you and show you my office. Staff will see you there and then they will ask me a million questions. It will no longer be a secret that I’ve got a girlfriend. Will it change the rumors going on in my office? No clue. But maybe Colleen will see how gorgeous you are and be more professional and come to me with a serious work-related issue and not call at odd times.”
“When you put it that way, it does seem like it would help you. And it does make me feel a little better. I want to see this woman anyway,” Sarah said.
He laughed. “I’m sure you do. If she gets wind of you in the building, she will be at my office, trust me.”
“Then I better make sure I look damn good.”
“You’re perfect the way you are.”
“Now you are just buttering me up,” she said. “No need to. I’m acting childish, I know.”
“You aren’t. We are learning about each other. This relationship thing is new to me.”
“I’m not sure what is worse. That a relationship is new to you at thirty-six or that I’ve had such crappy luck with it at thirty.”
“Maybe we’re both losers,” he said laughing.
“Or both ready to become winners?”
“That sounds much better,” he said giving her a kiss, glad that they salvaged something for the day.
20
Jealous Fool
Sarah had felt horrible after she’d left Caden’s a few nights ago.
She really wasn’t a jealous fool, but she’d sure the hell acted like it.
She didn’t like that he wasn’t telling anyone at work about her, especially when a coworker was hitting on him, but he was right and it was a touchy situation.
The compromise was her going into his office today.
So she made sure she looked the part of his gorgeous girlfriend since that was how he described her.
After her dentist appointment, she made her way to Caden’s office, parked, then got out. It wasn’t like her to go spend her afternoon shopping dressed like she was, but she wasn’t uncomfortable either in her stretchy jeans and little flat shoes with a fitted cotton shirt that cinched her waist and showed a bit more of the curves she had on top.
Nope, she wasn’t hanging out, it wasn’t even a V-neck shirt but rather came almost to her collarbone. She was covered completely, but there was no denying the body she had that she worked hard for that was normally hidden under her scrubs.
“Can I help you?” the older woman at the front desk asked when she walked in.
Caden hadn’t told her what to say, so she just went with, “I’m here for Caden Finley.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No. I’m just picking him up for lunch,” she said with a big smile. “Sarah Walker. He’s expecting me.”
“Oh,” the woman said. “Have a seat and I’ll just buzz back to his assistant and let her know.”
She wanted to roll her eyes over the fact Caden’s assistant had to be told first, not him, but she just walked over to one of the chairs and sat down while the woman picked the phone up at the same time her fingers were going a mile a minute on her keyboard.
Oh yeah, wine was being made straight from the grapevine.
A minute or so went by, much more than she figured it should have taken, and the phone buzzed and the woman answered it. “I’ll show you the way back,” she said. “Melanie had to wait because Caden is on the phone so she’d sent him a message.”
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br /> “No problem,” Sarah said, wondering if that was the case or if they were just spreading the news fast. She wasn’t used to offices like this.
It was fancy and posh but not enough to make her uncomfortable. She supposed they wanted the clients to feel like they could trust the staff to make them money by showing the place as being successful.
She stood up and waited for the woman to come out from behind her desk, where she was still pounding on her keyboard. “I’m Dolly. I’ve been here for years. It’s nice to meet you.”
Sarah shook the woman’s hand and if she found the whole thing strange she didn’t let on. Caden must know his staff well from the short period of time he was here.
“You too,” she said.
“How long have you known Caden?” Dolly asked. “We all wondered what might have brought him here but now I’m thinking it might have been you?”
So this was where it was going. Gossip on the new guy. “Sorry to disappoint you,” she said. “We haven’t known each other long. He came here for this job just like I’m sure you all know.”
“Oh,” Dolly said.
It seemed to her they were taking a long way around the building, but who was she to say, and it was funny Dolly was just assuming this was a personal lunch. They weren’t moving that fast either, almost like she was being put on display, some heads turning to look when she walked by offices and cubicles.
“Here we are,” Dolly said. “Melanie, this is Sarah Walker. She’s here for Caden.”
“Thanks, Dolly,” Melanie said. “We’ve got it now.” Dolly nodded and walked away fast, going in another direction than they came from. “Sorry about that. Caden is on the phone. I’d actually sent him a message you were here and he replied to have you brought back. He shouldn’t be too long.”
“Not a problem,” she said, looking around some more. The place needed character in her opinion.
“I think I know you,” Melanie said.
“I don’t think we’ve met before unless you’ve been to the doctor’s office I work in. Or the facility I was at before.”
“Are you a doctor?” Melanie asked.
“No. I’m an OR nurse,” she said and didn’t want to add where at this point. They all knew about Caden’s accident. No reason to add more to what was probably being said.
“Oh, no,” Melanie said. “My husband and I are huge Mets fans.”
She knew where this was going. “That’s nice,” she said back forcing a smile. She was used to this by now.
“You’re Harris Walker’s sister, aren’t you? I’ve seen pictures of you with him now and again. As I said, my husband is a huge fan and he was obsessed with the local pro.”
“Yes, I am,” she said and turned her head to see people walking around. More traffic than seemed necessary in her eyes.
“Everyone just wants to get a look at you,” Melanie said quietly. “Caden is pretty private about his personal life. No one knew he was seeing anyone.”
“Maybe I’m just a client getting him for lunch?” she said.
Melanie shook her head. “Nope. Then you would have been on his calendar or he would have had it blocked out with an appointment. There was nothing there.”
This was getting to her and she was hoping Caden finished his call soon. “As I said, it’s lunch.”
“I know this sounds horrible and rude, but is there a way I can get Harris to sign a hat if I give it to Caden to give to you? My husband would love it.”
“I don’t believe Harris signs too many things now,” Caden said, coming out of his office. “Hey there.” He walked over and leaned down to give her a kiss and put his arm around her. “Glad you could make it.”
“Are you ready?” she asked. “I’m starving.”
“I am,” he said. “Melanie, I’ll be back in a bit.”
He dropped his arm from around her so they could walk out, and when they left it was a much quicker route than what it’d taken to get there. She’d seen him nodding his head to people and finally they were in his car.
“What the hell was that?”
“Good lord,” he said. “Even I didn’t expect that. I’m sorry.”
“Well, now they know. I hope one of those women that had to get a sneak peek of me was Colleen. Do I look gorgeous enough to be on your arm?”
Caden was starting to feel like shit that Sarah had just been put on display like she was and he was starting to think maybe he should have mentioned it a time or two that he was dating someone so it didn’t seem like such a shock.
He’d have to find out what the big deal was because it seemed to be more than just curiosity.
“You’re stunning no matter what you’ve got on, though I have to admit I much prefer you naked and in my bed.”
She laughed. “I like being there much better than paraded around your office. Though I do have to say when you came into my place the girls were all giggly over it too. Maybe you should stop in and I can show you off like a prized stud.”
“Stud?”
“Okay, that might have been overkill. Anyway, you didn’t really answer me. Do I look the part to be your girlfriend?”
He wasn’t sure he’d ever referred to anyone as a girlfriend before and liked the way it sounded. “You look beautiful, but looks aren’t everything and you know it.”
Her hair was down and wavy. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup and didn’t have much on either. Her clothes were casual, but damn they fit her like a glove and not in a trashy way either. More like a classy way.
She walked in there, and she had her head up and a smile on her face, even when Melanie asked her for Harris’s autograph. Now he knew why she was so sensitive about those things too.
“I did try. If I’d known I’d get shown off like that, maybe I would have put a little black dress on.”
“Do you own a little black dress?” he asked. “I might have to find a place to take you so I can see it.”
“I don’t think I do,” she said. “I don’t have a need to dress up much. I like my scrubs just fine.”
“Darn,” he said. “And sorry about Melanie and her comment about Harris.”
“I’m used to it, but I don’t seem to get it as much as I used to. After Harris’s accident, those that knew me stopped me more to see how he was doing or get the lowdown.”
“But you’ve said it’s bothered you before. I’ll make sure to tell Melanie no when I return.”
“Thanks. But if you like her and you really want to, Harris will have no problem doing it. He does it at the clinic for the kids all the time. If people stopped him on the street and asked, he always did it. He’s very down to earth.”
“Which is different than her giving something to me, to give to you for when you see Harris next.”
“You can deal with it the way you want. It might be a nice gesture for your staff to think you are more down to earth too. Right now I just want to eat. I’m starving. I didn’t eat much before my dentist appointment, then I held off when I really wanted to snack after. Do you need to be back at a certain time?”
“Nope, I’m the boss and can do what I want.”
“I like it when you’re the boss.”
“Does that mean I can do what I want with you too?” he asked, then parked his car by a restaurant just down the road from his office.
“If you ask nicely, I think you can,” she said.
By the time lunch was done, Caden was feeling much more relaxed. For some reason he’d been nervous about Sarah coming in and wasn’t sure why.
He really didn’t want her to feel like he was putting on a show and she was the first act, but the more he got thinking, it was time people knew.
They’d been dating for almost two months. He’d met her brother. His family knew about her and wanted to meet her. Maybe that would be next, but now work knew. Things were progressing in his mind the way they probably should in a relationship.
At least from what he’d always figured since he’d never been in one before.
He got back in his office after giving Sarah another kiss in the parking lot and her promising to buy something special to show him later tonight when she stayed the night.
Melanie came in a minute later. “We didn’t know you were dating someone.”
“We?” he asked.
“Me. The office. I’m sure you know everyone is talking about it.”
“Why?” he asked. “What is the big deal? What the hell am I missing here?”
Melanie shut the door and he had a feeling he might not like the answer he was going to get. “You know there was some talk about Colleen in your office a lot, right?”
“Yes,” he said. Which had stopped this week, Colleen just sending stuff to him via email rather than meeting. Even the few times she stopped in his office, she was dressed the way she was when he started working and the door was open now. He found the turnaround kind of odd.
“Well, there have been a few that wondered if maybe you were gay. Please don’t get mad.”
His jaw opened and then dropped. “Seriously? I don’t even want to know why or who would think that.”
He could almost feel the acid building in his stomach again. He’d been so good about everything and staying in control, but it seemed like this office was so petty and now he knew why many wondered why he took this job. Who the hell would want it!
“I know you like hearing things from the source, but no one is going to say it to you. I just wanted you to know.”
“Thanks, I think,” he said. “So it’s gone from I’m messing around with an employee to being gay and now I’ve got a girlfriend. I’m just dumbfounded over the childishness of this office.”
Melanie’s face started to turn red and he wondered if she played a part in some of it. “It’s always been this way,” she said. “I guess many get caught up in it even when they don’t want to. It’s hard to not hear things.”
Which meant he’d have to address a lot to get this to stop. “I’ll deal with it. Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem,” Melanie said, turning to leave his office, but he stopped her and figured he’d offer an olive branch. “If you want to bring something in for Harris to sign for your husband, Sarah said she’d pass it on.”