Rise Up (A Coach's Love Book 3)

by Alison Mello

  The second we’re through the door the sales associates are all over her. “I just need a couch,” she tells them. “I’m going to look around, and I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

  They all back off, disappointed it won’t be a big sale. She follows the signs to the clearance area. “You ready to try some couches?” she asks Ethan.

  “Sure.” He takes a seat on one. “You sink on this one.” He makes a funny face, struggling to get out of it.

  “What about this one?” I ask Amber. The two of them come over and take a seat.

  “That’s not bad,” she says, looking at Ethan.

  “I agree. It’s actually very comfy,” he says, snuggling up on the arm of the couch.

  “What do you think, Vincent?” I take a seat between them. It’s not an overly large couch, so we instantly touch, and the charge is back. Our eyes connect, and a smile is plastered on my face. I have to remember my son is with me.

  “I think you should get it.”

  She bites her lower lip, and a blush colors her cheeks. “I agree.”

  I search for a sales person while she and Ethan stay with the couch. She sets up the delivery, and we all head out. “Okay, now to get you some new locks.”

  “You’ve done enough, really,” she says, climbing into my car.

  “Amber, I’m not leaving you in that apartment tonight knowing that someone has a key and can get in anytime they want.”

  Our next stop is Briggs’ General Store to grab her a lock. On the way she’s incredibly quiet. “What’s wrong?” I ask her.

  “I’m just not used to someone doing so much for me. I’ve always had to fend for myself. I was barely twenty-one when my mom moved away. I’ve only seen her once since she left and that was for my wedding. My husband didn’t do much for me either. He provided financially, not that I haven’t always worked because I have, but he always said that was his role. He provided the roof, and I took care of the house. If something needed to be fixed, I took care of it.” I silently nod, listening to her story. “I guess it’s just weird having someone who wants to help me.”

  I shrug. “That’s how it should be. It should be a team effort. I take care of certain things, and my woman takes care of certain things, just the way I was raised.”

  “It makes sense, just not what I’m used to.”

  I have so much I want to say right now, but I know it’s not the time. I’ve pushed her a lot today, and I don’t want to push her out of my arms. We’re in the store checking out the locks. She informs me that she has a deadbolt and a locking knob, so we grab both and head to her apartment.

  When we get there we head up to her second-floor apartment. It’s a small one-bedroom place big enough for her.

  “I’ll get my tool box.” She comes back with this rather large tool box filled with a variety of tools. “What?” she asks when she sees my smile.

  “I’m impressed.” I get to work on changing her locks while she gets Ethan a drink. He sits at her small kitchen table listening to music on his phone, while he watches me change out the locks.

  Despite my efforts to slow things down, it takes me no time to change them out. I place the tools back into her toolbox the way I found them. “Thank you so much.” She picks up the new keys and places them on her ring.

  “You’re quite welcome.” I close the lid on the toolbox and secure it.

  “You’ve done so much for me today. Can I do something for you? I don’t have much in the house, but perhaps I can whip something up for dinner.”

  Stepping forward I get incredibly close. The energy between us has been insane today. I stare into her eyes. “That’s very sweet of you, but it’s been a long day. Raincheck?” I ask.

  “Sure.” She smiles bashfully.

  “Let’s go, Ethan.”

  “Okay, Dad.” He hands Amber the empty cup. “Thank you for the juice.”

  “You’re welcome, buddy.” She takes the cup, and we head out.

  As soon as we’re in the car, Ethan looks at me with a big grin. “You like her, don’t you?”

  I chuckle. “It’s that obvious?”

  “It is to me.”

  “Let’s hope it’s that obvious to her.”

  It’s Monday morning, and I’m walking into work with a new pep in my step. All I’ve been able to think about is how sweet Vincent was to me on Saturday. He’s made it pretty obvious for a while now that he has a thing for me, and as much as I’ve wanted to, I can’t reciprocate with him being my boss. I don’t believe it’s a good idea for any two people working in the same building to date, but Vincent makes it so hard to continuously say no. I chuckle, thinking about all those sexy romance stories I’ve read about secretaries hooking up with their boss. Next, he’ll want me to show up to work without panties on.

  Our day was amazing despite not finding my ring. After he and Ethan left, I put on my spiritual playlist and sang while I cleaned up a bit and silently prayed that it pops up at one of the shops that I left my info with. It was all I could do at that point. There was no sense in dwelling over something I had no control over.

  I plop down behind my desk to turn on my computer. While it boots up, I go to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and to heat up my oatmeal. I’ve made a habit of having breakfast at work. Our days are so busy sometimes that if I don’t get in early, I can’t get a lot done. When I get back to my desk, I take a look at our schedule for the day. It’s surprisingly light, which is fine by me. I have plenty of work keep busy today.

  “Good morning, Amber,” Vincent says, walking into the office in his perfectly fitted dress pants, button-down shirt and tie. His beard is trimmed to perfection, and his smile lights up the room.

  “Good morning, Vincent. How are you today?”

  “I’m good. It’s nice to see you smiling again.”

  “Thank you, si… Vincent.” I quickly correct myself. The last thing I want to do is upset him by calling him sir.

  He chuckles. “What time is my first appointment?”

  “Not until this afternoon. Your morning appointment cancelled.” I sip my coffee.

  “That smells delicious.” He eyes me as I take the sip.

  “Would you like for me to bring you a cup?” I don’t typically bring him coffee, but I can’t help offering. He’s flipped my mood, and I feel like it’s the least I can do.

  A small smile plays at his lips as he looks deep into my eyes. It’s something he does often. “Would you mind?”

  “Not at all. You get settled, and I’ll bring it right in. One sugar, right?”

  “Yes, please.” He carries his briefcase into his office.

  I seriously had no idea how much I liked him until Saturday. He was all I thought about after they left. The way he smiled at me. How sincere he was in wanting to help me.

  “What are you staring at?” Marissa asks me.

  Like a fool, I’ve been staring at Vincent’s door with a huge smile on my face instead of making his coffee. “Oh, nothing. I was lost in thought.”

  Marissa is Paul’s assistant. “I wanted to give you the head’s up before word gets out. I gave Paul my two weeks’ notice.”

  “What? Why?” My eyes pop out of my head. Marissa and I are pretty close. We have the same position and often help each other out.

  “I was offered a job at a bigger company making more money and, to be honest, we need it.” She shrugs. “I’ll miss you, though.”

  “I’ll miss you too. Hopefully the next person they bring in will be as awesome as you.”

  “Probably not nearly as awesome as I am.” We both laugh.

  I stand from my desk and the two of us head to the kitchen. I make Vincent coffee while she whips up her breakfast. “I’ll catch up with you later,” I call over my shoulder as I leave the kitchen. Vincent always leaves his door shut so I quietly knock.

  “Come in, Amber,” he calls out.

  “I have your coffee. Sorry it took me a minute. Marissa stopped me on her way in.”

&n
bsp; “Oh yeah, what did she have to say?” he asks, sipping his coffee.

  “She told me she’s leaving.” The news took me by surprise. “Did you know?”

  He nods. “I did. As a matter of fact, I want to talk to you about that. Have a seat.” I sit across from his desk, crossing my legs. His eyes rake over my body, devouring it as he steps around. The lust in his eyes makes my sex ache as he leans his ass against the desk. He crosses his muscular arms and stares at me, contemplating his words.

  “Do you like working for me?”

  “Of course, I do! Why would you ask such a thing?” I jump up from my seat. “What’s going on?”

  “Relax. I’m torn over how to ask this.” He stands up getting even closer. He looks deep into my eyes, the way he did the other day on the couch. When he does, I feel like he’s reading my soul. “Do you feel it? The energy between us?” I nod, sucking in a deep breath. “Did you mean it when you said the only thing stopping you was that I’m your boss?”

  I bite my lip and nod. “I did.”

  He slips his hand into my hair at the nape of my neck. “Work for Paul.” His words are demanding.

  I smile. “Then you’re no longer my boss.” I complete his thought.

  He grins. “I’ve already spoke to him. He adores you and is totally willing to take you on as his assistant.”

  “You realize this is still a bad idea. If this doesn’t work out between us, there’s no way I’ll be able to continue working here.” My words are soft.

  “Take a risk. I can’t promise you anything other than I won’t treat you the way the other’s did.”

  We slowly inch closer and closer. Our lips are about to touch when the door flies open. We jump apart to see Paul standing there with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Dude. Do you know how to knock?”

  “My bad, never have before.” He laughs. “So … am I hiring an assistant, or are you?” he asks, looking directly at me.

  I turn to Vincent to get his response. “Well...” Vincent puts it on me.

  I let out a deep breath. “He is.” I point to Vincent.

  “Sweet. I look forward to working with you,” Paul says, leaving us to ourselves.

  “I better get the ad posted online so we can start the process.” I’m now sporting a huge grin. I can’t believe we’re finally doing this.

  “You realize I need you to train my new girl, right?” Vincent smirks. I roll my eyes causing him to laugh. “What? You know what I like.”

  “I better get back to work. I’ll talk to you later.” I start to walk away, but he grabs my arm and pulls me into his body.

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. You may regret this later, if it doesn’t work out.”

  “You may have doubts, and I understand why, but I don’t.” He presses his lips to mine, my lips instantly part, and our tongues collide tasting each other for the first time. He pulls away leaving me breathless. “Back to work.” He taps me on the ass. I shake my head and laugh as I sway my hips, walking from his office.

  I get to work setting things up, answering emails, and organizing our week. I have no doubt next week will be crazy with an influx of resumes that I will have to assist Paul and Vincent sort through in order to prepare for the hiring process.

  I’m deep into work when my cell phone rings. It’s a random number coming in at what is now almost lunch time. I hesitate but decide to answer it. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Amber?”

  “Yes, this is Amber.”

  “Amber, this is Polly from the pawn shop. We met this weekend.”

  “I remember.” I hold my breath, praying she says what I want to hear.

  “I have your ring.” I exhale a deep breath.

  “Really?” I want to scream with excitement.

  “Really. I told the gentlemen who brought it in that he had two choices. He could leave the ring with me and walk away, or I could call the cops and report him for the theft.” She pauses. “He wasn’t too happy, but he walked away. You can come pick it up. I have it locked in my safe.”

  “Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. I’ll be right there.” I cut the call and run to Vincent’s office door. I knock and then quickly run in, not waiting for an answer.

  “What’s up?”

  “I need to run out. The woman from the pawn shop has my ring.” I’m so full of excitement.

  “No way. That is such awesome news. I’m actually glad he tried to sell it.”

  I nod. “Me too. She told him he could leave it and walk away or be arrested, so he left it.” I clap.

  He jumps up from behind his desk. “Let’s go.”

  “You’re coming with me?”

  He smiles down at me. “Of course. I’m not taking a chance that he’ll be waiting for you to show up.” We leave his office and stop at Marissa’s desk. “Do me a favor and cancel my afternoon appointments, please. We’ll be out of the office for a little bit.”

  The second Vincent turns his back, she winks at me with a devilish grin. “You realize word is going to get out about us if we keep leaving the office together.”

  He laughs as we step into the elevator. “You’re mistaking me for someone who cares.”

  “Alrighty then.”

  He pushes the button to the first floor. “You made me so happy today. I don’t give a shit who knows.”

  Then it dawns on me. How is Ethan going to feel about this? I don’t want him to think I’m trying to replace his mother. I mean, no one can do that. He’s a great kid. The last thing I want to do is get between he and his dad. “What is it?”

  “Have you spoken to Ethan?”

  “About?”

  “Us.” I look at him like he’s crazy. What else could I be referring to.

  He grabs my hand and escorts me out of the elevator. “Somewhat. He knows I like you, and he knows I was hoping you felt the same way, but he’s young, so it’s not like I got into too many details with him.”

  “Do you think he’ll be upset?”

  “No, we’re pretty open. We’ve talked a lot about Laney and what she did. I think he realizes that I would move on at some point. I know it hasn’t been that long since we separated, but our relationship was over a long time ago. We sort of just made it official.” We climb into his car.

  “I’m glad you two talk. I think it’s important. It’s not often you find a single dad raising a teenage boy. He’s at a tough age. He needs you.”

  “I agree. We had a lot to work out when I first stopped traveling for the company. Laney made such a mess with him. He was so angry, and he didn’t know how to handle it, so he took it out on other kids.” He shakes his head. “My kid was the town bully, but we got through it. Trust me, I wouldn’t bring someone into my life unless I thought he was ready.”

  I nod, hoping he is right. “He must be excited for the tryouts this weekend.”

  “He is, but it’s not really a tryout per say. It’s more to divide up teams evenly so one coach doesn’t end up with a stacked team. Everyone who signs up to play can play.” He parks his SUV in front of the shop. “You should come with us.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. That should be a you and Ethan thing. I shouldn’t be part of that.” I climb from the SUV.

  “No way, he would love for you to be there. He thinks it’s so cool that you love basketball.”

  I smile. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Fair enough.” He steps around the vehicle. “If you won’t go to the tryouts, at least meet up with us after for some pizza and wings.”

  “Now that sounds like a good plan.” He links his fingers with mine, and we walk into the shop to find Polly behind the counter wiping down the glass top.

  She looks up from her task and greets us with a smile. “Hi, Amber.”

  “Hi, Polly.”

  “I’ll be right back.” She runs off to the back and returns a minute later with the ring in a baggie. “I confirmed it was yours with the scope. Look.” She sets it up and invites me to take a
look. I glance at the numbers written on the diamond card and confirm it matches the diamond in the setting.

  “Thank you so much. My daddy gave this ring to my mom. It’s the only piece I have from them.”

  “My pleasure. Keep it safe.” I slip the ring onto my middle finger on my right hand.

  “I will.” I look down at the ring with a huge smile. This has been an amazing Monday. First, I agreed to work for Paul so I can see Vincent, which is what we’ve both wanted, and now I get my ring back.

  “Let’s go get something to eat. We have some things to talk about.” Vincent takes my hand as we exit the shop.

  “Where are we going?” I climb into his vehicle. We definitely have some things to discuss.

  “There’s a sub shop up the street.”

  “Sounds good,” I agree even though I’ve never been there.

  “I want to go where we don’t have to worry about bumping into people we know. This way we can have good conversation and not worry about interruptions.”

  He pulls into a very busy parking lot. This place must be pretty good. When we get inside there are a ton of people waiting in the to-go line, but there are plenty of empty tables. “Wanna grab us a table while I order our food?” Vincent asks.

  “Sure. Can I get a veggie stir fry wrap with a diet soda, please?” I grab some napkins, a couple straws, and a corner table.

  He joins me a few minutes later with sodas in hand, letting me know they’ll call his name when our food is ready. “So how are you feeling about our new arrangement?” He jumps right to the point.

  I shrug. “It’s kind of hard to say seeing how it all just happened this morning. If I’m being honest, I’ve always been attracted to you, but you were married, and you’re my boss, so it’s not like I was going to act on it.”

  “Are you saying I shouldn’t have?”

  I roll my eyes. “I’m not saying that, but I think it’s different you coming to me than it is for me to approach you. That said, there’s going to be a lot of company gossip. We may not have a lot of people at our location, but it’s going to spread across locations I’m sure. Assistants love to talk shit.” I shake my head. It’s quite absurd actually, but it happens all the time. An assistant will call the office to see if I’ve heard the latest gossip from another location, and ninety percent of the time it’s not even happening at their location. I always tell them I’m not interested, and I turn the conversation to business or I tell them I have to go and cut the call. It’s been beneficial in limiting the calls because they know I won’t fuel their fire.