A Man Worth Shaving For: A Sweet Romantic Comedy

by Michelle Pennington

  I thought about it for a moment. “Two people who like each other—who know each other in ways others don’t.”

  “I’d say we’re well on our way to being friends then.” He reached out and touched my nose. “You’d better go. You’re cold.”

  Now it was my turn to shrug. “I don’t feel cold.”

  “Funny enough—since it’s below freezing—I don’t either.” He straightened from his leaning position, reducing the distance between us to practically nothing. He brushed a lock of hair back from my face, his thumb lingering to caress my cheek. “So I’m going to be the sensible one of us and say goodnight.” Then, he dipped his head and murmured, “Drive safe, Tessa.”

  “You too.”

  He stayed a moment longer, quietly meeting my eyes, then turned away with an air of reluctance that struck at my heart.

  All my embarrassment had melted away under the warmth of his compassion and concern. The open honesty that had existed between us since that first night had paved the way to a connection I could only sense but not understand, but it was the reason I wanted to run after him and hold him to me—as if that might heal the loneliness that weighed on his broad shoulders.

  Well, I couldn’t do that, no matter how much I wanted to. But there was something else I could do for him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I hadn’t really planned to ever go back to The Loft, but I knew with a familiar instinct I had long ago learned to trust that the hostess there was exactly the person I needed to work as Logan’s secretary. And if she did as well as I thought she would, she could work for the next CEO, whoever that ended up being.

  Since it wasn’t far from the office, my car hadn’t had time to warm up on the drive over, so I relaxed in relief at the welcome heat inside. Too bad I wouldn’t be here long enough to fully defrost.

  For a minute, I couldn’t even see the hostess, since the couple standing in front of her counter blocked her from view. Was she working tonight? If not, I’d have to come back another night, which would mean Logan would have to deal with Bree at least another day. When the couple finally shifted, I sighed in relief to see the girl I was looking for leading them to their seats. That was one win for my mission.

  When she came back, she looked me with that same restrained hauteur as the first time I’d come in, but then I saw recognition spark in her eyes. Even then, she kept to her script.

  “Welcome to The Loft. Do you have a reservation?”

  “Actually, I came to talk to you.” I looked around to make sure none of her coworkers were withing hearing distance. “A position came open at my company that I need to fill quickly, and my gut tells me you’ll be perfect for it.”

  She pressed her lips together, obviously doubtful but intrigued nonetheless. “What kind of position?”

  “Executive assistant. I know you can’t talk openly here, but I’d like to discuss it further with you. Will you be going on break soon by any chance?”

  “I can take one soon. But this is a little…strange. What makes you think I’d be good at it? You’ve only ever seen me once before.”

  “You strike me as the kind of woman who knows how to manage difficult people and keep things organized. And if I’m being real, you’re completely intimidating, which is exactly what I need right now.”

  Her eyebrows rose, the most emotive expression I’d ever seen on her. “Who would I need to intimidate?”

  “A bunch of twitter-pated women flocking around a very attractive male business consultant. Which makes me wonder…do you by chance have a boyfriend?”

  “No. I’m single.”

  I frowned before I could catch myself, disappointed. But since even the married women at work got flustered around Logan, it probably didn’t matter. “Do you think you could spend all day around a charming, intelligent, beautiful man and not fall for him?”

  She gave a distant sort of smile and said, “Well, I have plenty of experience in that department. No problem there.”

  One of these days I was going to sit this girl down and get her to tell me her life story. “I’ll wait outside in my car till you can come talk to me. How does that sound?”

  She glanced behind me as another couple came through the door. “Fine. Luckily we aren’t that busy on Tuesday nights.”

  “What’s your name by the way?” I asked, amused at myself—practically hiring someone before I even knew their basic information.

  “Krista Bennett.”

  I nodded and headed back out to my cold car. Now that I knew her name, a sense of rightness settled inside me.

  ***

  When I got home, I was surprised to find that Madi was gone. I didn’t mind though. Tonight, I was glad to get some time alone. I didn’t exactly want to think about the day—especially not about the brand review meeting—but I needed to decompress.

  The only light on in the apartment was the under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen. Madi must have left it on for me when she went out. It was enough for me to safely cross the room, so I didn’t turn on any other lights. In my room, I quickly changed into a long nightshirt and threw my hair up in a messy bun. I didn’t have much appetite, but I grabbed some yogurt and a bag of pretzels on my way over to the couch.

  As I turned on the TV, I felt a strong urge to watch one of Madi’s K-dramas. That was the moment I knew something was totally wrong with me. But sometimes you just have to go with things, so I went with it. At least no one would know.

  After searching through the options on Netflix, I chose one that looked to be more of a political thriller than a romance and settled in. Really, it was a smart move since it was impossible for my mind to wander when I had so many subtitles to read.

  As the hours went on, I clicked next episode repeatedly in a completely irresponsible way since I had to go to work the next day. But by episode five, the guy had pulled the girl in for their first kiss—because apparently even political thriller K-dramas have more than their fair share of romance. “What are you doing?” I yelled at the screen. “Don’t just stand there with your eyes open. What are you? A statue? Pull that man closer, girl, and get after it!”

  Yes. I had sunk that far.

  Then all at once, the door opened, and the lights came on. Caught like a thief with his hand in the safe, I jumped a foot in the air and fumbled with the remote, trying to turn it off before Madi saw what I was watching.

  That was when I saw the man standing behind her in the doorway. It was Taylor—Logan’s friend.

  “Oh, you’re still up,” she said.

  Before I could answer, she turned back around to Taylor and put her arms around his neck. “I guess this is goodnight.”

  I turned my back to them to avoid having to watch their kiss, but it didn’t last long. Only a few seconds later, the door clicked shut and I dared to turn around again. “I would have gone to my room, you know.”

  “I know, but I was glad for the excuse not to invite him in.”

  My eyebrow twitched. I watched as she dropped her purse and took off her shoes before sagging down onto the couch. “It didn’t go well?”

  She shrugged. “If you mean did I have fun with Taylor…it was okay. But since I really just went out with him to get info about Logan, that part doesn’t matter.”

  “Madi! You’re using him?”

  “Not really.” She reached for the remote. “He had a good time too. We had fun. Isn’t that the point of a date?”

  “Well, I think that’s pretty crappy of you.” I took a deep breath before asking the question pelting my brain insistently. “So did you find out anything about Logan?”

  “Just that he’s still in town. Taylor hasn’t talked to him much. But…”

  “But what?”

  She looked back up at me. “I told him you were begging me to put together another double date. He said he’ll set it up.”

  Another double date? With Logan?

  It was a bad idea in about a dozen ways, none of which I could explain to Madi. “Look
, I know you really want to figure out where Logan is, but why don’t you stalk him on social media or something?”

  “I tried but couldn’t find him anywhere.”

  That’s right. She’d already mentioned trying that.

  I folded my arms and sat on the couch next to her. “Don’t you think that if he was interested in you that he would have made it easier for you to contact him?”

  “It was awkward for him because of Taylor. But if I just knew how to contact him, it could work out.”

  A cold, prickly feeling settled in my gut. Not guilt for keeping things from Madi and not even disgust at the way she was trying to use me and Taylor to get to him. No, what worried me most was that she didn’t even see how obsessed she’d become with a guy she’d only met Briefly five days ago. To me, that showed a deeper problem inside her. What was it?

  “Madi, listen to me…you need to move on, okay? This isn’t healthy, and I’m afraid you’re going to end up getting hurt. And if you ever need to talk, don’t forget I’m here, okay?”

  She looked at me with a sort of frozen smile. “Why would I get hurt? I just want a chance to talk to him again. You’ll come on the date, won’t you?”

  “No, Madi. I won’t. I’m sorry. I think you need to let him go and find someone else.”

  Her eyes swam with sudden tears. “You think I’m not good enough for him, don’t you?”

  “No!” I tried furiously to figure out what was going on inside her head. “Of course not. Look at you. You’re beautiful and brilliant. You’re the best news anchor Spring View has ever seen. You have so many fans. How could you doubt that?”

  “But he barely even looked at me, Tessa.”

  “Well, that was because you were his friend’s date, remember?”

  “No, his eyes passed right over me, but he kept looking at you. And he left with you and came back here.”

  And that’s when this all began to make more sense. No guy had ever preferred me to her. And Madi, who spent her whole life perfecting her image for the camera and dating any man she wanted, couldn’t handle losing out to her overweight roommate. Was that part of the reason she wanted to do another double date? To prove to herself that this time she would be the one to attract his attention?

  I didn’t want to know the answer. It was late, and I’d been way too caught up in a fictional drama to be thinking straight. No doubt I was just making up nonsense.

  “I’m going to bed, Madi.”

  She followed me as I left. “Did I say something wrong? You sound hurt.”

  I opened my bedroom door but turned back. “I am, but I’m not going to bother explaining why. I shouldn’t have to.”

  After I went into my room and shut the door, I waited quietly until I finally heard her footsteps moving away and her own bedroom door slamming shut.

  It was only then that I realized I didn’t have my phone—and I really needed to send Logan a text.

  Sneaking through your own apartment is weird, but apparently, I was good at it because I got safely back to my room without running into Madi. With a deep sigh of relief, I sank down on my bed and tried to figure out how to word my text.

  My roommate is trying to talk Taylor into the four of us going out again. If he asks you, do NOT agree. Please?

  A few minutes later his reply made me smile—something I didn’t think was possible right then. No worries. Nothing could convince me to do that again.

  You could have at least acted like you wanted to go.

  But you and I have this honesty thing going on, remember? And don’t ask me to go out alone with you either.

  Okay, now I was frowning. Don’t worry. I won’t.

  Good. Because I’d have a hard time saying no to that.

  If you weren’t the person deciding whether or not I get to keep my job, I’d have a few things to say to you.

  If I wasn’t the person deciding whether or not you keep your job, this conversation isn’t the only thing that would have gone differently. Now go to sleep. I need you to come in early again tomorrow.

  Need or want?

  Don’t ask questions I can’t answer honestly. Good night.

  I sent him a the most frustrated looking emoji I could find and put my phone down. There was no way I was going in early tomorrow—especially since I sure wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight.

  Chapter Fourteen

  And yet I did go in early. With dark smudges under my eyes, prickly legs, and half a can of dry shampoo in my hair because I’d hit my snooze button too often to have time for a full shower. And even though I’d intended to go in at eight, I woke up, threw on the first jeans and shirt I found, and left as if he’d somehow programed my brain to obey his will.

  The first floor was already busy, since the warehouse workers came in at five A.M. to get the day’s packages on their way, but when I got off the elevator, the calm silence of morning still hovered over the second floor.

  As I turned down the executive hallway, I glanced automatically into Logan’s office, a habit I was quickly falling into. This morning, he stood in front of the window, looking out at the view, his white shirt tinted by the sunrise. I left my purse and coat in my office before walking across to his. I was glad he had asked to see me so I had a reason to go to him. I had a feeling I would have found another excuse if he hadn’t.

  “I guess I can stop resenting Angela now,” I said, coming to stand beside him.

  He looked down at me, not at all surprised that I was there. His gaze flicked over my face. “Why’s that?”

  “She said she got to see you without your suit coat.”

  “I didn’t know that was big deal.”

  “On you it is.” I glanced up to see his reaction and burst out laughing at his wide eyes and raised brows.

  His lips twitched before he could repress his smile completely. “Don’t make me forget we’re at work.”

  “Work hasn’t started yet. Isn’t that why you wanted me to come in early?”

  Logan folded his arms across his chest. “One of these days, our open way of speaking to each other is going to get us in trouble.” He paused to take a deep breath. “But yes…it is.”

  “You were so deep in thought when I came in, I was sure you’d forgotten all about the order you texted me last night.”

  “I was deep in thought. But I didn’t forget.”

  “Are you pondering the inner workings of Booms and Nibbles?”

  “No. What to do about you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes. I can’t think straight with you around. And I sure can’t focus.”

  Forget fluttering. My heart was a jackhammer. “Well, good. I’m glad you’re as miserable as I am, at least.”

  “Ignoring you doesn’t work, and dating is out of the question.” His voice scraped across my feelings like sandpaper, rough and dry. The warm tenderness of moments ago was gone.

  His sheer presence had drawn me close to him, but now I needed space. I needed confidence and nonchalance to survive the hit. So I sat in his chair and leaned back as if I’d never been more relaxed in my life. “You said that the night I met you, and I agree. Besides the work thing, I don’t have room in my life for the drama.”

  He turned to face me, his powerful shoulders hunched forward, betraying his tension. “Just for blind dates?”

  “Only because Madi forced me to.” Leaning back further, I propped my feet up on his desk, crossing my ankles. “And regardless, you’re currently the last man in the world I’d go out with.”

  “Don’t hold your punches or anything.” Was that a note of hurt in his voice? Good.

  “Besides the complications of our work situation, my roommate has gone psycho over you.”

  “How? I’ve spent all of thirty minutes around that women.”

  “Try turning down your charisma, Romeo. It’s potent.”

  As he sat on his desk, inches away from my feet, he kept his fierce brown eyes fixed on mine. “As much as I’m enjoying this convers
ation, we don’t have much time before Melinda comes in to meet with me. What are we going to do?”

  “Do? We can’t do anything.”

  “No, Tessa. I have to figure out what this is.”

  I sat up, dropping my heels onto the floor. “How?

  He chuckled, which irritated me more. “I can think of a few ways.”

  So could I, but right now my best defense against falling for him was keeping my feelings locked in tight little cages. Just being here with him like this was dangerous. Anything further could be fatal.

  Which meant I needed to get my butt out of his office. “I’ve got work to do.”

  But as I moved past him, he caught my wrist and swung me back around to face him. “Aren’t you curious?”

  Maybe I should have shaken off his hand, but I couldn’t. As I stood there deciding what to say, his fingers loosened until his touch on my skin felt like a caress. It jumbled my brain even more. “I already know what it is. For me, this is a very natural reaction to a superbly attractive male who’s paying attention to me. But I get why you’re confused. Why me, out of all the possible women? Why the big girl with a messy desk who comes to work without showering?” I shrugged. “I don’t get it either, but don’t worry. I’m sure it’s just a lapse of taste you’ll quickly recover from.”

  Logan’s fingers tightened around my wrist again. “Tessa, what the—”

  The door opened then, and Melinda’s voice shot across the room. “Oh good. You’re both here.”

  Startled, I jerked away from Logan, but not hard enough to break free of his grasp. “Later,” he murmured before letting go, his voice demanding.

  I didn’t respond, just took the chance to put his desk between us. Fortunately, I was fairly sure his broad back had blocked Melinda from seeing that he’d been holding my wrist. The last thing I needed was her suspecting there was something going on between us. Especially since there wasn’t.

  Definitely not.

  I leaned against one of the filing cabinets by the wall and crossed my arms, waiting to see what my boss wanted so I could get the heck out of Logan’s office before I imploded.