by Nancy Adams
While the kids kept themselves busy, I tried to distract myself from watching Jay the entire time. He was athletic as well, I discovered as I watched him kick the ball around. But let’s be real, I wasn’t checking out his athletic performance, I was checking him out in general. He moved gracefully as if he also played soccer for a living. He moved with the natural agility and speed that I associated with athletes on television.
“Are you Jay’s girlfriend?” a woman asked me. I recognized her as one of the parents.
“No. I’m actually Libby’s friend.”
“Oh,” the woman said, giving me a long look. “From the way you were watching him, I thought maybe…well, you know.”
I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. I figured I might as well fess up. “Was I that obvious?”
“You were practically drooling.”
“Ouch. Now that’s embarrassing.”
She laughed then. “I don’t blame you. Ash and his brother are gorgeous. And it wouldn’t be the first time one coach has fallen in love with the other.”
I didn’t know how I felt about Jay. But I was sure it wasn’t love. At least not yet. As soon as that thought popped into my mind, I admonished myself for thinking it. I knew Jay was interested, and maybe I could be a little more receptive to a relationship with him. Yes, he knew more about me than I wished, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just meant that he knew my secrets already, and strangely that made me feel less embarrassed and more liberated. It was as if I didn’t have to worry about an extra burden on top of getting to know someone new.
Distracted by my thoughts, I spent the rest of practice standing around talking to the parents and clapping at what I assumed were good plays, and then before I knew it, practice was over.
“Good job,” the mom I had spoken to earlier said. She then leaned towards me and whispered, “And good luck!”
She winked at me and I smiled back, knowing what she was referring to. I went to turn around and bumped into Jay. I stepped back nervously and apologized.
“No need to be sorry,” he said as he wiped sweat from his brow. I couldn’t help but notice how well built he was. He wasn’t overly muscular, just lean and toned. I figured him for a runner. I couldn’t picture him playing tennis or golf. But going on a random ten-mile run off the beaten path seemed more fitting to his personality.
“Are you done?” he asked.
I looked up guiltily, remembering that I was staring at him and feeling myself blush. I squared my shoulders and tried to channel my inner Libby as I said, “Maybe, maybe not.” I tried to make it sound seductive, but since I stuttered and then quickly looked down at my own toes, I think I missed sounding sexy and might have instead sounded just plain silly.
I dared to look up at Jay. He looked amused. He crossed his muscular arms one over the other and I forced myself to meet his eyes instead of staring at his body.
“What was Nancy wishing you good luck about?”
I ignored the question and instead turned away from him, pretending to be looking at the other teams playing. Quickly, I came up with a believable lie. “Just good luck with this whole temporary coaching gig. That’s all.”
“Really? That’s all? I could have sworn I caught you two looking in my direction, smiling.”
“Obviously the sun was in your eyes and you misinterpreted what you saw.”
He tried to suppress a smile and didn’t win. “So that’s your story?”
“Yep. And I’m sticking to it.”
“Got to admire your fortitude.”
I couldn’t help but smile at him. He smiled back and we just stood there, studying each other.
“You look cute today. Nice gym shirt.”
“You’re picking on me, aren’t you?”
“Nope. I’m complimenting your fashion sense.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes, really. Not too many people can wear a high school t-shirt and look cute in it like a decade later, but somehow you have.”
“Why thank you.”
“Not to mention, not too many people would keep a high school gym shirt either, so there’s that.”
“I might be a teensy bit of a hoarder.”
“Oh God, don’t tell me your house is full of old newspapers and a million cats.”
I playfully raised my eyebrows and said without thinking, “You should come by to see.”
“Are you inviting me over, Sarah? Was that an invitation?””
“What? No—”
“Oh, that’s too bad. For a moment there, I thought you were going to invite me to dinner at your place.”
“I’m sorry, I meant—”
“No need to be sorry, we can do dinner at my place instead.” He didn’t even wait for a response before he bent down and kissed me lightly on the lips. I didn’t even get a chance to kiss him back before he pulled away and said, “Looking forward to it.” Without another word to me, he called Kitty off the field, and together they raced each other to the car.
I remained standing in the same spot he left me. Like a stunned teenager, I placed my fingers on my lips, hoping to still feel the remnants of his touch. I hadn’t expected that. The kiss or the date. And honestly, I was excited about both. I watched as Jay pulled out. He honked his horn twice, I guess in good-bye. I waved good-bye and inside did a little celebratory jig. Apparently, I hadn’t messed up. He still wanted to get to know me despite my baggage and despite the fact that I had practically run from him. Either he was the most understanding man I’d ever known, or things were starting to look up for me in the relationship realm. Way up.
* * *
“Wow,” I said to myself as I pulled up in front of Jay’s home a week later. It was more of an estate than a home, though. I was surprised that there weren’t security guards everywhere waiting to shoot me for daring to drive up in anything but a Lamborghini or Bentley.
As I parked my car, Jay appeared at the front door of the massive, colonial-style building and slowly approached me. He moved unhurriedly, not putting too much effort into his movements, just naturally at ease in his body and, as a result, naturally sexy.
I reached for my purse in the passenger seat, and as I turned to open the door, Jay did it for me.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he said, looking at me. I made myself relax and not fidget as he gave my wardrobe choice of the evening a long, approving look.
“You look great in that dress, or should I say you make that dress look great?”
I shrugged. “It’s a compliment either way. I’ll take it.” I smiled up at him self-consciously, and I couldn’t help but tug at the hem of my dress as he continued to look at me. My movement brought his eyes away from my face and he looked down at my legs. He smiled up at me apologetically.
“Sorry. I’m trying hard to be a gentleman, but you have beautiful legs. Distractingly beautiful.”
I didn’t believe him, but knew my cheeks were turning red. “I’m short. My legs aren’t exactly my best feature.”
“Well they’re my favorite of your features. Second favorite actually; you have beautiful green eyes. Arrestingly beautiful.” He then took my hand and led me up the stairs to the entryway. As we walked, I silently cheered for making a good decision about clothes. I had thought the dress too short, but wanted to try something different. And so I had. It was pretty rare for me to wear a dress that hit at thigh level, even if it was a plain A-line black dress with a full skirt. I was more of a hemline-past-the-knees kind of girl. I looked in his direction and he caught my eye and smiled. I smiled back, happy that with him I didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with words.
As we entered the foyer, I couldn’t help but be impressed by my surroundings. For all the pomp and circumstance, his house looked like a home. Kitty’s soccer equipment was on the floor, and I had to avoid tripping over it. Drawings, also Kitty’s I assumed, were taped to the wall. Yes, it was grand and yes, you could probably fit several “normal
-sized” houses in just his living room alone, but something about his home was warm and inviting.
He opened a door that led to a dining room and I noticed that a table there was set for two. He pulled my chair out for me and a thought popped in my head. I didn’t want to be rude, but I had to know.
Before I could change my mind, I asked, “If you live here, why is Kitty playing on a local soccer team across town?”
“How much do you know about my background, Sarah?” Jay asked as he touched the small of my back, sending chills down my spine. He applied a little pressure, motioning for me to sit.
“Not much,” I said as he circled the table and sat directly across from me. “Just a little bit about your mom and dad. For instance, I didn’t know Ash was really your half-brother.”
“Half-brother…half is such an ugly prefix. We never used it. To me, as soon as he was born, he was just my little brother.”
I instantly felt bad. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to offend you.”
He shrugged. “You didn’t offend me. I just need to be less sensitive. Less of a beta and more of an alpha.”
“Trust me,” I said, holding his eye, “no one would ever confuse you with being a beta. You’re alpha through and through.”
“Oh good. My self-esteem was slowly deteriorating on the inside.” He made a silly face and I laughed.
“Your house is so quiet. Where’s Kitty this evening?”
“At her mother’s. We trade, every other weekend.”
“Doesn’t that get in the way of her soccer practices?”
“No. I just arrange for Aanya to shuttle her around. Her mother doesn’t mind either. She would much rather shop than be a parent.”
The bitterness in his tone made me frown. Apparently, I had accidentally hit on a sore spot.
“I’m guessing the divorce wasn’t amicable?”
“Actually, it was amicable enough. But Kitty misses her mom. And I feel like crap for having to make excuses about why she can’t see her. She’s been traveling, moving or using whatever other excuse to not spend time with Kitty, and it hurts me to see my little girl hurting.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized again, not knowing what else to say. “But at least she has you…”
“I work a lot. And I think she might resent me for it.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.” I said quietly, but part of me wondered if it was. I knew all about feeling resentment towards a parent. I was an expert on the subject, unfortunately.
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. This whole episode with the dog, Henrik, just made me realize how much time I don’t spend with her. So I’m resigning from my position as CEO.”
Until that moment, I didn’t know exactly what he did. “Just like that? It’s that easy?”
“No. But it doesn’t matter. Kitty needs me. Henrik needs me. And Aanya needs a break.”
I laughed at mention of the babysitter. “She’s just a little tightly wound.”
“Tell me about it.” We giggled together, and he reached across the table and took my hand, studying my palm and tracing a finger down the lines that stretched across it. I shook at his slight touch, and he boldly met my eyes.
“I forgot to answer your original question.”
I gulped, my mind feeling discombobulated by his touch. “What question?”
“About Kitty…”
“Oh yeah,” I said, trying to shake myself out of the stupor.
“When we first moved here, she was having trouble making friends. Her mom is a bit snobby, and I hate to say it, but that behavior was rubbing off on Kitty. I thought it would be good for her to learn to relate to regular people who aren’t millionaires or billionaires. I looked online for activities for kids in other neighborhoods outside of our own. I happened upon the soccer team and haven’t looked back since. She loves it. The kids there are a good influence on her.”
“Yeah, they adore her and she adores them. That’s perfectly clear.”
He nodded. “But that’s enough about me…tell me about you.”
“You already know too much about me.”
He shook his head. “Nope, I feel like I don’t know enough.”
“You know that I come from a broken home.”
“I know that you’re strong,” he countered.
“You know my father is a deadbeat.”
“I know that you’re kind and sweet and that I’m lucky to have met you.” I met his eyes then, and I realized that he meant every single word, and that made me nervous.
I cleared my throat and broke eye contact with him. “So, ummm…what’s for dinner?”
“Oh yeah,” he said, standing up and releasing my hand. “Be right back!”
He walked into the kitchen and came back a few seconds later with a tray of food. As he set the tray down, I noticed that there were at least five different dishes there, and they all strangely smelled familiar.
“Did you make all this?”
“No. Unless taking an already-prepared restaurant meal out of the to-go carton and pouring it into a bowl counts as cooking.”
“It doesn’t.”
“Oh. Then no. I went to Plato’s.” Plato’s was a popular fine-dining Italian restaurant on this side of town. I’d also heard that Ash owned it. Libby had taken me once and I’d loved it.
I laughed and said, “It smells delicious. Even if you didn’t make it, it’s still food and I’ll eat it,” I said, helping myself.
He watched me with a contented look on his face. I began to stuff my face and noticed that he hadn’t even taken a bite yet.
“What?” I said, dabbing at my lip with a napkin.
“I’m just being a creeper, watching you eat. But honestly, I’m shocked. I haven’t seen a woman dig into food like she actually enjoys it in a long time. And definitely never on a date.”
I shrugged. “I’m starving. I accidentally fasted because work was so busy.”
“You know, since I’m unemployed and all, I could give you a hand.”
“Oh, no. I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“You don’t have to ask, I’m offering,” he said, finally helping himself to his share of Italian take-out.
I considered him for a second and said, “I don’t know, Jay. I’m a pretty hard boss. Tough to please.”
He smiled at me and I instantly felt warm all over. This was more than just a teasing, fun smile—this smile held a promise.
“And I aim to please…in more ways than just one…” he said suggestively.
I tried to keep my hand from shaking; his tone was sexy, and what was left unsaid spoke volumes. I tried to keep my voice neutral as I said, “I guess we have a deal.”
“I’m looking forward to it…boss.” The way he said it made me blush, and I promised myself to not take him seriously. He had to be kidding, right? There was no way in the world that I could spend every day in close proximity to this man. He would distract me. But part of me was looking forward to his type of distraction.
Chapter Eight
I didn’t believe he would show up, but when he walked in with a bag full of bagels tucked under his arm and trying to juggle several cups of coffee, I would be lying to say that my heart didn’t do a little dance upon seeing him.
“I honestly thought you were joking,” I said, helping him place everything on the receptionist’s desk up front.
“Nope. I’m a man of my word.”
“I can totally see that now. And apparently you’re a man who likes caffeine. I’ve honestly have never seen that big of a coffee mug in my life.”
He laughed and said, “It’s actually filled with tea.”
I raised a brow in question and he pretended to be ashamed. “Yep. I’m one of those people. I show up at Starbucks and order tea.”
“Wow, remind me to never go out with you in public again.”
“I know. I’m a disgrace…” His voice trailed off as he looked around. “So, I see you still haven’t hired a receptionist.”
“I’m trying my best. I set up a few phone interviews, but I’m not convinced I’ll hire anyone good. I sort of just pick out people who seem to need the job the most and hope they do well.”
While I was talking, Jay had been taking a sip of tea and abruptly started coughing when I finished my statement. By instinct, I reached out and thumped him hard on the back.
“You okay?”
“Fine. But I think my ears aren’t working…did you seriously just say that you pick out the person who seems to need the job the most and just hope they do alright?”
I guiltily shrugged my shoulders. “I know it’s not exactly casebook business school—”
“You got that right.”
“But, I can’t help myself.”
“I’ll take over the hiring.”
“What?”
“That way, you can work with the animals and do what you love. I’ll handle the HR stuff.”
“No, I can’t let you do that. I mean, that’s like real work. I thought you just wanted to hang around because you have nothing better to do or until you get so bored you go back to being the head of a multi-billion-dollar corporation…you know, whatever happens first.”
“Multi-million-dollar corporation. I’m worth billions, but the corporation is worth millions.”
“Thanks for correcting me.”
“No problem. It’s only the difference of three zeros.”
I smiled at him. “Have you always been so, well…rich?”
“Pretty much. My mom’s family was wealthy and my biological dad left me a sizeable inheritance.”
“So you knew him? Your biological father?”
He nodded. “He had little to do with me most of his life. He was sort of similar to your dad, but he wasn’t interested in my mother. He was just trying to save face. So he would show up to various birthday parties or sports competitions. He stopped when I was about 10.”
“You must have missed him.”
“Not really. I don’t have many memories of him being very involved in my life even before the divorce. My stepfather became my father.”