“Congrats on winning the City Paper’s Best of Charleston Award. Are you going to the big party to accept it?”
“No. A couple of the guys will. They’re the reason we won.”
“You should go, too. Come on, you built the company. Take some credit.”
“I take credit. I don’t need to go to a party. I do the important stuff.”
She belonged to all the proper business groups. Lena, who owned her own financial management agency, had dragged Sadie to the meetings and forced her to join. She still felt uncomfortable. The professional women with their cool grace, beautiful suits and master’s degrees made Sadie feel uncouth, sloppy and stupid. She eyed her gorgeous friend as she flirted with the waiter while giving her order.
She and Lena had begun working as maids twelve years ago when they were both fresh out of high school. Lena had graduated and Sadie had been forced to leave school. Lena had been focused and beautiful even then. She came from a huge family, and they were determined she was going to be their first college graduate. Her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins came together to fund her education. She earned scholarships and qualified for grants. With her hard work and her family’s help, Lena had graduated with a master’s degree and not one penny of debt. The commitment and sacrifice of her family took Sadie’s breath away.
“How’s Paul?” she asked after she’d ordered.
Lena made a face and took a sip of wine. “Your attempts at distraction are pathetic. But since you asked, I’m going to break up with him.”
“Why? I thought he was perfect.”
“He is, on paper. In real life, he’s boring. Don’t get me started on the sex.”
“Don’t want to know.”
“On. Off. Back to the computer. There should be no reason to self-induce when you have a man in the house.”
Sadie stuck her fingers in her ears. “La la la la la, not listening.” She did not want to hear this. Especially since the last time she’d had a man in the house or otherwise was... Two years ago? No wonder random men were making her horny. She took a sip of wine. Be honest. One man was doing that. Only one. She turned her attention back to Lena.
“Well, hell. You’ve sworn off bad boys. Now the nice young executives on the rise are boring? You’re narrowing your options.”
“There has to be a hybrid. I need a beta in the living room and an alpha in the bedroom. Do they exist?”
“You’re asking me? I’ve given up.”
“You’re too young to give up.”
“I can’t do it. All the dating and getting to know someone and explaining...”
“You have nothing to explain. Nothing to be ashamed of, do you hear me?”
“Sure, right. Until he takes me home to meet his family. And wants to meet mine.”
“So, bring him home to meet mine.”
She smiled as she said it, a wicked little gleam lighting up her eyes. It made Sadie laugh. That would be a sight. Lena had paid her family back after her success by building her parents a huge home south of Charleston near the Edisto River. It had six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a huge kitchen and large yard. It was full to the roof with the same extended family that had helped her through college. They were loud and boisterous and nothing went unsaid—good, bad or ugly. You could feel the love crackling in the very air.
“It would certainly show us what he’s made of.”
Their pizzas arrived and Lena ordered another round of wine. They ate in silence for a few minutes.
“So, the new guy you hired seems interesting,” Lena said.
Sadie, concentrating on her never-ending indecision of whether or not to use a fork and knife for the pizza, glanced at her friend. Lena was her accountant and Molly would have sent over the information to put him on the payroll.
“Whoa! What was that look all about?”
“What look?” Sadie said.
“That look. Last time I saw that look, it was from a dog growling over a bone. What’s up with Mr. New Guy?”
“Nothing.”
Lena laughed. “You’re actually blushing, Sadie. Spill it. Is he hot?”
“Of course he’s hot. He works for me. It’s my business. Hot guys.”
“True, but there’s something about this one. Is he giving you the flusters?”
Taking a long sip—or three—from her wineglass, Sadie mulled over those words. Lena had gotten closer to the truth than she’d like to admit. Wyatt Anderson turned her into a nervous, giggling girl. Her mind offered up the memory of his hand, strong, tanned and calloused, clasping hers for a brief moment. The lust his touch had sent rocketing through her body wasn’t girlish, though. Those had been the feelings of a woman who hadn’t had a boyfriend in a very long time and led to thoughts of his hands on other parts of her body. Sigh.
“He has a certain appeal,” she said. She tried to downplay it with a detached tone, but Lena didn’t fall for it.
“Oh. Dios. Mio. It’s a miracle! The ice is melting. Digame.”
“There’s nothing to tell. He’s an employee. Doesn’t matter.”
“It matters. Is he starting orientation Monday? Can I bring the paperwork over for him to sign? Get a peek at the man who made the mighty Sadie Martin feel like a woman?”
“No, you can’t. Employee. Period. End of story.”
“Who says you can’t have a couple of thrills with an employee?”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“You know what I mean. Plenty of people meet on the job and figure out how to make it work.”
Sadie swirled the last of the wine before downing it in a gulp. She shook her head. “Stop it. The guy’s gorgeous. I looked. That’s as far as it’s going to go.”
Lena held her hands up in surrender. “Fine. But we’re getting to the age where we need to take advantage of every opportunity.”
“There’s the difference between us. You want the whole deal. Marriage, kids, happily-ever-after. I really don’t care about all that.”
The understanding and touch of pity in Lena’s eyes irritated her. She didn’t know what made her madder: the look or Lena continuing to poke at this sore spot.
“Yes, you do. You’re afraid.”
Sadie raised her glass in a signal to the waiter to bring another. To hell with it—she wasn’t driving. She pressed her lips together in a tight line. Breathe. She hated when Lena hit the truth dead-on. She was afraid, but Lena didn’t have it quite right. Lena thought she was afraid of trust, of love. But that wasn’t everything. She was afraid to let someone close enough for love because he would discover there was something wrong with her. She didn’t know how to love.
She pushed those thoughts away. “How’s Lito doing?”
Lena slumped back and Sadie felt her heart slump, too. A small frisson of fear bloomed in her belly. Lito, Abuelito, was Lena’s grandfather. He had taken Sadie under his arm when she’d been introduced to the family. He was the closest she had to a father figure in her life. His diagnosis of pancreatic cancer several months ago had sent her on a roller coaster of fear, denial and hope. She’d stuffed all her messy emotions in a box, labeled it “doctors can cure anything these days” and begun a highly successful effort to pretend the entire thing wasn’t happening.
“It’s not good, Sades. It’s too advanced for surgery. He hates the chemo and radiation therapy.”
“But he’s going to keep doing it, right? I mean, isn’t that normal? The chemo and stuff is bad, but it helps eventually, right?”
Lena shook her head. “I don’t know. He’s eighty-three, Sades.”
Tears clogged her throat. Selfish tears, she realized. She wanted him to keep fighting because she didn’t want to lose him. “I know.”
“He’s questioning whether it’s all worth it.”
&nbs
p; “Of course it’s worth it! What’s the alternative? To just die?”
Lena’s dark eyes met hers and Sadie felt everything in her grow cold. The laughter and conversation around them dimmed to a distant buzz. She felt her head begin to move from side to side. No.
“It’s his choice to make, Sadie. Only he can say what he wants his quality of life to be.”
“I know.”
The words were weak and wavering. She did know. But she felt like a child in her fear. Lito was going to leave her. Just like everyone else. She shook her head. You are being selfish and childish. Stop it. Her brain knew this. Her heart would accept it eventually.
CHAPTER FIVE
SADIE TRIED TO keep on the shady side of the path, but Jack had other ideas. He pulled on the harness with such strength she had no doubt that if she fell, he’d drag her along behind him. He’d been a rampaging whirl of doggie ecstasy ever since she’d put his halter on. Dog park day. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. The little park wasn’t really a dog park, but no one had complained about her tossing tennis balls to Jack along a grassy stretch off the bike path, so she kept going there.
She’d slathered herself with eighty SPF and wore lightweight cotton pants to cover her legs, but a long-sleeve shirt was impossible in Charleston’s May weather. Today the humidity was relatively low, so the temperature in the mideighties was pleasant. Her fair skin burnt to a crisp with ease and she’d long ago given up trying to get any sort of tan.
“Hold up, Jack. You’re going to pull my arm out of its socket.”
Of course he didn’t listen. If Molly were here, he would trot obediently at her side. All he knew was they were approaching the stretch of grass where he could run until he collapsed or Sadie’s throwing arm gave out, whichever came first. It was their Saturday ritual. A late-morning run in the park, then a bath. She’d discovered bathing an exhausted dog was much easier.
They reached the edge of the grass and Jack sat panting over his shoulder at her, his silly tongue lolling out. He let out a happy bark and tried to wag his tail through the grass. She took his head between her hands and squatted to look him in the eye. “You’re such a goofball, Jack. Do you know this? Do you know you’re a goofball?”
He barked again and quivered in anticipation. She led him to the shade of a large oak tree and undid the leash. As she shook a tennis ball out of the tube, he began to run in circles at her feet, making her laugh. Adopting him had been the best idea she’d ever had.
“Okay, you ready?”
She threw the ball as hard as she could, but honestly, not very far. Jack didn’t care. He took off like a bullet, outpacing her throw and catching it neatly. He ran back to her and pretended to tussle over the ball. She threw the next one almost straight up. This allowed Jack to jump a fairly impressive distance into the air. As he did, she heard a little girl call out.
“Did you see that doggie jump?”
Sadie smiled at the little girl who had stopped her bike and was straddling it, pointing at Jack while looking back over her shoulder. Her hair was a shining wave of pure black falling halfway down her back. A man approached the girl. Her heart tripped over itself. Oh, great. It was Wyatt Anderson. He watched Jack run back and his gaze met hers the same instant Jack dropped the ball at her feet.
Oh, Jesus. Maybe he wouldn’t recognize her. Maybe he’d keep on going. Please, because dear God. Because he was wearing shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt and he’d been running and was all muscle and sweat and devilish goodness. He raised his hand in a wave and smiled and even from this distance, she could see those dimples. Jack yipped impatiently at the delay. She waved back. Perfect. Here he comes. Without business matters to hide behind, she was going to make a fool of herself. Because those hazel eyes made every brain cell she had melt into a useless pile of goop. And she wanted to press her lips to one—or both—of those dimples.
“Hey,” he said as they approached. The little girl left the bike on the side of the path and trailed behind him shyly. Must be the niece he’d mentioned.
“Oh, hi.” Going for casual, coming across as stupid. Brilliant. Jack was having his own meltdown and gave her an excuse to look away for a moment so she could throw the tennis ball. The little girl stopped to watch him run.
“Wow,” Wyatt said. “He’s fast.”
He turned his attention back to Sadie. She smiled up at him. He seemed taller. Wider. Her gaze slid along the curves and dips of the muscles of his arm. The man was cut. She eyed the front of his shirt. Wonder what’s under there.
Come on! Stop staring.
She looked back at him, and the faint smile on his lips made her cheeks burn. Jack ran back, dropping the ball and letting out a yip. She threw it again.
“It’s his favorite thing to do. He’d chase it until he collapsed if my arm could hold out long enough.”
The girl inched closer and he reached around to put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her forward. She pressed close to Wyatt and peeked up at Sadie with solemn dark brown eyes. She didn’t smile. A ping of sorrow ran through Sadie. She recognized that expression. It was the look of a child who has learned that the world isn’t always a safe place. Who was always waiting to see what was going to happen next. Wyatt had said he recently got custody, so something had happened to her. To her world. She squatted to be eye to eye with the girl.
“Hi. I’m Sadie. What’s your name?”
“Julietta,” the girl whispered.
“That’s very pretty.”
Jack came back and did something remarkable. Instead of another doggie meltdown because the ball throwing stopped, he sat quietly. Sadie put an arm around him. “This is Jack. Jack, this is Julietta. Can you shake?”
For the first time, Jack did what Sadie asked at once. His paw went up and Julietta turned her serious little face up to Wyatt. He squatted also.
“If you want to.”
Julietta took the offered paw and gently shook it. “Hello, Jack. It is very nice to meet you.”
Sadie smothered a smile. Her eyes met Wyatt’s and saw the same amusement there. She stood. Her knees would only take so much abuse. “Do you want to throw the ball for him, Julietta?”
The girl looked at Sadie in wonder. Her mouth fell open and she drew in a breath of air. “Can I?”
Her little voice, so carefully hopeful, sparked a wave of tenderness. “Of course you can, honey.”
Sadie got a dry ball and showed her how to throw it. Jack joyfully scooped up ground balls and ran them back to her in a black-and-white blur. Sadie sat under the oak tree with Wyatt and watched.
His fingers closed on her forearm in a brief, gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”
“For what? Letting her play? Saves my arm some wear and tear.”
He pointed at Julietta. The game of toss had morphed into a game of toss and tag. “This is the first time she’s played.”
She turned to look at him. He sat with his elbows braced on his knees. His gaze, full of relief, was on Julietta. He turned to her and grinned, shaking his head. “If she laughs, I may kiss you.”
A slow heat boiled up out of her belly and her breath hitched in her throat. Her eyes lingered on his lips. What would they feel like? Taste like?
Stop it, Sadie. He is an employee. Stop it now. She forced a return grin.
“Maybe you should kiss Jack. He’s the reason she’s playing.”
“I’d do it. God, you don’t even know what this means. She’s playing. Playing!”
Sadie watched the two romping figures. Julietta threw the ball and raced with Jack to retrieve it. The heat stirred by his casual remark about kissing cooled while she watched. Yes, she was playing. But she wasn’t laughing or shrieking like little girls did. She was calling out to Jack, but that was all. Her pretty face wasn’t as guarded, but her expression was still serious. Sadie laced her hand
s together to hide the tremble.
“What happened?”
Wyatt rocked back, his feet leaving the ground as he balanced for a moment, glancing up into the branches of the oak. He settled back, cross-legged. His eyes remained on Julietta.
“Her mother, Maddie, was a nurse in the emergency room. She’d done helicopter flight nursing but stopped when Julietta got older. But she loved it and still filled in from time to time.”
Sadie couldn’t stop the little gasp that tore from her throat. “The crash outside of Asheville a few months back?”
“Yeah. No survivors. Jules’s whole world was taken away. Her mom gone. New home, new school, new everything. It’s amazing, when you think about it, how well she’s coping. She’s not acting out. She’s not having bad dreams. She’s doing well in school. She’s just still...flat.”
Sadie couldn’t answer. Her throat clogged with suppressed tears and memories. Her breath sounded ragged when she drew it in, slowly. She blinked hard. This wasn’t about her.
“Her mother was your sister?”
“Yes.”
“What about her father?”
Wyatt shrugged. “Maddie never said who he was. She went on a postcollege trip with some of her friends. Italy, Spain, Greece. Came home pregnant.” He let out a small laugh. “Maddie was as blonde as I am. I’m suspecting Julietta is half-Italian.”
“She’s lucky to have you.”
“I hope so. I’m trying. My immediate goal is to not make things worse.”
“No. I think you’re doing great.”
He turned to face her. “Based on what?”
She leaned back and braced her hands on the ground behind her. Seeing his serious expression, she paused to consider her words. Single guy suddenly saddled with a grieving child. A girl child, no less. And he was stepping up to the plate. Had to give him credit.
“One, you took her in. Two, you know she needs time, and you are showing her the respect of allowing her to mourn. Three, I saw the way she clung close to you as you walked up to me. She trusts you to protect her. Four, the look on your face when she asked to play with Jack.”
Spying on the Boss Page 3