When she stepped through the front door, she sucked in a breath. Her house. Everything about the place fit her dreams to a tee. Stable, normal. Maybe a few more decorations eventually, but the couch was there, the old entertainment center, and someone had even brought over the small kitchen table from the guesthouse. She’d have to yell at Reuben later about it.
Gary replaced Allie’s spot at her side. “Let’s get her to the couch to sit down.”
She hated feeling like a helpless invalid, but there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.
Betty all but flew out of the kitchen with a bowl and tray in her hand. Setting the tray in her lap, she handed her a spoon. “Eat up. You need your strength back. I still can’t believe they let you come home. They should have at least kept you overnight.”
“Betty, I don’t have insurance. Believe me, I’m glad they didn’t keep me longer.” The thought of the bills that would show up at her doorstep made her ill. No need to mention she’d begged the doctor to let her go.
Reuben sat on the arm of the couch and put a hand to her shoulder. “Don’t you worry about bills. The accident was the guy’s fault, and he even admitted it. His insurance will pay the hospital bills, and if I have anything to say about it, a good sum in pain and suffering too.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not going to be one of those people who run for a lawyer and try to live the rest of their lives off the insurance settlement.”
“Some of those people deserve it, especially if they’re confined to a wheelchair the rest of their lives because of someone’s stupid mistake. That’s why there’s liability insurance.”
She didn’t want to argue about it right now. “Fine.” At least she didn’t have to worry about medical bills.
“And remind me when you get back to the office to give you medical insurance papers. I’ll put you on the company’s group plan for employees.”
“I only work part-time, Reuben. You don’t offer it to your part-time waitresses. Plus, it’s still ridiculously expensive. I do your payroll, remember?”
He shrugged. “Let me worry about that, okay?”
Maddie tried not to fume. This was her life, her paycheck. She needed to worry about it. “Reuben—”
“No argument. Besides, you’re eligible after a month if you work at least thirty hours a week, and even at part-time, you’ve been clocking in that. And insurance is just one more thing you can tell the caseworker you have available. It’ll make you look more credible.”
Allie brought her a glass of water. “Or, you could just find some hunky guy to marry. That would solve all your problems.”
“Um, no. Not a chance.” Even as she said it, she felt her cheeks heat up twenty degrees. “I’m not getting married. Ever.”
She chanced a glance at Reuben, whose eyebrows were raised. Quickly averting her gaze so she didn’t feel compelled to answer the questions she saw in those dark brown eyes, Maddie lifted a bite of soup into her mouth. Delicious, but hard to swallow knowing the stares she was receiving.
Betty spoke first. “Marriage isn’t a bad thing, honey. But don’t listen to Allie. You need to marry because you love the man, not just for your brother.”
Marriage for them might be okay, but not this girl. Still, she’d keep her mouth shut from now on. No use arguing. “Thanks for the soup and cookies.”
Gary put an arm around Betty. “We’ll just be getting out of your hair. Give us a call if you need anything.”
She nodded. “Will do. I doubt I’ll feel up to church in the morning, so—”
Betty smiled. “We’ll let Pastor know what happened. Beware though; you might get a visit tomorrow from him.”
Oh, goody. “Thanks.”
The couple left, and Allie said her good-byes shortly after, saying that she had to go home to get some clothes and get the kids to bed and would be back before bedtime.
Maddie hoped Reuben would leave with her, but no such luck. “Reuben, shouldn’t you leave with Allie? You don’t have a car here, and my Tracker’s still back at your mom’s house.”
He took a seat beside her on the couch. “No biggy. I’ll just wait until Allie gets back and borrow her minivan.”
Just great. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and go to sleep, and now she’d have to entertain a guest. “That’s fine.” She hoped the smile she forced on her face didn’t look as dishonest as it was.
“Don’t mind me. Finish eating, then you can get some sleep. Or, do you want to watch some TV?”
“But I don’t have a—” Just as she said it, the black box on her entertainment center caught her eye. She looked back at him. “We need to have a talk about all this. I am not taking your parents’ furniture.”
“You’re not. Mom and Gary’s house is still completely furnished. I thought we went through this earlier.”
Oh, did she want to punch him. Hard. “You know what I mean. I can stand on my own two feet.”
“Would it make you feel better if you paid them ten bucks for it?”
“No.”
“It’s all they would get for it if they sold it. Stores don’t even sell tube televisions anymore. Mom wanted to put a nice little flat-screen out there anyway.”
There was no use arguing, even though she wanted to with every cell in her body. Once a charity case, always a charity case. Would her life ever be her own? “Fine, but no more, okay? Can you bring me my purse?”
Then it hit her that all her stuff was probably still in the mangled BMW at some auto salvage place. Just great.
Reuben stood and walked to the kitchen, then returned with her knock-off Coach purse in his hand. “Here you go.”
“But I thought—”
“Gary and Mom picked up everything from the car this afternoon.”
She should have known. More hand-holding. She mumbled a thanks and took the bag from his hand. He looked out of place holding it anyway. Too … husbandly. Like those poor saps in the mall who were forced to be a bag holder for their shopaholic wives.
Fishing into the abyss that was her purse, she found her wallet and took out a twenty and handed it to him.
“What’s this for?”
“Give it to your parents as payment for the TV. You know they won’t take it from me.”
He tried to hand it back to her, but she pushed his hand away.
“What makes you think they’ll take it from me either?”
She shrugged. “Just leave it on the counter or something. They don’t have to know I laid it there. Oh, oh oh! I know. Crinkle it up a little and put it in their laundry. That way they’ll just think they washed it.”
He crooked an eyebrow. “Are you insane? I think that knot on your head did more damage than the doctors realized.”
She tossed the purse on the floor. “Shut up. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to watch something on my new TV. Could you hand me the remote?”
He picked up the black device and sat down beside her, then flipped the power button.
Maddie held out her hand, but was promptly ignored. “Excuse me?”
Reuben looked at her. “Yes?”
She wiggled her fingers on her open hand. “The remote?”
He winked. “I’ve got it. What do you want to watch?”
Irritating male. How did she get stuck with a remote hog for a boss? “I’d like to make the choice while I flip through the channels on my TV.”
He handed her the remote, but when she grabbed for it, he didn’t let go. Their hands grazed each other, and Maddie released it as if it were a hot coal. “You’re not being nice.”
“You didn’t say please.”
At this rate, the guy was lucky if she didn’t grab the remote and chuck it at him. “Pretty please with sugar on top. There.”
He moved to hand her the remote again, but when he let go, his hand went in front of her and settled on her bruised cheek, and his face inched closer to hers. He was going to kiss her again. She didn’t want him to. But she did.
No she didn’t. She really, really didn’t.
But why then was her face moving closer to his?
His lips connected with hers, and a rush of warmth poured through her veins.
As quick as it started, Reuben ended the kiss. He sat back and winked at her. “Just needed my sugar on top. So, what do you wanna watch? I think there’s a game on.”
God, why are you doing this to me?
Maddie settled in her seat and flipped the channel until she found Wheel of Fortune. She ignored Reuben’s groan beside her. Served the man right.
31
What did he ever do before Maddie?
Reuben scratched his head as his gaze scanned the mounds of paperwork that needed to be dealt with. There were bills, payroll, supply orders to be sent in, and a billion other things that needed handled today.
Then again, distance was probably a good thing.
She was proving dangerous.
Every time he was with her, an overwhelming urge to protect her came over him. Maybe it was a brotherly kind of thing.
But the kiss he stupidly snuck the night before said otherwise.
At least she hadn’t slapped him.
If he could only figure her out. But from what he knew about women, that was no easy task. Every time he came close to her, she blushed brighter than ketchup on white bread. But she insisted on holding him at arm’s length.
He should never have kissed her. Especially the first time, but even Saturday night had been a mistake. She wasn’t ready for that, and if he were honest with himself, he wasn’t either.
Maddie deserved to be more than a rebound.
He’d given her strict instructions that she wasn’t to come to work this week. She’d called Judy to let her know she couldn’t work for the next few weeks until her arm healed enough to trust it with people’s hair. The owner hadn’t been happy, but was astute enough to know that a one-armed stylist wouldn’t be good for business.
But the little firecracker had tried to convince him that paperwork one-handed wouldn’t be hard. As much as he’d love her company, it wasn’t happening.
He picked up a piece of paper from the top of the pile and groaned.
“You desperate yet?”
Reuben’s head jerked up at the sweet sound of his pistol of an assistant. “I thought I told you to stay home.” She looked pitiful with her arm in the sling, a knot on her forehead, and dark purple bruises on her cheek and chin. He just wanted to pick her up, take her home, and put her back to bed.
“And I thought I told you I’d be here if I felt up to it. And I do. Besides, I was going stir crazy in the house by myself.”
“I’d have come over tonight to keep you company.”
She glowered at him. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
As much as he wanted to send her packing, he’d known the woman long enough to realize that she wasn’t going anywhere without a fight.
“I’ll let you stay, but promise you won’t overdo it. I have a meeting in a bit, so you’ll be on your own this morning.”
“Maddie is tough girl.” Her voice lowered as she imitated Tarzan. Then she smiled and returned to her normal sassy self. “I mainly want to get payroll done and some invoices paid. See, just call me selfish. I only came in so I’d get paid on Friday.”
“I’m here to see Mr. Sanders.” Reuben fiddled with the change in his pocket. He’d been waiting for this day for a long time. The final go ahead on his dad’s dream. He glanced at his watch. Two minutes early, which was a miracle given the time it took to drive there. As much as he hated Maddie coming into work today, it’d been a godsend.
“And your name, sir?”
“Reuben Callahan. I have a ten o’clock with him.”
The receptionist picked up the phone and punched in a few numbers. “A Mr. Callahan is here to see Mr. Sanders.” An exaggerated pause and frown from the young woman behind the desk made him tighten his fist. He had gotten the time right, he was sure of it. “I see. I’ll let him know.”
She hung up the phone. “I’m sorry, sir, but Mr. Sanders left early for a lunch appointment. It seems we received a call this morning canceling your appointment.”
That made no sense. Who would do that? “Do you have a record of who called?”
“His secretary said a woman phoned in, I believe your assistant. Said you had changed your mind about the project.”
What kind of game was Maddie playing? Was she that mad about the kiss the night before? Reuben gripped his briefcase and tried not to act too mad. No use being fodder for office gossip. “I’m sorry you were given misinformation, but I’m still very much interested in using Mr. Sanders’s services. Can I reschedule?”
“Sure.” Her fingers tapped on the keyboard. “He has a two o’clock three weeks from Thursday open.”
A three-week setback was not what he needed at this point. He needed the plans to get a cost estimate from the builder, which he needed to get to the bank so they would approve his loan, the loan that stood on very shaky ground. “There’s nothing sooner?”
“I’m sorry, sir. He’s going on vacation for two weeks starting next week, so his schedule’s pretty full right now. He’s getting married, you know. It’s his honeymoon.”
What he would give for a very large punching bag right now. “Fine, that will have to do.”
He turned and stalked out of the office trying to figure out what just went on.
Surely Maddie wasn’t that mad about Saturday night. It just didn’t make any sense. He slid into the driver’s seat of his rental car, a Toyota Camry. A nice car by most people’s standards, but a step down from his BMW, no thanks to Maddie.
He pounded the steering wheel with his fist and blew out his breath. No, the accident wasn’t her fault. He didn’t blame her. She was a victim, just like his dad had been.
But today. Today was unacceptable.
Pulling his cell phone from his suit coat pocket, Reuben hit the speed-dial for the restaurant.
“The Sandwich Emporium, how can I help you today?” He recognized Livy’s voice, in her sugary-sweet customer tone. It’s what made her good at her job.
“Liv, I need to talk to Maddie.”
“Oh, I think she’s busy—”
“Now!” He didn’t mean to yell, but his nerves were wound tighter than string on a fishing pole.
“Is everything okay, Reub?”
“Fine, Fine. Just put her on.” Livy would only rub it in his face if he vented to her. Their working relationship was odd at the moment anyway. He’d expected her to quit when they broke up, but she’d stayed.
He heard the standard hold music, light jazz that his dad had always favored, and a minute later Maddie answered. “Reuben? How’d the meeting go? That was awfully fast.”
The woman had some nerve. “No thanks to you.”
“Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
He gripped the phone tighter, wanting to throw it at something. “You canceled my meeting, Maddie. What do you think I mean? Now I can’t get in to see him for another three weeks, so I’ll have to postpone the meeting with the builder and this might even affect me getting the loan.”
“So let me get this straight. Your meeting got canceled somehow, and you think I had something to do with it? Why in the world would I do that?”
“Good question. Why would you?”
A huff sounded over the line. “I wouldn’t, because I didn’t. I’ve barely been here an hour and am still knee-high in paperwork. You’ve been nothing but kind to me. Plus, I like working for you. Why would I do something to jeopardize that?”
Her words were like a pin jabbing into his bubble of anger, blowing the air right out of him. “I thought you might be mad because of Saturday night.”
“What? The whole remote thing?”
Despite himself, he grinned. That had been cruel of him. “No, I meant the whole kiss thing.” Even as he said it, he realized how stupid it sounded. Besides blatantly ignoring him for the rest o
f the evening, she’d never acted mad. More like embarrassed because she’d liked it.
“I wasn’t mad that you kissed me, Reuben. But really, you do need to stop. You’re my boss, and … I’m not kissable material.”
He begged to differ, but given his confusion over the appointment cancelation, he wouldn’t voice his opinion now. “I just don’t understand who would cancel it then.”
“Who all knew about it?”
Closing his eyes, he thought for a moment. “My mom, you, Gary, Livy, Allie, Stew…. That’s about it.”
“Well, do this. Come back here, and in the meantime, I’ll call and see what I can do about getting your reschedule moved up.”
“Good luck with that.” But even as he said it, the stress eased from his muscles. “And—I’m sorry. For accusing you. I was just stressed out and—”
“No need to explain. It’s behind us, okay?”
Maddie sat back in her chair and covered her face with her hands. What had just happened? Did her boss really think she was out to get him or something?
He’d bent over backwards, against her wishes, to help her out. Never in a million years would she hurt him. Not on purpose anyway.
She moved to Reuben’s desk and shuffled through papers, trying to find the architect’s phone number. He kept it on speed dial in his cell phone and handled all matters related to the new restaurants, so she’d never even called them before. Finally, she found an invoice with letterhead containing a phone number.
As she picked up the phone on Reuben’s desk, the office door opened.
“What are you doing, Maddie?”
She replaced the receiver. “Somehow an appointment of Reuben’s got canceled this morning. I was just trying to call and reschedule.”
Livy leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms. Her blonde curls were swept back into a low ponytail. She looked the height of professional with her perfectly pressed black dress pants, tapered white blouse, and short black vest.
“Reuben’s time is valuable. You need to be careful and not make mistakes like that. I’m sure he’s not happy.”
Maddie’s jaw dropped but she recovered quickly, standing up straight even though all she wanted to do was sit and slouch. Her entire body was still aching, and being so tense with this woman in the room wasn’t helping. “I didn’t make a mistake. I don’t know how it got canceled.”
Sandwich, With a Side of Romance Page 20