Retreat (Balm in Gilead Book 3)

by Noelle Adams

  “No, you’re really not.” I was frowning at him, wishing with everything inside me that his smile didn’t make me want to smile back.

  “Are you always this bossy?”

  I paused as I realized for the first time that he wasn’t an American. He spoke English perfectly, but I could catch a trace of a European accent. I wasn’t any sort of an expert on accents, but I knew it wasn’t British. Maybe French?

  Then I remembered it made absolutely no difference what country this guy was from. “I’m bossy when I’m the boss. And this is the last time I’m going to ask you to leave.”

  His eyes were still warm and almost amused as they rested on my face. “I truly am supposed to be here.”

  Truly. No American guy of my acquaintance would have said truly, even though it was perfectly correct in this context.

  I was about to summon Stan over when I saw Marcus Winter come out of the office just then. Marcus was the director of the community center and my boss. He must have been looking for me because he waved me over when he saw me. Then he made a gesture toward Stan, who had started to walk toward the stranger.

  The gesture was clear. Stan was to leave Henry alone.

  Which gave me a sinking feeling in my gut as I approached Marcus.

  Damn it.

  This obnoxious guy was going to win this encounter after all.

  “What is he doing here?” I asked, glancing back at Henry, who was still standing in the middle of the floor like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  “I’m sorry,” Marcus said. He was an attractive, middle-aged black man, and when I first started working for the community center two years ago, I had the biggest crush on him. “I would have told you earlier, but you were already out doing errands. He’s going to work as a volunteer this week. I’ve approved him.”

  “But why?”

  “It’s a long story. Sometimes we have to accommodate the needs of those who fund us. This is one of those times.”

  Marcus was being careful, and he looked genuinely sympathetic, but I understood what was underlying his words.

  Someone rich and influential had reached out on this guy’s behalf, and so now we had to work with him or the community center would suffer.

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s disruptive to have people come and go like that, and I haven’t even run the normal checks on this guy. We don’t know anything about him.”

  “I know about him. I’ve seen his background check, and he’ll be fine. I promise he’ll be fine with the kids.”

  I liked and trusted Marcus, so I had no reason to doubt this was true. But it didn’t make me any happier about being stuck with some strange guy for a week. “All right. By why does he have this sudden need to volunteer with us? Does he need it for a résumé or…” I trailed off. “Shit, he’s not doing some sort of required community service, is he?”

  I prayed this wasn’t true, even as I wondered what kind of misbehavior had required enforced community service.

  “Uh, er, yeah… something like that.” Marcus’s face twisted, as if he were very uncomfortable with the conversation.

  I sighed. “Okay. Fine. I can see you don’t have a choice. If you say he’s all right, then I’ll have to trust you. But I don’t have to be happy about it. It’s just a week?”

  “That’s what I was told.”

  “All right. I’ll deal with it.”

  “Thanks, April,” Marcus said, his face relaxing into a smile.

  I rolled my eyes, and then almost groaned aloud when I glanced over at Henry and saw he was giving me that little smirk again, like he knew he’d won.

  I suppressed my urge to slap that expression off his face and walked back over to him. “All right,” I said with a fake, polite smile. “It looks like you’ll be working with us for the week. We can find you plenty to do, but you can’t lead one of the reading circles. The kids need more continuity than that. It’s disruptive for the leaders to keep changing. You can help out with odd jobs and housekeeping-type work.”

  Henry’s eyebrows arched. “You’re serious?”

  “Yes, I’m serious. You didn’t expect to just lounge around and read children’s books all week, did you?”

  He was smiling again. “I’m not sure what I expected.”

  “If you’re going to be here, you’re going to do some work.”

  “I’ll do anything you want me to do.” His voice went just a little husky with these words, and it made me shiver again.

  I really didn’t need that.

  It was bad enough to get stuck with an entitled asshole for the week. I wasn’t going to be attracted to him too.

  I’d done so well for the past three years. I wasn’t going to get dragged back down to where I used to be.

  If only he didn’t have such a good body—with those broad shoulders, lean hips, long legs, and flat abdomen. If only those creases at the corners of his mouth weren’t quite so adorable.

  I gave myself a silent lecture as I glared at him coolly. Finally, I remembered we were in the middle of a conversation and said, “You can help Jenny in the kitchen for now. There’s always a lot of clean-up to do after snack.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  I didn’t like the sound of his tone. It was too smooth, too amused, too… flirtatious.

  I reminded myself I’d be rid of him next week and swallowed over my annoyance and rising nerves.

  I gave him another fake smile, but it just made him chuckle.

  And, damn it, even that laugh made me think about sex.

  Only one week. I could be polite for a week. And then I would be safe again.

  I could go back to the life I’d worked so hard to build for myself and never have to see this guy again.

  ***

  You can find out more about Christmas with a Prince here.

  About Noelle Adams

  Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she writes full time, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.

  She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances. For more information, please check out her website: noelle-adams.com.

  Books by Noelle Adams

  Tea for Two Series

  Falling for her Brother’s Best Friend

  Winning her Brother’s Best Friend

  Seducing her Brother’s Best Friend

  Balm in Gilead Series

  Relinquish

  Surrender

  Retreat

  Rothman Royals Series

  A Princess Next Door

  A Princess for a Bride

  A Princess in Waiting

  Christmas with a Prince

  Preston’s Mill Series (co-written with Samantha Chase)

  Roommating

  Speed Dating

  Complicating

  Eden Manor Series

  One Week with her Rival

  One Week with her (Ex) Stepbrother

  One Week with her Husband

  Christmas at Eden Manor

  Beaufort Brides Series

  Hired Bride

  Substitute Bride

  Accidental Bride

  Heirs of Damon Series

  Seducing the Enemy

  Playing the Playboy

  Engaging the Boss

  Stripping the Billionaire

  Willow Park Series

  Married for Christmas

  A Baby for Easter

  A Family for Christmas

  Reconciled for Easter

  Home for Christmas

  One Night Novellas

  One Night with her Best Friend

  One Night in the Ice Storm

  One Night with her Bodyguard

  One Night with h
er Boss

  One Night with her Roommate

  One Night with the Best Man

  The Protectors Series (co-written with Samantha Chase)

  Protecting His Best Friend’s Sister

  Protecting His Enemy

  Protecting the Girl Next Door

  Protecting the Movie Star

  Standalones

  A Negotiated Marriage

  Listed

  Bittersweet

  Missing

  Revival

  Holiday Heat

  Salvation

  Excavated

  Overexposed

  Road Tripping

  Chasing Jane

  Late Fall

  Fooling Around

  Married by Contract

  Trophy Wife

  Bay Song