It Must Be Love

by Nicki Night

  The girls enjoyed the rest of their dinner and Jewel headed home with the challenge on her mind. By the time she actually went on her date, she’d have a host of reasons to report on why they could never work as a couple. Working together would allow her to gather all of the information she needed to confirm her point and she would finally be done with her girlfriends questioning her standards.

  Chapter 10

  Sterling looked in the full-length bedroom mirror one last time before dabbing several squirts of cologne over himself. He headed out the room and trotted down the steps to the first floor of his minimally decorated townhome.

  Since the work at Chandler Food Corp began, he’d taken special care in dressing on the days he visited their offices. He had never dropped in on a client as much as he did now. Today, Sterling wore a navy blue suit with a blue-and-white-striped shirt. He’d received numerous compliments with this outfit previously and found it fitting for his plans.

  Sterling’s “reason” for stopping by Chandler Food Corp’s offices this morning was to check in on his team’s efforts to preserve the company’s data for transfer to the new equipment. They had put Alex in charge as the point person for the project, but Sterling still showed up frequently to review the progress. He’d even hand delivered the contract once it was signed.

  After he arrived, he checked in with Alex who was already on site. Sterling waited a while before going over to Jewel’s office.

  “Good morning.”

  Jewel flinched. “Oh! Good morning, Sterling.” She looked up briefly and directed her attention back to her laptop.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you. I can come back another time,” he said, taking notice of her pointed focus on the computer.

  “No. That won’t be necessary. Give me a sec.” She held up a single finger. “I just need to finish this email.”

  Sterling leaned against the frame of the door. He watched her beautiful face when she scrunched her nose as she typed. He noted the way her fingers stilled and her eyes narrowed for seconds at a time before firing away at the keyboard again. He wondered what she thought about in those moments. His gaze washed over her from her head to mid-torso. Everything else was hidden behind the cherrywood desk.

  “Ah! Okay.” Jewel lifted her hands from the laptop as if the keys were hot and let them drop in her lap. She sat back. “Come on in.” Jewel held out her hand, presenting the chair in front of her. “Have a seat. What’s up?”

  Sterling strolled into her office aware of her eyes on him. When their gaze met, Jewel averted her eyes, stood and walked over to the coffee machine propped on a wood file cabinet in the corner.

  “Cup of coffee?” She kept her back to him.

  “Sure.” Sterling couldn’t help but smile. He enjoyed the electricity in the air that their tension created. There was definitely something between them. Sterling could swim in it, float in it, tread in it. It energized him and made him relish her presence.

  “I have hazelnut, French vanilla, medium roast and jet fuel.”

  “Jet fuel? Ha!” Sterling laughed. “You know about jet fuel?”

  “Sure do. Those are usually reserved for Monday mornings.”

  “Or Friday afternoons after a long, crazy week.”

  “Exactly!” Jewel chuckled.

  “I’ll take the medium roast—black.”

  “Funny. I take mine black as well.” Jewel reached for a mug from the wood stand next to the coffee machine, popped in a coffee pod and pressed a button. The hiss, dribble and gurgle were the only sounds in the room as the hot liquid filled the mugs. The strong, fragrant aroma wafted through the space.

  Sterling appreciated her shapely frame in the well-fitting dress. Jewel’s royal blue pumps matched perfectly as if they were made of the same fabric. He continued admiring her delicate manner as she removed one mug and filled another. When both were done, she carefully carried them back to her desk, handing Sterling one of the mugs that said No Talkie Before Coffee.

  “I like this.” Sterling tilted the mug as he read the words. He sipped. “Mmm. That’s pretty good.”

  Jewel nodded in agreement and then took a careful sip. “How can I help you this morning?” Jewel placed her mug on the desk.

  “I’m just here for a routine check-in. We’ve made considerable progress in a short amount of time.”

  “Does that mean you might finish ahead of schedule?”

  “Possibly. Can’t speak too soon.” Sterling settled in the chair and crossed his legs.

  “Oh. Okay.”

  “Do you need us to finish sooner?”

  “Oh. No. I was just asking.”

  “Great. I’d hate to rush anything. I want you to be happy...” Sterling paused, considering the way his comment sounded and other implications it could suggest. “You’re satisfaction is important to our company.” He chose the rest of his words more carefully, sounding less personal.

  “Thanks.”

  Silence descended between them for several moments, save for the sound of cautious sips.

  “Did you enjoy the reunion?” he asked, sparking small talk.

  “Actually, yes. More than I expected.”

  “Me, too. I wasn’t going to go.”

  “Why not?” Jewel leaned in, seeming interested in his response.

  “Work. I figured I could get more done. My brother convinced me to go and I knew Noah would have a fit if I didn’t. But in the end... I’m glad I went. It was nice seeing people after such a long time—especially you.”

  Sterling noticed Jewel’s throat shift like a lever as she swallowed.

  Jewel tilted her head and studied him for a moment. “Are you flirting with me, Sterling?”

  “Just being truthful.”

  “Well, just so you know, I don’t mix business...” she let the rest of the clichéd comment hang.

  Sterling set his mug down and held up both hands. “That’s a noble principle—one that I live by myself.”

  Jewel shook her head and laughed. Sterling joined her before taking his mug back in his hands.

  “I guess it’s a good thing you ignored me that night when I told you I wanted to take you to dinner?”

  She looked at him, pressed her lips into a tight smile but said nothing.

  “It’s cool.” He jutted his chin forward. “Had that happened you probably would have been all over me and I wouldn’t be able to get any work done here. I have that effect on women, you know.”

  Jewel’s head jerked in his direction with brows knitted. He laughed hard, tickled by her reaction to his tease. Recognition sprang into her expression. She twisted her lips at first, but then joined him in his laughter.

  “Now you can stop being so cordial. I knew you when you had braces.”

  Jewel covered her mouth, still chuckling. “You remembered those?” She threw her head back. “Ha! Watch it. I can always pull out the yearbook,” she warned.

  “At least I grew into my ears.”

  Jewel bent over laughing. “Goodness. When I look back at those photos, I just want to scream.”

  For the next several minutes they reminisced about high school days, joking about their former selves, recalling favorite teachers, classes and prized moments. Before long their coffee cups were empty and almost an hour had passed.

  “Oh no!” Jewel looked at her watch, grabbed the journal on her desk and stood. “My meeting started three minutes ago.”

  Sterling rose from his seat and checked his own watch. He whistled. “I need to get back to the office. I’ll send an email outlining updates and keep you posted on our timeline.”

  “That will be great. Thanks.”

  Sterling stood aside allowing Jewel to pass and followed behind her. Jewel walked him to the exit. They stood for a clumsy moment before stuttering goodbyes. Sterling held out his hand though he preferre
d to hug her. They’d returned to awkward professionalism, shook hands and parted ways. Despite the missteps at the door, Sterling felt great. He was on his way to knowing the current Jewel Chandler and he liked what he knew so far.

  Chapter 11

  The memory of Sterling’s tall, handsome frame in that stylish blue suit haunted Jewel through the entire meeting and stole her focus. She could still smell the masculine scent of his cologne. She had to concentrate hard in order pay attention to all of the information swirling around her in the conference room.

  When Jewel’s time to contribute came she sounded robotic as she read directly from the bullet points scratched in her journal. She left no room for commentary as she usually did. The abrupt end to her report ran into a wall of silence for several seconds before her father asked if anyone had anything to add before they adjourned.

  The staff dispersed and Jewel returned to her office. The moment she stepped past her doorframe, Sterling’s lingering scent caressed her nostrils. He’d left more than two hours ago, but his presence remained in more ways than she cared to acknowledge. Standing still, she breathed deep, taking him in and then laughed. Why was she acting like a girl with a secret crush? Because she was.

  The plush chair gracefully received the weight of her as she plopped down. She had to stop her mind from wandering into thoughts of Sterling. It had been happening since the reunion. That time outside on the balcony affected her more than she was willing to admit.

  Despite the fact that they didn’t have much in common, she was quite curious about Sterling Bishop. His frequent visits during this project weren’t helping. She had come to know when he was coming before he showed up in her doorway. Instinctively, her core would tighten. Seconds later, he would appear at the entrance of her office, like he had this morning. Each time he would stay a bit longer. They never talked much about the work. She knew how the job progressed from Alex’s comprehensive updates. They were slightly ahead of schedule and while she couldn’t wait for the project to end and get her promotion, she almost didn’t want it to since that would mean she’d no longer get to see Sterling’s striking face on a regular basis.

  Sterling’s pop-ins weren’t really necessary. She knew that, yet welcomed them anyway.

  Jewel shook her head, physically attempting to rid her mind of Sterling. It was time to concentrate on her plans for making operations run more efficiently. She’d already gathered feedback from the rest of the operations staff on systems and their wish list for enhancements. She hoped that the unsolicited plan would show that she thought strategically and was fit for the promotion. She also included a proposal to renovate the kitchen to incorporate high-efficiency appliances, which would allow them to make more product in less time. She had already identified the companies she wanted to obtain quotes from and just needed to schedule appointments for estimates.

  Her only issue was that her father hadn’t given her any indication regarding what he felt about how she was doing. That made her nervous.

  A tap on her door interrupted her keystrokes.

  “Yes.” Jewel acknowledged her visitor without looking up.

  “Sorry to bother you—”

  Jewel’s neck snapped upward at the deep timber of Sterling’s voice. Her pulsed seemed to pause. “I left a folder here earlier and finally realized that it was probably still on your desk,” he continued.

  Jewel recovered from the breath trapped in her chest. Her eyes moved from him to the file on the corner of her desk. She hadn’t noticed it was there until that moment. “Oh. Sure.” She lifted the folder. “Here you go.” Her core tightened as he drew closer. That feeling was back. Maybe she was too wrapped up in her work to sense his approaching presence. Sterling took the folder and Jewel could swear she felt electricity shoot through the papers, which made the skin on her hands tingle.

  “Thanks.” Sterling opened the folder up and shook his head. “I didn’t realize I’d forgotten it until I left for lunch.”

  Jewel only smiled.

  “Speaking of which, have you eaten yet? There’s a great Thai restaurant right up the street from here and they get the lunch crowd in and out pretty fast.”

  “Oh. No.” Jewel waved. “I’ve got so much to do here, I couldn’t think of stopping now. I’m in my groove with this project I’m working on.” As if on cue, Jewel’s stomach growled, defying her attempt to act as if she didn’t need to eat.

  Sterling simply lifted a brow. “Of course you’re not hungry, but in case you are, the offer still stands.”

  Jewel’s laugh tumbled out of her mouth despite her efforts to hold it in. Sterling laughed, too.

  “I really do have a lot of work to do.” Jewel definitely wanted to go, but knew it would be risky. How would she explain being out with Sterling to her father? Bobby Dale would certainly frown upon any kind of fraternizing. She remembered how angry he became at her brother, Chris, for keeping company with a former co-worker. He almost lost his job even though he was Bobby Dale’s own son.

  “I could bring something back for you.”

  Jewel thought for a moment. She was starving, but really wanted to get through the rest of the plan she was working on. “Okay. What do they have?”

  Sterling sat down, pulled the lunch menu up on his phone and showed it to her. Jewel perused the items and made her selection.

  “Good. I’ll be right back.” Sterling stood and began making his way toward the door.

  “Wait!” Jewel reached for her purse. “I need to give you the money.”

  Sterling tilted his head and his blank stare let her know he had no intentions of taking money from her. “Be back soon.” He turned and left as suddenly as he had arrived.

  A fresh scent lingered behind once again. When Jewel was sure he was out of earshot, she sighed. “That man,” she said, shaking her head. “If only...”

  Jewel checked and responded to a few emails before returning to her work. By the time she’d gotten through the next few pages, Sterling was back.

  Jewel looked at her watch. “You didn’t eat there?”

  “No, I figured I’d eat with you.” Sterling placed a bag on her desk and pulled out a take-out container, placing it next to her laptop.

  Jewel wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. “I don’t think I’d be good company. I’m still waist-deep in this plan I’m working on. It’s taking all of my attention.”

  Sterling paused with a second container in midair. “Sure. I understand.” Despite his words, he seemed disappointed. She sensed it. He put the container back in the bag.

  As much as Jewel wanted his company, she wondered about people seeing them eating together and reading into it. But now she felt bad.

  “Sterling,” Jewel called to him as he turned to leave. “Stay. Let’s eat. I could use the break.” Sterling’s smile seemed to trigger a fresh flow of air in her chest. She got up and closed her office door. Jewel moved a few things aside and they spread their meal across the desk. “Let’s see if this is as good as you say it is.”

  Sterling retrieved his meal, opened it, and the aroma of the food filled the space.

  “Smells delicious.”

  “Wait until you taste it.”

  “What did you get?” Jewel peered over the lid into his food.

  “Pad Thai noodles. They have the best around.”

  “Mmm. Looks good. I want to taste.” Sterling scooped some into her container. “Want some of my rice?”

  “Sure.” Sterling gave her some.

  Jewel took in a forkful of the noodles, closed her eyes and moaned. “That is good,” she said, pointing to her plate. She tried the rice and covered her mouth as she chewed.

  Easy conversation ensued as they ate. Gone was the awkward interaction from earlier that day. Before she knew it, Sterling had her laughing between forkfuls. Her inhibitions about being with him at work waned and Jewel
allowed herself to enjoy Sterling’s presence. His sense of humor intrigued her and made her feel comfortable. They talked about their college years this time and Sterling shared the story of how he and his brother started their business. Jewel was impressed by his perseverance and savvy.

  Jewel shared some information about the strategic plan she was working on and he offered some great insight on increasing efficiency in operations. She even pushed her food aside and took notes. By the time they were done, her admiration for Sterling had reached new heights. Not only was he ridiculously handsome, he was a brilliant businessman. His mind intrigued her as much as his good looks. By the time he left, she wondered what could come of her and Sterling Bishop. Jewel blushed, though no one else was in the room. Some of those thoughts were dangerously sexy.

  Chapter 12

  “Jet fuel?” Jewel held up an empty mug. She was standing in front of her coffeemaker when Sterling walked into her office.

  “Is it that obvious?”

  Instead of answering Sterling’s question, Jewel frowned and stretched her eyes.

  “I guess so,” he continued. “Long day and even longer night.” Sterling took a seat while Jewel prepared two cups of coffee. This had become their routine twice a week. He’d come by before heading to his own office, check in with his team’s progress, and after coffee and conversations with Jewel, he’d move on with his day. They were more than halfway through their contract period and Sterling wasn’t looking forward to an end.

  “Wanna talk about it?” Jewel nodded toward the chair for him to sit.

  Sterling drew in a breath and released it before speaking. “We had to let someone go yesterday afternoon. I hate when I have to do that.”

  “Oh. That’s unfortunate.” Jewel frowned and placed his coffee in front of him before rounding her desk to sit.

  “And then I spent half the night working on a proposal for a new client so—” Sterling’s words were interrupted by his yawn. He held a fist to his mouth. “Excuse me.” He kept the fact that he was frustrated with his ex-wife to himself. Raven had mentioned a possible change in plans that would prevent him from seeing more of his daughter. It wasn’t time for those kinds of discussions with Jewel. He was still feeling her out, though he admired much of what he’d already discovered. Sterling fell silent for several moments as he thought about his conversation with Raven the night before.