Oh, Keep Your Shirt On - Michelle Pennington Page 0,35
the lunch hour rolled around, and I felt like I should have. There was no way Damien would be trying to “unsettle” me because he was interested in me. I mean, sure the guy flirted with me, but that was just part of his personality. He could no more resist flirting with women than he could resist the need to breathe. Despite my inner wariness, I’d come to just accept and even enjoy that facet of his charm. I felt safe because there was no way he meant any of it seriously. Why would he? I’d seen the girls at his party last week. Not to mention he wanted me to be his date to the wedding because I was scary and intimidating.
The truth was, he was a friendly guy who didn’t know what boundaries were, and I was his next-door neighbor. One that he had a use for. So, no, he was definitely not sending me drool-worthy photos because he was interested in me like that.
Finally arriving at that conclusion eased my mind considerably. I was able to relax again until I chanced to look at the time on my computer and saw it was noon. My stomach clenched. Eek! He’d be here soon.
“Please don’t embarrass me,” I murmured under my breath.
“Are you talking to me?”
I looked up, breathing in sharply through my nose when I saw it was Melinda, the owner of the company. Tessa had introduced me briefly before, but we hadn’t spoken since, though she’d nodded and smiled pleasantly on the few times she’d come into the office. Just my luck that the one time I decided to talk to myself, she was there to hear me.
“No, Ms. Braswell. I’m sorry. I was talking to myself.”
She chuckled. “No worries then. I have a lunch appointment with Logan. Do you know when he’ll be free?”
“He’s probably ready now. Should I let him know you’re here?”
“Please. I’m starving.”
I jumped up and went around to knock on Mr. Jennings’s door. When he called for me to come in, I peeked inside. He was on the phone but had paused his conversation. “Ms. Braswell is here for your lunch appointment.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Krista. Tell her I’ll be right out.”
Closing the door behind me, I returned to where Melinda waited next to my desk, scrolling on her phone. “He’s finishing a phone call but says he’ll be right out.”
She smiled, not taking her eyes from her phone. “Thank you. Will it make you uncomfortable if I wait here?”
“Not at all,” I said, even though it did. She owned the whole company, after all. There was nothing else to do but sit down at my desk and try to look like my normal, calm self until she left. But then I got another text from Damien that made my heart beat uncomfortably again. I could read his whole message just on the notification bar.
I’m here. Watch me rock this.
“You know,” Melinda said, bringing my attention back to her again, “I keep thinking that you look really familiar, but I can’t figure out why.”
Caught by surprise, since my mind was so focused on the whole Damien thing, I just blinked at her. “I…don’t know.” After trying to decide if she looked familiar to me, some wispy memory flashed through my brain, but it was so ephemeral I couldn’t figure out what it was. “I recently worked as a hostess at The Loft. Was that it?”
Her eyes swept over my face, her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied me. “Maybe. I’ve eaten there before.”
Mr. Jennings came out of his office then. I saw the way he glanced into Tessa’s office before he turned toward Melinda. “Sorry I kept you waiting. Are you ready to go?”
Melinda glanced at me one more time but stepped towards him with a warm smile. “Yes. Let’s go.”
I relaxed as they walked away. I listened as Melinda continued speaking to him. “You look stressed. Is everything okay?”
I couldn’t help shaking my head because Mr. Jennings was not the only one stressed, and things were definitely not okay. And, oh dang… If Mr. Jennings was heading out through the front just as Damien came in, they were sure to meet.
And then, right on cue, Tessa left her office and headed for the elevator.
Yep. They were on a collision course.
All I could do was wait in growing stress until I heard the elevator open down the hall. I stood up and leaned over the counter, desperate to see if everything was