made me want a commitment from him. I wanted more of him, and it was killing me. Believe me, I knew spending so much time with a man I had feelings for wasn’t healthy, considering all the issues. I had to take a more balanced approach or I would lose control of the situation.
The more I thought about it, the more I grew concerned that I’d made a huge mistake. I’d foolishly believed we could be friends, but now I questioned the wisdom of that decision. My mind brought every glance and every kind gesture from him to the forefront as if trying to prove he saw me as more than a friend.
Because I wanted to believe that.
But I needed to keep a steady head and not think with my hormones.
I poured myself a cup of black tea and sat down at the table with my breakfast of buttered toast, two slices of bacon, and an orange. As I continued to dwell on the situation, I realized I needed to pull back a little. Not so much that he’d question our friendship, but enough that my sanity would remain intact.
It wasn’t smart to invest my heart when I’d already decided not to involve myself in a relationship right now. For one, he probably didn’t share the same feelings, not to mention, he’d always had trouble committing to any woman. Furthermore, he was my boss, and I desperately needed to keep this job.
When I thought about it like that it was almost funny.
There were more than enough reasons we couldn’t progress beyond friendship, and I had to accept that and take a step back.
A call came through on my phone, and I answered right away, seeing that it was Charlotte. “Good morning.”
“Hey, stranger. Haven’t spoken to you all week. Where’ve you been?” There was a teasing lilt to her voice, indicating she knew exactly how I’d spent my time.
I pushed my tongue against the inside of my cheek and tried to think of a witty response, but when nothing came to me, I went with a standard answer. “Oh, you know. I’ve been out and about.”
“Oh, really?” she asked, overemphasizing each syllable. “Who were you out with?”
“Just a friend.”
“Hmmm. A friend who took up so much time that you didn’t even get around to calling your best friend. Should I be jealous?” Her tone remained playful, and I could tell none of this bothered her, most likely because she knew the friend in question was her brother. Easton must have told her we’d been hanging out.
I hadn’t purposely kept that information from Charlotte. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. I had kept it from her, but I’d planned on telling her at some point. My reason for not being so forthcoming was that I was afraid she’d read too much into it and give me hope when there wasn’t any. I was barely holding it together as it was when it came to that man, and a shove in the wrong direction would result in a broken heart.
It was no secret Charlotte wanted to see Easton and me as a couple—but she would have to get over that. Easton didn’t see me that way. He was a flirt, yes, but he genuinely saw me as a friend. His best friend. Yeah, that was what he’d said. He couldn’t have been any clearer than that.
I let out a deep sigh. “Sorry I haven’t called. There’s no excuse. Let me make it up to you. Are you free this evening?”
She laughed. “Yes, I’d love to get together. I’m craving Italian.”
I’d just had pizza with Easton yesterday, but I wasn’t about to mention that. Besides, there were tons of other choices when it came to Italian food. “Let’s meet for dinner then. You pick the restaurant.”
We ironed out the details and then she had to go because her mom was calling. I ate breakfast and then showered and dressed in comfortable clothing, planning to veg out on the couch with a good movie. Just as I finished brushing through my wet hair, there was a knock at the door. A fleeting thought came to mind, causing my stomach to flutter. Maybe it was Easton. Maybe he missed me already. As if. I laughed at the absurdity of the idea and glanced in the mirror, noting my pale skin. I didn’t have on makeup, but I rarely put it on when I was home alone.
I shook my head to clear it and turned away from the