Heart of Gold - B.J. Daniels Page 0,51
He’d been a good boss. Being engaged to Amanda must be horrible, let alone actually planning to go through with the wedding. Is that what he wanted to talk about?
“So you must be getting excited,” she said. At his confused look, she added, “The wedding.”
“Oh yes, the wedding. How could I forget that? Amanda reminds me daily if not hourly.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes.
She actually considered reminding him that he didn’t have to go through with it, but smartly took a sip of her wine instead.
“That’s kind of what I want to talk to you about,” Greg said and Charlie groaned inwardly.
“I’m afraid I know nothing about planning weddings, if you’re looking for advice,” she joked.
He smiled as if to say he wasn’t that easily fooled. “You must wonder why I’m marrying her.”
Could this conversation get any more uncomfortable? She feared it could. She shook her head, trying to think of what to say to that.
“I know you and Amanda haven’t gotten along all that well,” he said.
She frowned. “I wouldn’t say that.”
He laughed. “No, you wouldn’t. You’re too nice. But I’m aware that she’s been harder on you than all the other employees.”
“She has a lot going on right now with her job, the wedding...” Her lover.
“Amanda likes it that way. She says she has to keep busy or she goes crazy. I suspect you’re a little like that.” His gaze met hers and Charlie quickly shifted her attention to her wine. She didn’t want to drink it too quickly, but the sooner she could get out of here...
“I love her. But sometimes I wonder if love is enough,” Greg said, staring down into his drink before glancing up at her again, his gaze intent. “This isn’t my first rodeo, as they say here in Montana.”
“Just because one didn’t work out—”
“It’s been more than one,” he said, catching her gaze and holding it. “I’m sure you heard about the one before you started working at the design company.”
She nodded and tried to lighten the mood. “Though I doubt she was really taken away in a straitjacket.”
“No, she wasn’t, though one of them might have been handy. I haven’t had a lot of luck when it comes to women. The first girl I ever kissed gave me a black eye.” He laughed. “It’s true. I went for years afraid of girls. Then I had a string of bad dates until I found The One.” He got a faraway look in his eye for a moment, then grimaced. “With her, it turned out even worse than you can imagine.”
Charlie squirmed, not wanting to hear any of this.
He took a sip of his drink. “I’m making you uncomfortable.”
She wasn’t about to deny it.
“I like you, Charlie. You’re the one person who might understand why I’m going to marry Amanda even though I know...”
Her heart seized up in her chest for a moment.
“She isn’t perfect.”
“Who is?” Charlie said and took another drink of her wine instead of doing what she really wanted to, which was run.
* * *
SHEP COULDN’T BELIEVE what he’d just seen. First Charlie got a call, then ducked into a bar. Her boss came out of their office and went after her, ducking into the same bar Charlie went into. He didn’t think that left much doubt about the interpretation.
The two of them were meeting at the bar. It appeared part of a plan, starting with the phone call. This was unbelievable. She’d told him that Greg was engaged to Amanda, the insanely jealous office manager who allegedly put something in Charlie’s food to make not just her ill but Greg as well. Knowing how jealous Amanda was, why would Charlie meet Greg in a bar so close to their office? What was he saying? Why would Charlie meet him at all?
Moving across the street so he could watch the entrance, he waited, half afraid the two might have been followed by the unbalanced fiancée. But Amanda didn’t appear, fortunately. Was that the way Charlie and Greg had planned it?
He knew he was jumping to conclusions. Charlie had Daniel. Greg had Amanda. Did Daniel suspect Charlie and Greg had a relationship outside of the office? Amanda apparently seemed to think so. Was it true?
Maybe there was a perfectly good explanation for this. And yet as the minutes passed, Charlie didn’t reappear and neither did her boss.
Finally, unable to take it any longer, Shep crossed the slushy street. It had been snowing all day. Huge lacy flakes drifted down