Kisses and Scandal (A Survivors Series Anthology ) - Shana Galen Page 0,74
expected his coffee room to be so popular. In Wapping it had taken a few months for word of mouth to spread and patrons to fill his shop. London was continually surprising him. He’d ask Alfred to hire more servers and make certain to take the investors into the shop and the coffee room so they could see he was already busy and prosperous.
And if he was already this busy, he had better look at the orders for next week. He went to his desk and rifled through his papers until he found them, then spent the next 30 minutes revising the budget and the orders. Finally, after the third time he’d pulled his wet sticky shirt from his skin, he remembered that he’d come in here to change clothing.
He had a trunk with several changes of clothing inside. He often slept at the store, which was one reason he had comfortable chairs placed in his office. There was no reason to go home at one in the morning if he’d only be returning at seven. Thomas had begun enough businesses to know the first weeks and months could be grueling. He crossed to the trunk and pulled out clean clothing, stripping off his coat, shirt, and waistcoat as he did so. Carrying the clean clothing behind the screen in the corner of his room, Thomas stripped down. He splashed water on his face from the basin and ewer and rubbed it down his body to clean off the coffee residue, though he didn’t think he’d ever get rid of the smell.
He pulled on clean trousers and shook out his shirt. From somewhere behind him, he heard a gasp. Turning, he stared into the shocked face of Miss Sawyer. For a moment he was so glad to see her that he didn’t remember he was half-dressed.
“I am so sorry, sir. I didn’t mean—I was coming to—” Tears gathered in her eyes. Too strong a reaction for a woman who’d merely come upon a shirtless man. It had to be something more.
And he knew what it was.
Heat burned his face, and he abruptly yanked on his shirt. “What do you want?” he said more harshly than he’d intended. Now that he had the shirt on, he turned his back to her again and began to fasten it at the neck. “Do you always barge into rooms without knocking?”
“I’m so sorry, sir. The door was open, and I just wanted to—” She broke off, and he looked over his shoulder at her. She stood stiff and erect, her eyes fixed on a wall instead of him. “I’ll leave you. In fact, I should probably find another position, but...”
He was curious now. Well, he’d been curious since the first moment he saw her. He pulled on his waistcoat. “But?”
She glanced at him. “I need the money too desperately. I—” She blinked rapidly then put a hand to her forehead. She’d gone rather ashen, and Thomas rushed over to her.
“Sit in my chair.” He guided her to his desk and held her arm until she was lowered into the chair. Pouring a glass of water from the decanter nearby, he handed it to her. “Drink this.”
She nodded and drank a small sip. “Thank you. I don’t know what happened. I feel much better now.” She tried to rise, but he put his hands on her shoulders.
“Not so quickly, Miss Sawyer. When was the last time you ate?”
“This morning.”
Thomas knew a lie when he heard one. Even if she hadn’t hesitated a fraction too long before she’d spoken, he would have known from the way her eyes shifted and her voice hitched. “Miss Sawyer, the truth, please.”
She took a deep breath and raised her chin, her manner regal. “I’ve been a bit short of funds lately.”
He raised a brow. Her manner had gone from weak to imperial in a matter of seconds. “How short?”
“I will be fine.” Now she did rise, brushing his hands from her shoulders. “If I can manage not to spill coffee on you or burst in on you when you are changing again, I will prove to you that I am a valuable employee.”
Thomas put his hands on his hips. “What position did Mr. Miller assign you?”
She kept her chin high. “I am sorting tobacco leaves.”
Thomas hadn’t been aware that was a position. She must have realized it was an invented position as well—something to keep her busy but not really contributing. “I see. What is your previous work experience?”