To My Arrogant Boss (The Inappropriate Bachelors #2) - J. S. Cooper Page 0,59
mouth and show her that southern boys knew how to do everything better. I got out of my seat and opened the overhead luggage compartment so I could grab my iPad. I looked down to see if Jane was watching me, but she was engrossed in her show. I opened the side pocket of my gym bag and felt around for a new note.
"Do you need any help, Sir?" The air stewardess was suddenly next to me smiling coyly and I shook my head.
"No, thank you. I'm just looking for my iPad." I smiled back and then I felt my heart racing as I felt a notecard. I looked down at Jane again to ensure she wasn't looking at me. I pulled it out quickly and pushed it into my pocket. I grabbed my iPad and dropped it onto my seat. I leaned over and tapped Jane on the shoulder. She looked at me with a questioning smile.
"Just going to the restroom." I mouthed at her and she nodded. I stood up straight and headed to the restroom. I locked the door and took the note out of my pocket quickly.
The note started with, "To My Arrogant Boss," and my heart almost jumped out of my chest. As I read the note, I started grinning. So it was Jane. She was my secret not admirer. I read the note three times and then sat down on top of the toilet seat. I had a feeling that Jane hadn't intended to out herself on purpose. This didn't read like the letter of someone who intended to come clean. I thought about that morning in the gym. How I'd seen Jane near my bag. How she'd looked flustered. How she’d had her handbag next to her, even though we were going to the treadmills. How she'd begged me to help her deadlift and then when we'd arrived at the weights she'd changed her mind, said she'd needed the restroom and fled. Had she somehow given me the wrong note because she was panicked? And how did I find out the answer to the burning question in my mind without asking her outright? My heart raced as I realized how happy I was now that I knew officially that she was my note-writer. It had been a long time since I'd felt this way. I opened the door, pushed the note into my pocket and made my way back to my seat.
"I thought you fell in." She turned to me with a smile as I settled back into my seat and as her hair brushed past her face, I felt a wave of desire run through me that wasn't sexual in nature. This woman was bewitching me. With her honest brown eyes, her determined brow, the way she walked, the way she talked, everything had me captivated. I'd never noticed the small things in women before. I’d really never cared enough to want to know or see more. It felt weird to be noticing the small things now.
"I did, but I can swim." I smiled back at her, but as I gazed into her shining irises, I wasn't sure if I was ready to face the new waters I was swimming in. There was a very real possibility that I could drown and never make it back out again.
"Good Afternoon, Mr. Howard, welcome to Belmond Charleston Place, are you checking in today?" A tall thin man greeted me and I nodded. I could see Jane observing us, probably wondering if I knew the man. I had no idea who the man was, but everyone in Charleston knew my family and me. We had a bridge named after us, for heavens sake.
"Yes, I should have two rooms reserved, please." I reached into my wallet to pull out my black Amex card. "Both under Tate Howard."
"Yes, yes, I see the first room." He smiled, but then his expression changed and he frowned. "You said two rooms?"
"Yes, two rooms." I tapped my card against the countertop. "Is there a problem?"
"No problem, sir." He looked to the right and called over the other lady that was working at the front desk. "Just one moment, Sir."
"Sure." I turned towards Jane and smiled. "So what do you think?"
"It's amazing." She looked around the lobby in awe. "It's so opulent in here." She looked up towards the crystal chandelier. "I feel like I'm in the foyer of some fancy castle in France or something."