Sandy - Melanie Moreland Page 0,20

mine. The tender possession that had deepened and blossomed into something more. It left me wanting.

And in many ways, it scared me.

Reid walked into the boardroom, his laptop tucked under his arm, a cup of coffee in his hand. He stopped beside me, dropping a kiss to my cheek.

“Hey, Sandy. How was your weekend?”

I patted his cheek. “Good. Yours?”

“Great. Becca and I went shopping for some furniture.” He shook his head. “I’ve never been able to shop for my own stuff before. There’re so many choices and decisions. Good thing I have her.”

I smiled. “Yes, it is.”

Other staff members filed in, and I took my usual place to the side of Bentley. I opened my pad and got ready, knowing once he strode in, the meeting would start. It was as if everyone waited for him, feeding on his energy and leadership to begin the week.

Aiden and Maddox sat down, both smiling and greeting me. My breath caught as Van walked in, followed by Jordan. I relaxed as they both said hello. Jordan smiled, nodded, and sat in his usual place. There was nothing out of the ordinary with his demeanor, nothing overly familiar, yet I felt his glance from across the table. Saw his smile widen a little as I returned his salutation. I averted my eyes as the feeling I was about to blush rushed over me.

Heaven’s sake, I hadn’t blushed since I was fifteen. What was this man doing to me?

Bentley walked in, set his leather-bound journal on the boardroom table, and clapped his hands.

“Morning everyone. We have a busy week ahead of us, so let’s get to it.”

I was grateful for his briskness this morning. I needed to occupy my hands—and my mind.

Blushing.

What next?

Swooning?

Heaven forbid.

I stayed in my seat, furiously writing the last few moments of the meeting as people filed out. Bentley had been on fire this morning, discussing new projects, the hiring of additional staff, the transition of some people to the new building, as well as a hundred and one other items on his list.

Busy, indeed.

I jotted down some questions I needed to ask, then snapped shut my notepad.

I glanced up, surprised to see all the boys still in their seats. They were all relaxed, sipping coffee, Aiden eating what I was certain was his fourth Danish of the day. I met their glances, confused.

“Boys—what’s up?”

“Just checking in, Sandy,” Maddox drawled, a smile on his lips.

“Checking in?”

“You look good today,” Bentley stated softly. “Lovely as usual, but better.”

“I had a nice weekend.”

Aiden lifted one eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Very productive. Cleaned out some drawers, went shopping, that sort of thing.”

Reid leaned forward. “Anything particularly interesting filed under ‘that sort of thing’?”

I rolled my eyes. They were fishing. They knew I had lunch with Jordan last week, and like curious children, they wanted to know what was going on. I stood, brushing off my skirt.

“I deleted that app, if that is what you’re wondering. You can all stop worrying.”

“We’ll never stop worrying about you, Sandy,” Bentley stated. “We love you too much.”

His words made me smile.

“I’m fine, boys. Carry on with your life.”

“Dee and I were out to dinner on Saturday,” Maddox said.

I glanced at him, waiting for him to continue.

“Imagine my surprise”—he smirked—“when I saw you across the restaurant, having dinner. With Jordan.”

“Imagine,” I replied, trying not to laugh. I was incorrect. They were worse than curious children. Four sets of eyes stared at me, all waiting for me to speak.

“The restaurant was lovely. I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as we did,” I responded, keeping my voice neutral.

“You looked quite cozy,” Maddox added.

“Tell me, how many phone calls happened between the four of you on Sunday? I’m quite shocked none of you was at my door demanding answers yesterday.”

They all spoke up at once.

“Emmy wouldn’t let me.”

“Cami said to leave you alone.”

“Dee refused to let me come say hello on Saturday. She told me to give you some privacy.”

“Becca told me to butt out.”

I picked up my notepad. “Good thing your partners have some sense. Yes, Jordan and I went out for dinner. We had a nice evening. We spoke yesterday on the phone, and we do plan on seeing each other again. Now, I will try to refrain from dragging him into the supply cupboard and having my wicked way with him, and I promise not to make kissy faces at him during meetings, but heaven only knows. He is rather sexy. Now, I believe we’re done here.”

I swept out of the boardroom,