got to the office, she had cooled down. The first phone call she’d make would be to Zach, informing him that unless his cheap labor followed her wishes, they were history. Even though she was living in the company house, she was still a tenant with rights.
Pushing open the large glass doors, Sabrina’s dour face greeted her. She better not start any shit with me.
Ashley threw her a warm smile. “Morning.”
She looked at her suspiciously. “Why are you in such a good mood?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s a perfect spring day. The marketing campaign for the company starts today, I nailed a difficult client through Zoom conferences, and I landed another big contract in Aspen.” Oh, and I spent the weekend screwing your boss. At that thought, she grinned.
The corner of Sabrina’s lips tugged up into a small smile. “So now that the marketing has started, you’ll be going back to Denver.” It was a statement, not a question.
Keeping her annoyance at bay, she flashed her a saccharine smile. “I don’t know. I’m really getting to like your quaint and picturesque town. I’m thinking of staying. With Zoom, the internet, and faxes, I don’t need to be in Denver.”
Sabrina gave her one of the best death stares Ashley had seen in a while. “I know you hooked up with Smokey,” she said in a voice that could cut glass.
“I don’t engage in office gossip.”
“It’s not gossip—I know. I told you not to. I explained, nice-like, that we had something.”
Ashley laughed dryly. “I don’t think you’ve ever been nice to me since I got here. Don’t get into my business. I don’t like it, and I don’t play fair.” With a toss of her hair, Ashley walked away, heading straight to Smokey’s office.
“He’s not coming in today,” Pearl relayed when she saw her.
Ashley looked over her shoulder at the older woman. “Is he at a site?”
“No.”
A thread of worry weaved its way through her. I wonder if something happened to him last night? I hope he’s okay. Why doesn’t he call me?
“The campaign started today, so I was checking in with him. Thanks, Pearl.” Ashley ambled down the hall, acting as if nothing was amiss, even though her nerves were shot.
For the rest of the morning, she buried herself in work to keep from playing possible scenarios of why Smokey didn’t come in. The scenarios ranged from him at Death’s door, to him regretting their weekend together. When they kept replaying in her mind, to the point of obsession, Ashley turned to her trusty friend—work, and it didn’t fail her. By early afternoon, she hadn’t thought about anything but charts, projected earnings, and marketing strategies for a number of accounts she was juggling.
A knock on the door startled her. She looked away from the spreadsheet on her monitor to find Brady standing in the doorway. Fear gripped her. Something’s happened to Smokey. Why else would Brady be at her office? Her stomach lurched as she waved him in.
She tried to sound calm. “What’s up?”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by.” He took a quick look around. “You’ve got a nice office, and a killer view.”
Realizing he was there to see her, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“I lucked out.”
Nodding, he pressed his hands together, tenting his fingers, prayerlike. “Ashley,” he said in a low voice. He looked past her shoulder to the scenery outside the window, then back to her. “I want to apologize for the way I acted on Saturday night. I was out of line. I guess I was shocked to see you with him.”
It was as if Smokey’s name was too abhorrent for him to say.
Ashley leaned back in her chair. “I guess we should’ve waited until we were away from the shelter. It wasn’t anything I planned.” Images of Smokey pulling her into his arms as she threw out the trash flashed through her mind. “I was finished with my shift and heading out.”
“Did he accost you? Because I wouldn’t be surprised. Those bikers think every woman is theirs for the taking.” Disgust tinged his tone.
“No,” she said softly, “he didn’t.”
Confusion spread across his face. “Then you wanted to kiss him?”
“Yes. We’re attracted to each other. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again when I’m at the shelter. It was spontaneous, but still, that’s no excuse.”
His smooth features shifted. Knitting his brows, his nostrils flared as he glowered at her. “Each time I’ve asked you out, you’ve turned me down, but you choose him—an