Page 4 of Hidden Hearts

Perfect timing.

After thanking the woman for shopping with us, I try walking back to the embroidery machines, but of course, Dominic is sitting with his chair distanced from the conference table, taking up as much space as possible.

Manspreading at its finest.

Geez, we get it—you’re a very important man. My eyes roll heavenward, but my annoyance doesn’t eclipse the awkwardness bubbling in my gut. I’m not a tiny girl and times like these remind me of that fact.

No one’s paying attention to you. There’s no need to feel awkward.

But my belly still clenches with nerves. I hate being a nuisance, especially in front of a guy like Dominic who doesn’t seem to hesitate about voicing his displeasure.

Releasing a breath of nerves, I stop stalling and continue forward in an attempt to squeeze behind his seat—something these hips and ass were never meant to do.

"Excuse me."

Dominic looks back with a why are you bothering me? expression but moves forward as Mike shoots me a sympathizing frown.

My butt drags across the back of Dominic’s chair but at least I’m through the tight space. Relief pours through me as I scurry back to the embroidery machine, praying another retail customer doesn’t come in while Dominic and Mike are meeting.

Today cannot end soon enough.

A message that’s hammered home thirty minutes later when the bell goes off again and I run into Mike while hurrying to supervise the front.

"He tracked dirt in.” Disgust fills his statement. If there’s one thing Mike hates, it’s people who walk in without first wiping their shoes off on the little rug by the door. His anal attentiveness serves him well when assessing the quality of our products, but it becomes a bit much at times.

Like now.

Preserving these carpets is one of his top priorities because I’m pretty sure they’re original to the store, meaning they’re like forty years old. “You’ll need to vacuum this whole area.” He gestures to the conference room and the path leading to the front door.

Biting my lip to hold back a retort, I nod and pull out the vacuum—another mental check appearing on the “Reasons I Want to Leave” list.

Reason #81: Adhering to my boss’s nitpicky commands.

It doesn’t surprise me that Dominic didn’t have the common courtesy to clean his shoes before traipsing through the store, though how he even got his shoes dirty is beyond me. Dressed in a suit and loafers, he’s not exactly prepared for a hike through the surrounding forests.

Then I see the tracks of dirt Mike referenced, and it all makes sense. A couple of crunchy brown leaves—that could’ve blown inside the store just by opening the door—form a sparse trail to the entrance.

“Good grief…” Plugging the vacuum into a power socket, I slide it across the carpet quickly before winding the cord back up five minutes later.

That’s when someone decides to enter the store.

Thank goodness I’m done already because it’s impossible trying to listen for the front doorbell while vacuuming. In the past, Mike has scolded me for missing a customer who had entered while I vacuumed, and I don’t want a repeat lecture. It’s demeaning as hell, and virtually pointless in the grand scheme of things.

This is Suitor’s Crossing.

It’s highly improbable someone will steal something in the short time it would take me to notice a customer, but in Mike’s mind, the town is crawling with would-be thieves waiting for their shot to snag a free item while I vacuum.

Silly, stupid, unreasonable…

Bent over, I can’t see the customer yet as I twine the gray cord into a figure eight, but then a deep voice asks, “A bit early to be cleaning up, isn’t it?”

Shaking my head at how unlucky I am today, I restrain the snarky response on the tip of my tongue.

Seriously? Why is he back already?

I glance up to catch Dominic’s gaze trained on my chest, which has me straightening to my full five feet and four inches with an unmissable blush tinging my cheeks. My blouse is work-appropriate, except for the vee that gapes open anytime I lean forward, so I’m betting he got an eyeful of my plum 40DD bra.

His eyes slowly lift along with the corners of his mouth, my embarrassed stare stopping the thorough examination.

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