Page 7 of The Swap After Hours

I tilted my head at him, surprised by the softness in his eyes. “I just want you to know, I’m happy for you. This new job sounds like a great opportunity. And who knows? Maybe it’ll lead you to a whole new world. One you never imagined for yourself. I don’t know anyone who deserves that more.”

I smiled warmly. “Thank you. I’m nervous, but I’m going to give it my best.”

“You always do.” He gave me one last squeeze then went to open the door for his guests.

I busied myself with cleaning up the kitchen but couldn’t resist peeking as Doug ushered the identical twins past, showing off matching dimples when they grinned at me. The eagerness on their faces reminded me of excited puppies and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing as I pictured them each with a tail wagging behind them.

I turned back to my cleaning as he showed them to his room, but then he popped his head back out. “Oh, hey! I almost forgot. I’ve got a job lined up for a few weekends from now. It’s supposed to be a big party. Lots of guests, very fancy. I really need this to go well, so I could use some extra help. Would you mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind, as long as Mr. Marshall doesn’t need me for anything. You know I’ll help any way I can.”

“They told me they are hoping to find a caterer who will handle all their parties, so if this goes well, it may become a regular gig.”

“That would be great, and I know you’ll do amazing. Count me in.”

He grinned. “Thanks. Maybe things are finally turning around for both of us.”

I smiled back at him. “I guess this was our lucky day.”

Doug waggled his eyebrows at me. “And mine’s about to get even luckier. Night!”

I shook my head, laughing as he shut the door. I finished cleaning then made my way around the apartment, locking the door and turning off the lights.

I could hear muffled voices and a few laughs behind Doug’s bedroom door and then one very long, very obvious moan. As more started, I hurried to my room where I climbed into bed and shoved my Airpods in my ears.

I’d learned long ago that if I wanted to get any sleep, I needed to drown out the noise before they could get too carried away and tonight didn’t seem like it would be any different.

With my playlist playing in my ears, I drifted off to sleep where I dreamed of a fancy party where there were twin puppies running around and a dark, brooding man in a tuxedo.

CHAPTER 3

TREVOR

I woke up before my alarm went off, having tossed and turned most of the night. There were too many thoughts racing around inside my head for me to get any real sleep. Excitement and nerves battled for position even in my dreams until I’d finally given up any hope of having a restful sleep.

I’d been busy the previous week training my replacement who shadowed me out in the field. As glad as I was to be done with that job, I’d hated the idea of leaving the company in a lurch, so it was a relief that they’d found someone so quickly. He’d been a nice guy and was fairly knowledgeable about computer systems, which made me feel a lot better about having him take over for me.

I jumped out of bed, anxious to get started on my first day with Marshall Industries. I showered and shaved then got dressed in my new navy blue suit. Even on clearance, the price had been enough to give me heart palpitations, but I’d somehow scraped together enough money to purchase a couple of different ones, which would have to do until I got my first paycheck and could buy more.

I had to admit, I looked and felt more professional wearing it, and the pale blue button up shirt I wore underneath brought out the color of my eyes. I made sure my tie was on straight then I quietly made my way to the kitchen, trying not to wake Doug.

I reached inside the fridge and pulled out a can of soda. My lack of sleep meant I would need the caffeine to make it through the day and since I couldn’t stand coffee, soda was my best bet. I took a drink then peered around the fridge when I heard the shuffling of feet.

“Sorry if I woke you. I was trying to be quiet.”

Doug ran a hand over the back of his head, his hair was mussed from sleep and his left cheek still bore a crease from his pillow. His pajama pants hung low on his waist and as usual, he wasn’t wearing a shirt. “S’okay. I wanted to see you before you left anyway. Wish you luck and all that.”

Warmth settled in my chest with his words. Growing up, I’d never really had much family, no one to watch over me or even care what I was up to. Except for Doug and his family.

He came from a loud, loving, tight-knit family who gave affection freely and were supportive and protective of one another. With three older brothers, two older sisters, and Doug as the baby, his parents already had their hands full, but they treated me like one of their own. Always ready with a kind word, a spot at their dinner table, and a place to stay when things got too bad at my own house.

“Thanks. I’m nervous. What if I fuck up?”

“You’re going to do great. Besides, the guy knew you had never done this before and he still hired you. The way I see it, if you mess up, that’s on him.”

“Not sure he’ll see it that way. He seemed pretty uptight.”

“Oh, well if that’s the case then maybe I should bring lunch. I know plenty of ways to loosen him up.” Doug waggled his eyebrows at me, making me laugh. The knot of tension in my belly loosened as I gave him a playful shove.

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