Page 16 of The Woman

“Yes.”

“‘Kay’.”

A moment later, there are two knocks on the door before Thomas opens it and enters. I’ve spoken to him several times throughout the day but haven’t seen him until now. Just as suspected, my grandfather was right in his assessment. The only thing appropriate about him today is that his hair is combed back neatly.

He doesn’t notice Avery at first as he moves further into the room, but his steps falter the second he does, and his eyes swing back for a double-take. Then he just stands there gawking at her like he’s never seen a woman before. And maybe he hasn’t.

“Thomas.”

“Hmm?” he hums distractedly without turning away from her. Avery looks back at him with no expression on her face.

“Thomas,” I snap, louder this time.

He startles and rushes over to my desk, looking back at her a couple more times before placing the food on my desk. “I didn’t realize you had one already,” he says, rubbing a hand down the front of his wrinkly shirt over and over like it’s an iron.

I grunt in response. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know.” He glances over his shoulder at her again, still rubbing at his shirt. “I just feel like I should be dressed better in her presence.”

“You should be dressed ‘better’ for this job,” I tell him.

He shrugs, still staring at Avery. “Not like I can afford it.”

“Thomas,” I say, my irritation growing when he doesn’t face me.

“Hmm.”

“Keep looking at her, and you’ll be fired.”

That finally gets his attention, and he whips his face toward me again. “Right. Sorry. Anything else I can do for you?”

“No.” He nods and turns around, this time keeping his eyes off Avery as he walks toward the door. “Wait.” I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet, sliding out one of my credit cards and tossing it onto the desk. “Go take your lunch and get yourself some office-appropriate clothes. Dress pants instead of jeans and some wrinkle-free dress shirts.”

Stepping closer to my desk again, he picks up the card, the side of his mouth tilting up. “You trust me with this?”

“I know where you live,” I say, leaning back.

His smile grows. “Not after this. I might use it to buy a new house for me and my dad that he can actually get around in or a car so I can leave this city.” At my unamused glare, he raises his hands. “Just kidding. Thanks, man. I’ll bring it back to you.”

He walks out the door, and as it so often does, my gaze gravitates to Avery. She seems to observe me for a moment before opening the pretty mouth that was just pressed to mine this morning.

“That was a kind thing you did, wasn’t it?” I don’t answer her and begin taking the food out of the bag. She’s quick to get up and rushes over, stopping my hand. “Let me make you a plate.”

“There are no plates. You eat straight from the container.”

Releasing my hand, she quietly says, “Oh.”

“This one is yours.” I hand her a container with a fork and then open my own, ready to dig in.

“Thank you.” Her soft voice reaches my ears before she turns around and walks back to the couch instead of sitting in the chair on the other side of my desk.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her she can sit over here when my desk phone beeps. “What?” I ask after picking up the receiver.

“I was just on my way out, but someone named Edison is here to see you.”

Avery’s eyes stay on me as she opens her container of food. “Send him in.”

The door flies open a moment later. “I know, I know. I didn’t ca–” His words are cut short once he sees Avery sitting and eating, but unlike Thomas, who stared at her with his mouth open like a fish out of water, Edison turns back to me with a single brow raised. “You were so adamant about her being in your way, yet you brought her to work?”

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