Page 3 of Kept By The Mountain Man

“So, still crushing on the boss while also fantasizing about strangling him?” she asks, and I laugh.

“Pretty much.”

“Just make a move already! Especially if you’re quitting and leaving town soon.”

“Well… actually,” I start, and I hear Olive gasp on the other end of the phone.

“What happened? Did you kiss him? Did he kiss you? Are you two in love?” she asks me rapid fire.

“No, not any of that. I just might have accidentally told some people in town that we were dating.”

“How does one accidentally do that?”

“Well, when the girls are mean, judgmental jerks, who keep pointing out how single you are…”

“Got it. Well, why not date him for real?”

“Date Hendrix? Well, even if I could somehow convince my boss to go out with me, that has disaster written all over it. What happens if things don’t go well? Then what do I do?”

“They’ll go well!” She insists.

I love her optimism, but I’m a little more realistic… or maybe that’s pessimistic.

“We’ll see,” I hedge.

“You should go for it,” she encourages me.

I change the subject, and we talk about what she’s been up to a little bit before we end the call.

As I lay down on the couch, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if Hendrix and I were dating for real.

Does Olive have a point?I am leaving soon. Maybe I should finally go for it with a guy.

Maybe.

TWO

Hendrix

She’s wearingthat damn skirt again.

I would swear that she’s trying to drive me insane, but my assistant never seems to notice me or the effect that she has on me. Hell, it’s been nine months of her working for me, and she still has no idea that I’m in love with her.

As soon as I looked up at her in that café, I knew that she was meant to be mine. She was wearing a pair of tight black pants and a frilly purple top that made her blue eyes sparkle. It was her eyes that got to me. They’re so blue, a light, clear blue. They remind me of the ocean, and it somehow puts me at ease. Her dark brown hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail, the end swishing just below her shoulders.

I had offered her the job, hoping to spend more time with her and show her that I was the man for her, but that’s not what ended up happening.

I knew that Evie was the one for me the moment that I laid eyes on her, but it seems the feeling wasn’t mutual. She’s kept a wall between us ever since she started working for me.

I get it. I’m a grumpy, reclusive asshole who prefers computers over people. Evie loves people. She’s so sweet and friendly. She can talk to anyone and put them at ease. She’s my opposite. That makes her a great assistant, but it also means that she would probably never be interested in someone like me.

That’s why I haven’t made a move on Evie. It feels like a sure thing that I would get shot down, and then things would be awkward. She might even quit, and I can’t have that. I need Evie in my life, any way that I can get her.

I’ve never been great with people. I never really had to be. I was the quiet loner in high school, and I joined the Marines right after I graduated. There, I was surrounded by all kinds of people, but most of us in my platoon were grumpy guys who preferred to hang out by ourselves.

I got out after I was shot. I had put in just over eight years by then and had to scramble to try to come up with a new plan and career. Luckily for me, all of those years hanging out by myself allowed me a lot of time to explore different interests, and I ended up getting really good with computers. When I was medically discharged, I decided to find a small town and start my own IT company.

That was eighteen months ago, and I’ve already got a whole roster of clients. It’s been great so far. I take on the clients that I like and get to spend most of my time by myself on my computer as I fix issues.

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