Page 1 of Bringing Home the Biker

Chapter One

Star

Sending statements wasn’t exactly thrilling, but it kept the office running smoothly. As the receptionist and Axel’s secretary, I knew how vital these little details were to Armstrong Construction. Axel always said I was the backbone of the business, which I found hard to believe. Still, I took pride in making sure everything stayed on track.

I was midway through addressing an envelope when the phone rang. I sighed and grabbed the receiver. “Armstrong Construction, this is Star.”

“Star, it’s your mother.”

I froze. That unmistakable voice sent a jolt through me. Carmen could pack an entire lecture into just saying my name.

“Mom?” I glanced at the clock. “Is everything okay? I’m working.”

“Yes, I figured you were working since I called your work, Star.”

I rolled my eyes. Classic Carmen. “This couldn’t wait until I got off?”

“No, it can’t. I’m trying to figure out Christmas Eve supper, Christmas Day breakfast, Christmas Day dinner, and anything else.”

“That’s a lot of figuring.” I couldn’t help but laugh. Christmas was Carmen’s Olympics, and she was always the gold medalist.

“Is your man coming with you?”

“My man?” I chuckled nervously.

“Boyfriend, I guess,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “But I feel silly saying that for my thirty-three-year-old daughter. At the very least, you should have a fiancé. And I would also like to know his name.”

Oh no.

“Um, well, I’m not sure if he’s coming home with me.”

She scoffed. “You’ve been with this man for over a year, Star. Last Christmas, I let it slide that he didn’t come home with you because you’d only been dating for a month, but now I fully expect him to be at my door December 24th with you on his arm.”

“He has his own family, Mom.” I mean, maybe he did? I first needed to find a boyfriend, and then I could figure out why he didn’t want to come to Thanksgiving.

“That’s the same excuse you gave me for Thanksgiving! You went to his house then, so now you two are coming here.”

I chewed my bottom lip. “I’ll need to talk to him.”

“Find out what kind of pie he likes,” she ordered. “And I’d also like to know his name before you get here. I feel ridiculous telling people you have a man, but I don’t know his name.”

Axel strolled into the office with a stack of mail in his hands.

“Uh, I’ll see what I can do. I’ll call you back.” I slammed the phone down as my heart raced.

Axel dropped the mail onto my desk. “Everything okay?”

I plastered on a smile. “Yep, just work things.”

He quirked an eyebrow but didn’t press. No way was I admitting I’d been discussing my imaginary boyfriend on company time. Instead, I reached for the Post-it note with a message I’d written earlier.

“Clark Gaines wants to know when you’ll check on the pool construction progress,” I said, handing him the note. “He likes it when you pop in every couple of days.”

Axel grunted, crumpled the note, and tossed it in the trash. “I talked to him on Monday. It’s only Wednesday.”

I shrugged. “He likes to micromanage, I guess.”

“Like I hadn’t noticed.” He shook his head. “Let him know I’ll swing by tomorrow morning. I’m also going to have to breakit to him that there won’t be any work done on the pool for two weeks. Holiday break for everyone.”

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