Page 35 of Finding Out

I pressed two fingers beneath her chin, forcing her to look at me. When her dark eyes met mine, the air around us electrified. Reminding us both that this thing between us couldn’t be ignored.

“I’d love to do it together. As a team.”

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” A hint of a smile teased at her lips.

I ran a thumb along her jaw, eliciting a shiver. In that moment, I was sure of two things: Wren was fighting her feelings for me as hard as I used to fight my feelings for her. And that with some persistence, I was sure I’d get to call her mine.

Me: Since we left ISG yesterday, I’ve been thinking. If you want your gallery in a house type of setting, we should start looking at Beacon Street or Gloucester Street. Those types of places sell quickly.

Daddy Wilson: Good morning to you too, baby girl.

Me: It’s almost seven. You can’t claim I woke you.

Daddy Wilson: You did not.

Daddy Wilson: But I do agree.

Me: I’ll look into the zoning of the area. But there’s a possibility we can purchase something in a more commercial location and build a space with a home-type vibe. I’ll put out some feelers that way too.

Daddy Wilson: Look at you hitting the groundrunning.

Me: After walking through ISG and talking about your vision, I’m excited.

Daddy Wilson: Me too.

Me: Did you send me lunch?

Daddy Wilson: You skipped it two days in a row. You need to eat.

Me: When did I tell you O’Hannigan’s Green Goddess was my favorite?

Daddy Wilson: You don’t need to tell me. I just know things.

Me: That sounds awfully creepy, Daddy Wilson.

At the soundof a tap on my door, I remained focused on the whiteboard in my office. My guys were supposed to be doing their offseason workouts, not bugging the fuck out of me. In the last few days, every one of them had swung by. They’d caught wind that I was headed to UPenn and clearly wanted to put in their two cents. The majority of the team believed Quinn was getting his shit together, but I had my doubts. Still, we weren’t looking at the Quakers’ first baseman, not that I was admitting that to my guys. But Miller, Langfield, and I were heading to the Keystone State to scout the kid whose slider was on fire.

“I said not to bother me,” I snapped as I spun to the door.

Wren tightened her grip on the folder she was holding, her eyes widening. “What a way to greet a girl.”

“Shit.” I dropped the marker onto the metal ledge and ran a hand over my face. “I didn’t realize you were here. I thought one of my guys was back to piss me off again.”

Shoulders relaxing, she chuckled. “With that growl, I’m surprised they dare to come anywhere near you.”

“Ha ha.” I tried not to smile, but her surprise appearance instantly lifted my mood. We were in limbo, where she acted as if we were working together while I acted like she was my favorite person.

Truthfully I wasn’t actually acting. Very quickly, Wren had become my favorite person. I wanted to wake up to texts from her and think about her as I drifted off every night, which was pretty much what had happened over the last three days.

“Come sit.” I tilted my head, gesturing toward my desk.

Practically skipping in her knee-high boots, she made her way over. Her legs alone were the reason I allowed her to sit in my desk chair. Between the black stiletto boots and the short skirt, I’d probably agree to anything she asked right now.

Beaming, she drummed on the folder she placed on the desk. “I think I found the perfect space.”

Brows raised, I rounded the desk and rested an arm on the chair, anxious to see what she’d brought.

“It’s an apartment building, and right now, it doesn’t look like much.” Lip caught between her teeth, she peered up at me, her onyx eyes sparkling. “But the zoning is right, and it’s downtown. The best part? It used to be a single residence, so the added walls shouldn’t be load-bearing, meaning it’ll be relatively simple to remove them.”

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