Page 12 of More Than A Boss

After Zane’s earlier response, she was afraid to get anywhere near his personal life. She was curious to know what his ex-wife was like, but she held her tongue. If he wanted to share that with her, he would, and it would be on his timetable and terms, not hers. She could wait for it.

After dinner, they played one game of Scrabble then decided it was time for bed. They had both been yawning for the last half hour and knew they had work to do the following day. Allie rinsed out their wine glasses and placed them in the drainer. Zane had loaded the dishwasher earlier and it was on the dry cycle now.

“Zane, I don’t know how to thank you for such a lovely evening. It really was perfect.” She smiled at him shyly.

“I’m the lucky one! I got to spend the evening with a beautiful, smart, interesting, and funny woman, who also happens to be a fantastic dancer and the bonus is that she thinks I’m funny,” he said lightly and winked. “Goodnight, Allie. Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight, Zane,” she replied.

Allie would have been lying to herself if she didn’t admit to feelings of disappointment that Zane had not kissed her goodnight. It was slightly confusing. It seemed like a natural progression of the evening. However, she knew it was for the best because things had been moving a little too fast, and he was her boss, after all.

Now, standing in her cream silk PJs in the humongous bathroom, Allie studied her face in the mirror, looking for outer signs reflecting her inner conflict. Nope, she thought, other than the dark smudges under her eyes from fatigue, she looked basically the same as she did yesterday. Hard to believe. She felt like she had just lived about three months in one day. Washing her face and brushing her teeth felt normalizing. The nightly routine quieted her inner turmoil.

She jumped onto the massive bed, snuggling under the comforter and feeling swallowed up and very small. She reached over and switched off the lamp, too tired to even attempt to read. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

—

Allie woke up to the unmistakable aroma of bacon frying. Slipping out of bed, she reached for her robe and padded down the hall to investigate. “Mmm, something smells good. I hope you are planning to share, considering that you have standing orders from our server,” she said.

“I think a pound of bacon will feed the two of us, what do you think?” Zane smiled as he used a fork to turn the bacon. “Did you sleep well?”

“I don’t think I even moved from the position I fell asleep in. In other words, I slept like a log! Anything I can do to help with breakfast?” she asked.

“No, I have it under control. Should be about another ten minutes and it will be chow time. How do you like your eggs?”

“Sunny-side up. OK then, I’ll go get dressed,” she said.

“Don’t do it on my account. You could wait until after breakfast. Why don’t you just pull up a stool and keep me company. I thought we would just eat here at the kitchen island.” He loved seeing Allie all sleep tousled in her fluffy robe that looked two sizes too big. Her hair was loose from its usual hairband and completely disheveled. Even without any makeup, she was a knockout. His vow to keep things on a more professional level the rest of the weekend was going to prove difficult, but he felt he had to try. Seeing her like this was challenging his earlier pledge to himself in a big way.

“Perfect,” she replied, and plunked down to watch him finish preparing their breakfast.

He set the plate in front of her piled high with bacon, two pieces of toast, and two eggs. “You really didn’t have to take our waitress’s advice literally, but I’m not complaining either.” She used her toast to sop up the runny egg yolk. “Mmm, this is delicious!” she said, as she took a big mouthful. Giggling, she quickly wiped the egg dripping down her chin before it ended up on her chest. She leaned further over her plate, attempting to avoid making a mess. Zane handed her another napkin and sat next to her to eat his full plate of food. In no time, Allie was polishing off the last bite.

“There is more bacon,” Zane tempted her.

“You’re kidding, right? I am stuffed but thank you!” She rose to rinse off her plate and opened the dishwasher. Seeing that Zane had already unloaded the previous day’s dishes, she stuck her plate on the rack, impressed with this domestic side of him.

“Can we talk for a minute before you shower and dress?” Zane asked.

“Sure, what’s up?” She thought she had an idea but was curious to see what he had to say. This morning, although Zane had been pleasant and warm, he had most definitely dialed down the sexual energy of last night. She had kind of expected it and agreed that it was the wiser course for them to take. They could still be friends, she thought, but they needed to keep their work relationship at the forefront.

“Allie, about last night, I feel like I owe you an apology. I am just so incredibly attracted to you. I don’t think I have ever desired anyone as much as I do you. It feels like a force beyond my control, and yet I know I must try to manage these feelings. We have both recently been burnt badly in our divorces, and I’m not sure that my baggage has been entirely dealt with. You are too special to have anything but 100 percent.”

Holding up her hand, Allie said, “Zane, wait, you don’t have to say more. I agree with you. That we have a strong attraction to one another is obvious, but the timing is all wrong. Let’s just move forward from here as friends. It will make working together much simpler. I don’t want you to take this all on yourself. I was all-in last night every bit as much as you were.” She reached for his hand and held it lightly. “Friends?” she asked softly.

“Friends, dammit!” he replied gruffly.

“Alrighty then. Shower, dress, then ready for work, Sir!” She grinned.

He smiled lopsidedly at her and shook his head. “This is going to be interesting, is all I can say.”

“I’ve always been up for a good challenge,” she shrugged as she replied. To herself she thought, the odds are not in our favor.

—

Five hours later, after bouncing off different ideas and strategies, they had made some progress and decided to call it quits for the day. Allie had pages of notes to show for their efforts. They had some differing opinions for the best plan of action but agreed that the case looked good for their client.

Zane was determined to take the boat out one last time for the season. The weather was cooperating, with bright sunny skies and temperatures hovering around 70 degrees. Tomorrow, he would trailer the boat to his storage unit for safe keeping over the winter. He recommended she dress warmly, because the air over the water would be cooler.

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