Page 13 of Single Dad's Second Chance

“Don’t you think the weather is just terrible with this heat?”

You’re crazy.It’d been in the low eighties and manageably warm.

“Uh-huh.”

Wouldn’t Mia say something if she thought she was more than an employee?

I fell back into my thoughts, debating whether she would. Dunn Enterprises had hefty ethics rules. There was a solid expectation about no fraternization for a reason—me. Jason’s mother had been a coworker, and when she became pregnant with Jason then ultimately ran off and abandoned us, it seemed like a wake-up call for better policies at the office.

Maybe she won’t say a word or act on anything because of those policies.Those ethics rules were there for a reason, but I didn’t want them to apply to me and Mia. I didn’t want anything as an obstacle.

“Are you tired?” Ann asked, cringing a bit. “You seem distracted.”

“It’s been a long day.”

“We can take this somewhere cozier if you’d like.”

I would not like. I would like to go get my son and meet Mia at the arcade.

“I am distracted,” I admitted instead. “Just a lot going on.”

She nodded, then launched into all that was going on in her life, her woes of not finding the right house staff for her next home and her concerns about the “nasty” homeless in the city.

Zoning out, but attempting to look involved in the conversation, I wondered why I was so hung up on Mia in the first place. I had been for years. Since the day I met her, I’d been aware of her and how close she was. I was drawn to her.

“You got a little…” Ann leaned over the table to dab at my lips.

On instinct, I reared back out of her reach. She didn’t get to be familiar with me like that. And I doubted anything was on my face. She just wanted a reason to touch me.

I could slip up and hold Mia’s hand for a moment too long, but I would recoil at this woman trying to clear an imaginary smear off my lips.

What a difference. Ann was nothing like Mia. Not funny, not challenging, nor even mildly entertaining. She couldn’t compare to Mia, and I wondered if I would go through the rest of my life comparing every single woman to the secretary I couldn’t have.

Even that dancer at that seedy club, Danger. The mysterious dancer behind the mask. She’d captured my attention immediately, but I bet if I could meet her, she would pale in comparison to the one and only Mia Ferris.

God, I’ve got it so bad.I had to give it up. Mia would simply have to be the one woman who’d get away. If she wasn’t interested, it’d be a one-way attraction. And the ethics policies would always be a hurdle between us, anyway. I had no right wanting her, but it felt so wrong to agree with my dad that she wasjust an employee.

“Don’t you think that’s so weird?” Ann asked.

Dammit.I did it again. I wasn’t listening and she’d asked me something.

Fortunately, my phone rang at that precise moment.

Thank God.

“Excuse me.” I scooted my chair back, moving to stand as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “I just need to get this.” I hadn’t looked at the screen to know who it was, but whoever was calling, I’d talk to them.

“Oh, no need to get up.” Ann put her hand on mine, and I felt awkward to rush away. Nor did I want her intruding on my privacy and listening to my call.

Seeing that it was Mia, though, I didn’t want to wait. If I argued with Ann protesting my leaving the table, I could miss the call.

“Okay.” I answered the call and looked at my plate. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Hey, you.” She sighed. “I know you’re out on your date and all, but?—”

“No. It’s not a date.” I furrowed my brow.

“Okay. Well. Maybe whatever it is can be cut short. Laura had a PT appointment for her shoulder. It was rescheduled for this evening so she could get the PT person she likes the most. Since this not-a-date that you’re doing popped up unexpectedly, it seems like you and Laura didn’t have times lined up.”

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