Page 11 of Sweet Twins For My Brother's Best Friend

She smiles widely at me and sips from her drink again before going back to typing.

I take the warm, freshly-printed papers and flip through them for a moment to make sure it’s everythingng I asked for.

“It’s all there,” she assures me, looking up at me and then handing me a thumb drive.

“I made you a digital copy of everythingng, too, in case your CPA would prefer it.

She folds her hands under her chin. She has long fingers that taper off into long square nails with rhinestones on the end. She sometimes scratches her head with them, and I can’t help but think about how satisfying it looks. She catches me looking and holds out a hand.

“Do you like them?”

A little taken aback by her foray into personal matters, I smile encouragingly and peer at them closer.

“I do.”

“Well, that’s great to hear, because I got them done while with a potential investor, so they were billed to the company credit card.”

I sigh deeply. “One day, we’re going to have a real conversation, Sarah,” I tease and leave the small area, holding the papers rolled up in my hand.

I look through them as I approach the front desk and call out, “Up ahead! A treasure!”

Dropping the papers, I say, “It’s you guys. You’re all the treasure.”

Collectively, they groan, and I shrug. “Whatever. I tried.”

A guest enters through the front door as I stand at the desk, and a blonde bombshell in a pair of leggings and a sports bra enters, and I welcome her in.

A spark of recognition lights up her eyes as she approaches the scanner and scans her barcode for entry. Her face fills the screen in front of me, along with her personal information.

“Have a good workout, Charlie,” I tell her enthusiastically.

She offers me a friendly smile and sidles up to my side of the counter, so that she’s closest to me, leaving the other two staff members looking our way with small little grins – they know what’s coming,

Charlie waves me over with a subtle hand flourish. My eyebrows head for my hairline as I approach her in response to her conspiratorial motion. “Is this like an Undercover Bosses thing?” she asks me.

I whisper back, “What do you mean?”

“Aren’t you Christopher Stephens? The owner?”

I return her smile. “That’s right. But don’t tell anyone.”

I straighten up as another guest enters through the front door and I say a good morning to him as well. I glance over at Charlie and wink, placing my index finger over my lips.

Two hours later, on her way out, Charlie drops a scrap of paper on the desk and tells me to call her so she can take me out for drinks.

“I don’t know if I should, Charlie. HR might not appreciate that,” I respond honestly, fingering the corners of the paper.

“Well, it’s not like you’re my teacher or anything. And I’m not an employee. So I think we’re good.”

She’s slightly sweaty, her blonde baby hairs sticking to her face, and I admire her confidence. For a woman to know she’s gorgeous even after a workout is something you don’t see every day.

“I know, but still.” I shrug, leaving it there, letting the lame answer hang in the air.

I expect her to walk off in a huff, but instead she whispers, “I can keep more than one secret at a time.”

Her tongue peeks out between her teeth a little, and her eyes flit down to my mouth. She’s bold.

I give up and respond as though I will definitely call her, shoving the paper in my pocket, but knowing deep down that taking her out would go nowhere.

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