Page 16 of Saddles & Suits

Except that Chris and Lisa think he is.

And then a thought strikes that has all the night’s beer curdling in my stomach. Is that why Jack gave me Stark?

No.No, Sarah told me Jack’s always generous with employee birthday gifts. She flashed that diamond bracelet. A horse isn’t out of the ordinary. And Warwick was generous too—the Nespresso machine is just one example of that.

So I’m pretty sure Jack isn’t trying to bribe me or buy me or whatever. But maybe I’ll call Sarah in the morning, feel her out about those gifts. Just in case.

It’s not like I actually have to do anything, right? Things can keep on the way they are, even if I’ve admitted to myself that I have a thing for Jack. It won’t kill me to keep a lid on it. I can start going out a bit more, though, instead of sticking around and spending every weekend with Jack, even if the idea sends a pang of disappointment through me.

Maybe I’ll just wait and see. Jack’s arriving in two days. I can look at him with new, unblinkered eyes. Spend this weekend like usual, see if I gain new perspective now that I’m not kidding myself anymore. I can take my time, see if Jack really is into me, think about the implications of dating my boss. Make an informed decision.

And in the meantime, there are ways to relax before sleep that involve Jack but don’t require his presence.

ChapterTen

Seb

“Would you stop that?”Dave exclaims. “If you can’t sit still, then get out of here. You’re distracting me.”

I force myself to stop drumming on the tabletop and take a deep breath. Dave’s right, I’m even annoying myself, but if I leave the kitchen and have to keep myself occupied without any distractions, I might go insane.

This is stupid. What happened to approaching this logically? You’re acting like a teenager going on a first date.

I’m such a loser.

Glancing up, I see Dave watching me with a huge, stupid grin on his face.

“What?” I demand, annoyed. Mostly at myself for giving Dave this opportunity to tease me.

“Nothing. Just never thought you’d be the type to fall to pieces just because you’rein loooooove.”

“Ugh.” I put my head down on the table for a second, then straighten and glare at Dave. “You’ve been talking to Chris. Seriously, don’t you all have enough to do without wasting time on gossip?” I immediately feel guilty, because my days working in the stables were full of gossip—still are, if I’m honest. It makes chores like cleaning tack go faster.

Dave just laughs, and the guilt dissipates.

“Mate, you need to chill. So the two of you wanna bone. Just get it over with and things will be normal again—except with sex.”

What.

Really. What?

“This is why I should never accept advice from teenagers,” I mutter.

“I’m twenty!”

“You lose a couple years when your advice is to ‘bone and get it over with,’” I inform him. “Fuck, no wonder you’re single.”

“You’re single too,” Dave points out, still looking offended.

There isn’t much I can say to that.

“Look.” It sounds like Dave is losing patience. “This isn’t hard. You like him. He likes you. Why are you making it complicated?”

“I’m not making it complicated. You’re right. I like him. I’m not convinced he likes me, but that’s what I’m going to assess while he’s here. And then I’ll decide if we like each other enough to ignore the fact that he’s my boss.” I’m proud of how calm I sound. I’m getting my nerves under control. I can totally handle this like the mature, responsible adult I am.

Dave stares at me. “You’re an idiot.”

What? No.

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