Page 2 of Thinking It Over

I was all too aware my degree was going to waste, and while I wasn’t earning enough to start paying off my loan yet, I was anxious about the amount I owed.

Luckily, living with Mom meant I only had personal expenses. Dad’s insurance had paid off the mortgage, and provided a lump sum paid to her so she could live day-to-day, but it wouldn’t last forever. But not having to worry too much about helping out at the moment meant I was able to start saving so come the time, I’d be able to get a place of my own without worrying about cash.

The ding of the bell drew my attention to the opening door and Davis.

I smiled in greeting. “Morning.”

He yawned in answer, covered his mouth, and followed with “Morning.” As he edged further into the room, he cast a glance around the place. “You get in early?”

“Yeah.” I bobbed my head. “Woke early, so thought I’d head on in.” I continued piling bottles of milk in the counter fridge.

“Not sleeping well?” Concern lit his words.

“No, I am, usually. I had a late night with Ian. My own fault. Meant I was restless.” I closed the fridge door, stood, and stretched. I looked at Davis, who’d paused rather than heading directly into the kitchen like he usually did. His brows were high, expectancy written all over his face. I didn’t even need to ask what the look was for. Instead, I shook my head and said, “No.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head again. He clamped his mouth closed, and I sighed in relief.

“But he’s such a nice guy.”

I groaned. I should have known better than to have thought he would let this go. Since I’d dragged Ian to his and Scott’s Thanksgiving get-together last year, Davis hadn’t let up about Ian and me being more than just friends.

But there was no way that would ever be happening.

What Davis didn’t know was that Ian and I had made out once. Albeit a sloppy, drunken version of lips mashing together. We’d ended up pulling away, noses scrunched, and laughing. The connection simply hadn’t been there. Open and honest, we’d agreed the chemistry wasn’t there and the last thing we wanted was to put our friendship at risk. That night, we drank a couple of shots and decided to stick to being friends.

And I was more than happy with that. He hadbecome one of my best friends, and while he was a hot guy, my attraction didn’t go any further than simple admiration. And I knew him well enough to know my feelings were reciprocated.

Davis had other ideas.

“He is a nice guy. A good friend too. We don’t need pushing together.” I rolled my eyes at him.

“Hey,” he said with a smile, lifting his hands up and out before him, “You were the one a while back saying you’d like someone to snuggle up with at night.” He stepped around the counter and through the doorway into the kitchen. “And a dildo, a teddy bear, and hitting Private on your phone’s search engine is not the same thing.” He laughed his ass off as he disappeared from sight.

“If you weren’t my boss, you know I’d tell you to go screw yourself, right?” I threw over my shoulder, amused.

“It’s a good thing I’m your boss and don’t believe in interfering in employee’s lives then, huh?” His words reached me, followed by his snort.

“Yeah, good thing,” I jibed, turning to the cash register and checking the cash and making sure the card reader was set to go.

It was amazing how quickly time flew on by when you had a pretty awesome, down-to-earth boss and a job that relied on routine. The morning rush was long over,and we were getting things ready for the lunchtime crowd. It had been hectic, but we’d managed like we usually did.

I’d just restocked the muffins when my phone buzzed in my pocket. A quick glance around showed no customers waiting, so I pulled it out, expecting to see Mom’s name. A local number lit up the screen. I hovered my finger over Accept as I called out to Davis. “You okay out here a minute? I need to grab this call.”

“Yeah. Sure thing.”

I smiled my thanks as I hit the button. “Hello.”

“Good morning. Is that Jasper Taylor, please?”

I scrunched my brows, wondering who could be calling as I answered, “Yes, speaking.”

“Oh, wonderful. Hi, Jasper. It’s Barb here from Crescent High, Principal Harrison’s PA. I was hoping we could arrange some time for an interview, please.”

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and my stomach lurched. Crescent High was only thirty miles away. I also knew it was a good school. Crescent was a slightly bigger town than Kirkby and was an easy commute. “Yeah, sure.” I paused for breath, trying like hell to control the high-pitched eagerness pouring forth. “What date were you looking at?”

I concentrated hard as Barb spoke, the pounding of my overeager heartbeat making it difficult. “Is tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. too soon? Principal Harrison is keen to get you in and start the process.”

I nodded enthusiastically, following up with “Absolutely, I can make that time.” Tomorrow was my day off, so it worked perfectly.

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