Page 13 of The Wedding Deal
She nodded.
“Thoughts?”
“He’s a risk, no doubt about that. But he doesn’t play it safe, either. Yeah, I read his résumé, but I’ve also seen the way he works magic from the sidelines. In the six years he’s coached, his team has gone from one of the last in its division to one of the top.”
“But is he ready for the pressure of an NFL team? I could see him as maybe an assistant coach, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea to just toss him the reins of our runaway horse.”
“Funny. Wild mustangs and all.”
His forehead crinkled for a second before it smoothed. “Pun not intended.” He sat back and ran his fingers across his jaw, and she forced her eyes to return to her screen so she wouldn’t go and start thinking about his nice jawline.
Now her anxiety was kicking in, making her worry about how many times she’d overreacted this afternoon—he was going to think she was an overly sensitive mess. Not far from the truth sometimes, buthedidn’t need to know that. “Hey,” she said, and he looked up, and she wished she would’ve said her piece without getting his attention on her first. “Sorry I sort of snapped about the dating thing. And the robot thing.”
“I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Sometimes I think it would be easier to be a robot.” A mirthless laugh slipped out. “A lot of guys have disappointed me, and admittedly, I wasn’t trying very hard during the speed dating event. I mostly go along with my roommate’s plans because it’s what she wants. A relationship isn’t even at the bottom of my priority list.”
“I hear that. I’ve told my mom that I’m going to be far too busy to date, but obviously she doesn’t get it.”
“I do. Especially after working here. There are times when it’s too crazy to think about anything else. Anyway, I just wanted to clear the air.”
“Air cleared.” A smile slowly spread across his face, a hint of mocking to it.
“Okay, now I’m going to get mad about being the brunt of whatever joke’s going through your head.”
“It’s just…that chair is so big, and you’re so little it almost swallows you right up.”
“Yeah, because they’re built for football players.”
“I’ve known some big guys in my day, and even they wouldn’t be able to fill one of those chairs.”
“Well, you know what they say. Everything’s bigger in Texas.”
He laughed, and they were okay, and even better, she felt like they’d struck the right kind of balance. Friendly without going too far, the respectful vibe still there.
The clock at the top of her screen was blurry when she checked the time, the numbers letting her know how late it’d gotten. “My lunch barely counted as a lunch, and I need to go eat and get some sleep so we can cram in another long day tomorrow.”
“I understand. I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”
She nodded.
“You might as well leave all of your stuff. The chair can certainly accommodate it, and then you won’t have to lug it back in here.”
Sure. It made sense when he put it like that, but the thought of another day working so closely with him tugged at her already fraying nerves.
But what could she say? Not only was he the boss, the close quarters situation would only be for one more day…
Chapter Five
Day two of nonstop forms, calls, and résumé sorting with Lance was coming to a close, and Charlotte was powering through what little reserves of caffeine and sugar from the cookie she had for lunch were left.
Lance’s phone chimed with a text, and for a moment, it was dead silent. Then his sigh carried across the space, and he muttered something she didn’t quite catch.
“Everything okay?” she asked, glancing up from her computer.
“My mom wants to know if I’ve heard from any of the women she gave my number to, and if so, what I thought. As if talking to someone on the phone for a few minutes would be enough to tell.”
“With the right person, maybe it would be,” she halfheartedly said, and Lance shot her a look packed with a heap of skepticism.
