Page 62 of Cinderella Screwed Me Over
“Yeah, those together don’t really sound like a good idea.” I lifted my hand and ran it along his jaw. Strange how dark prickly hair could look so hot on a guy. “You give up shaving?”
“Lazy one day, slept in the next. I swore I was going to shave it today, but Lindsay—my sister—called. I hadn’t talked to her in forever, so I left the house again without shaving.”
“You and your sister are close, then?”
“I’d say we’re pretty close,” he agreed. “We used to fight some growing up, but as we got older, we got closer. My niece, Addie, is going through the terrible-two thing. Lindsay’s always calling to tell me something funny Addie did, or to tell me about the huge messes she makes.”
“And you said your sister still works with your dad, right?”
He nodded. “She loves it. Her husband’s an illustrator, so he works from home and takes care of Addie. She draws next to him while he works, and then he works a couple more hours when Lindsay comes home.”
Jake ran his fingers up and down my back, his touch relaxing me so much I had to fight to keep my eyes open. “I was surprised when I first met Cameron,” he said. “He was the opposite of who I pictured Lindsay with. But they work well together. My parents are really good at that, too. I think first you’ve got to find the right person, then you have to work hard to keep the relationship going strong.”
If I wasn’t feeling so drowsy, I might’ve lifted my head and told him I wasn’t sure I agreed. Instead, I decided to change the subject. “You think you’ll ever go back to New York and open a restaurant there?”
“The restaurant market in New York is much tougher. Vegas is really competitive, too, but we set up in one of the newer hotels and it’s been doing really well.”
I’d been dumped for the city of New York once before, so I wanted to know how likely it was that Jake would be going back. Even if it involved a little bit of breaking my rules and talking about the future. “Do you ever think about going back there and doing something else? Maybe someday you’ll want to be back behind the desk.”
“I’d never say never, but right now, I’m very happy where I am.”
I wasn’t sure whether he meant with the restaurant or this moment. I was going to make a joke about it, but talking seemed like too much effort. Suddenly, I found it hard to form words or even keep my eyes open.
…
Nothing seemed right when I woke up. My neck and back ached, and after a confusing moment wondering where I was and what was going on, I realized that instead of being in my bed, I was sleeping against Jake. He groaned as I untangled myself from him.
I searched the room for a clock but couldn’t find one.Note to self: get Jake a clock.
My phone wasn’t in my pocket. I tried to remember when I’d had it last.I think I left it in my bedroom.
Stifling a yawn, I stood and stretched. The sunlight coming through the windows seemed brighter than normal, but I figured it was because the windows in his place were so big. I stepped toward the kitchen and looked at the oven clock.
“Is this right?” I asked, panic filling me. “Tell me that isn’t set to the right time.”
Jake sat up and squinted against the light. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “It’s eight thirty.”
“No, no, no. This can’t be happening. Not today. Any day but today. I’ve got to meet my boss at nine. If I didn’t live two minutes away, I’d be screwed.” I stepped into my shoes, not bothering to tie them. “Even then, I don’t know if I’ll make it. She’s huge on punctuality, and I really, really hate being late. Today, it’s just not an option.”
Jake stood and ran his hand down my arm. “You’ve got some time.”
“I’m not a guy. It takes me a while to put myself together.”
“You look fine the way you are right now.”
I waved him off. “Don’t start with the sweet talk. I’ve got to go.” I grabbed my keys off the coffee table and rushed out the door.
The elevator chose this morning to run slow, and I couldn’t cross the short distance to my place fast enough. I hurried inside, took the quickest shower of my life, and threw my hair in a wet bun. I ran a coat of mascara over my eyelashes and rushed out the door, praying I’d make it in time.
Of course traffic was thick and the stoplights all red. I was muttering swear words under my breath as I half ran, half speed-walked to my office. I scooped up my trusty binder and slid into the conference room at 9:01.
My boss shot me a look that meant she noticed, and the meeting went downhill from there. Twenty minutes in I was scrambling through the contents of my binder, looking completely unprepared for the day, much less the meeting.
Patricia frowned at me. “Do you have it or not?”
“I know it’s in here somewhere.” Not only could I not find what I needed, I was blanking on everything. The one day I really needed to be on top of my game, and I was totally off.
Nadine handed a sheet of paper to Patricia. “Here it is. I know they’ll work with us if we do a large order like we did on the condos. Darby’s the one who got them to agree to it last time.”
