Page 9 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
“I’m a stickler for everything,” she shot back. “It’s part of my job description.”
He leaned in toward her and lowered his voice as if they were sharing a secret. “Why, Ms. O’Sullivan, was that a joke?”
Her stupid lips twitched. “No. It’s the truth.”
“What is it you do back there in the big city?” His drawl made him sound more country than ever.
Suspicion had her eyeing him for a long moment. But he stared right back, and there was nothing but genuine curiosity in his gaze.
She shifted again, unable to stop fidgeting when he watched her like this.
“I’m an executive assistant at a marketing firm.”
“And what does that entail?”
Again, so serious. Like he actually cared to hear her answer.
She lifted a shoulder, glancing away. “Nothing all that interesting.”
“I doubt that.” His eyebrows rose.
She blinked in surprise and looked back at him. A surge of pride made her chin lift just a touch. “Fine. I find it interesting, but it’s just not that exciting to hear about.”
“Try me.”
She looked away again. He was serious. She tried to think of how to sum up her job in a way that wouldn’t bore a man to tears. “I basically keep the place running.”
He arched his brows again. “That’s impressive.”
She shrugged. “I think so.”
Her bosses…not so much.
“I’m good at what I do,” she continued. “I like organization and schedules and spreadsheets.” She felt a surge of ridiculous heat in her cheeks.
Seriously,whyhad her body decided that now she was someone who blushed? And only around this man?
It was stupid.
She forced a smirk as she shot him a sidelong glance. “See? Told you it’s not exciting.”
He shrugged. “A job doesn’t have to be exciting to be interesting.”
She blinked at him. How did he do that? How did he always have something to say that made her feel better?
“What matters is that you like it,” he added.
“I do.” Her tone sounded too defensive. She frowned. “I mean, I like what I do. But the people I work for…the place…” She drew in a deep breath, her belly coiling into knots again as she worried over what they’d do if she wasn’t in the office first thing tomorrow. “It can be stressful.”
He made a sort of humming noise, as if he understood.
A long silence followed, and she was acutely aware of each passing second.
“Seriously, JJ, you don’t have to wait with me.”
“Two hours is nothing.” He shifted in his seat, angling his body to face her. “You know, once I was stuck in an airport in Germany for twenty-four hours.”
Her eyes widened, and then she blinked. So many aspects of that statement shocked her. He’d been to Germany? Why on earth would he be stuck in an airport for so long?
