Page 22 of His to Keep
“Jeff dropped me off this morning.” There’s a catch in his voice and my chest radiates with sympathy for him.
“Stay right where you are,” I tell him. “My car will be there momentarily.” I motion for Rebecca and she picks up her phone to contact my driver.
He exhales heavily. “Thank you.”
“Do you want me to come down? I could ride over with you.”
From his more relaxed breathing, I get the feeling some of the fear has abated. “You don’t need to do that. The nurse told me it wasn’t serious, they think some broken bones. I’m just—I hate thinking about him alone there, you know?”
I can’t say for certain that I do know. I’ve never had the kind of relationship that Wesley and Jeff have. The kind where you would give your life for the happiness of your partner.
“You’ll be there in no time,” I tell him. “And I mean it about coming with you. It would be no problem.”
He laughs a little, sounding much more like himself. “You walk out of that office before five and my life gets ten times more complicated when I get back in. It will take us days to catch up.”
I rub a hand over my beard, knowing he’s right. “What about Rebecca? She could go with you.”
“As if I’d leave you alone to fend for yourself.”
“Are you insinuating that I’m helpless?”
He laughs again. “I’m not insinuating it, I’m saying it flat out. You need Rebecca there to help you.” I’m pleased that our usual banter seems to have relaxed him somewhat. “Oh,” he says suddenly. “Car’s here. That was fast.”
“You’ll call me when you know anything?”
“I will.” He pauses. “Thanks, Luke.”
“Anytime. And let me know if you need anything.”
When I hang up the phone I see Rebecca gawking at me. “What?”
She shakes her head. “I…I didn’t realize the two of you are close.”
I tilt my head, studying her. “Wesley and I work closely together. He’s a good employee and he’s been with me for many years.”
She nods. “Right.” But she still seems caught off guard. “You don’t strike me as the super friendly type,” she finally blurts out, her face immediately coloring. Her eyes widen as if she’s surprised by her own words. “I don’t mean—”
I hold up a hand. “It’s fine. I realize that I don’t give off the warm and fuzzy vibe.” My voice drops several notches. “Especially not with your…particular introduction to my personality.”
Her cheeks grow even more red and it suddenly occurs to me that Rebecca and I are alone in the office. I know I need to call down to HR, ask them to send up someone temporary to help her fill in for Wesley, but I’m not feeling much motivation to have a stranger come and intrude on our time. From the way she’s fidgeting with the files in her hand, she’s clearly also aware of our lack of company. Something about her obvious nervousness has my blood pumping faster and I take a step closer, eyes locked on hers. What I wouldn’t do to encourage that blush to spread down across her collarbones to—
The phone on her desk rings and she jumps in surprise. I blow out a breath, taking a step back. I need to get my shit together. I promised her no complications at work, but I just can’t seem to help myself when it comes to her. “I’ll let you get back to it,” I tell her, my voice gruff. “Please call down to HR and let them know we need a secretarial temp for the afternoon.” Then I head into my office, trying not to think about how difficult it’s going to be to get anything done knowing she’s out there.
I manage to throw myself into my work for the rest of the afternoon. Wesley texts with news about Jeff a few hours later—a broken wrist, a few bruised ribs, and a slight concussion. Feeling relieved that it wasn’t worse, I email Rebecca, asking her to please arrange for some prepared meals to be sent to their apartment. A call with my engineering team on the West Coast has me glued to my phone until well after normal business hours. When we finish up, I stretch, rubbing at my bleary eyes. The jet lag is still hounding me several days after my trip. I glance at the clock—after seven. The rest of the office is likely emptied out. I could head home too, but I know if I do I’ll just want to climb right into bed, and that’s not going to help my sleep schedule. More work is the answer, as it is to most things in my life.
I head out to the reception area, figuring I’ll make a cup of coffee before getting started on the financials. I freeze halfway to the coffee machine when I realize I’m not as alone as I thought.
“You’re still here.”
Rebecca jumps up from her desk, smoothing her hands down her skirt. “I wasn’t sure if you would need anything.”
“It’s after seven.”
She shrugs. “With Wesley gone, I didn’t want to leave you alone.”
The corner of my lip tugs up. “You realize I’m a fully grown adult, yes?”
A smile flashes across her face. “Wesley always says you aren’t to be trusted without supervision.”
