Page 33 of Trouble Me
“Good night, Emma.” He looked at her for a heartbeat longer, and then stepped over the threshold, closing the door softly behind him.
Emma locked up and dropped her forehead against the cool, smooth wood. A few moments later, the engine of his truck started and eventually faded away. She leaned her head back and stared at the tall ceiling, willing away the aching emptiness in her gut. It felt suspiciously like missing someone. And that was not going to work.
“What the hell am I going to do now?”
Chapter 11
Just a Friendly Gesture
After a string of nightsruined by fitful sleep and full of sexy dreams where her boss played a starring role, Emma’s mood was bleak. She half expected to see a storm cloud following her around like in a cartoon. She had no patience for issues, which meant anything that could go wrong did. Including her fancy-pants laptop, which had decided it was time to update the operating system. There’d been nothing but a spinning rainbow beach ball in the middle of a black screen for the last ten minutes.
The only silver lining was that it was Friday and she could hide at home for the weekend. Do some baking, binge some Netflix, and hopefully get some sleep. She had to stay focused on that. She wasnotgoing out, no matter how much Amelia begged, which she was prone to do at times.
It was days like today that tested her sobriety and her judgment on taking the job. But she couldn’t run from her problems anymore. That’s how she’d ended up in a rehab facility and with a white chip in her purse.
When she’d arrived that morning, Lindsey informed her that Shane was working at his home office, would be in conference calls all day, and if Emma needed him, she should send an email. It didn’t help her mood that she suspected Shane was avoiding her. What pissed her off was she couldn’t understand why. Hadn’t they cleared the air the other night? Sure, it was an air fraught with tension, but they both knew the rules, and Emma needed this job too badly to screw it up with a one-night stand.
“Bastard,” she muttered under her breath and banged on the keyboard. It occurred to her she wasn’t sure if she meant her uncooperative computer or her temperamental boss.
“Should I come back?” A male voice asked from across the room.
Emma glanced up to see Noah’s broad shoulders filling the doorway, tablet in hand and a wary look on his face.
“No.” She waved him in. “Sorry, I’m just...this computer is driving me insane and...” She leaned back in her chair and blew out a breath. “It’s just been a rough day and I’ve barely cleared lunch.”
“I’ll do my best not to add to your misery.”
She shot him a wry grin. “Thanks, I appreciate it.” After he sat down, she asked. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
“Weekly status meeting with Shane.” He frowned and ran a hand over his close-cropped dark blonde hair. “Did he not tell you?”
“No...” She mentally counted to ten to keep her blood pressure down and tried to keep her voice neutral. Noah was sharp and would detect any bitterness in her tone if she weren’t careful. “Well, let’s get started.”
It was her job to oversee what happened in the winery in Shane’s absence. Emma may as well get used to it, because once the job was over, Madison Ridge would just be a spot in Shane’s rearview mirror. Yet another reason to stay uninvolved with Mr. Kavanaugh.
“Okay.” Noah tapped a couple of times on his tablet and then launched into his notes about budgets and timelines.
