Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
With her face blazing red now, she turns on her heel and marches into the back room. I stay close, wanting to watch her every move, but she simply takes the key off her key ring and drops it onto the floor—classy—and then stomps out of the shop.
This means that I’m down to just me and Katie, and Katie only works after school and on Saturdays, so I have to hire someone new soon.
“That was fucking hot.”
I whirl, my heart thumping, and I’m shocked to see Ryan standing next to a table of T-shirts, his arms folded over his impressive chest.
“Holy shit, Ryan.” I cover my mouth and take a deep breath. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“I came in when you were screaming at that former employee,” he says. “I have to say, watching you in boss mode is pretty damn arousing.”
I shake my head and sigh. “She fucked up.”
“Big time. I miss you, babe.”
Without another word, I walk to him and into his arms. He hugs me close and rocks us back and forth, and for the first time in a week, my system settles.
“I miss you, too.”
“I thought maybe you were avoiding me.”
I tilt my head back so I can look up—way up—at him. “No, it’s a shit show around here, as you can plainly see. There have been some long days. And maybe I was giving you and Jake a little time to settle back in.”
“We’re settled.” He cups my face in his hands and leans in to rest his lips on mine. “I told you before that you wouldn’t stay away.”
“I’m not doing that,” I assure him and step back so I can pace a little. “I admit, after I got home on Saturday, I had a minor case of being overwhelmed, and it took me a minute to settle. Okay, maybe I’m still figuring it out. You’ve done too much, Ryan.”
“You don’t like the kitchen? The photos are great, but if you don’t like it, I’ll have—”
“What’s not to like?” I interrupt. “It’s freaking amazing. But I told you not to go overboard.”
He simply smiles at me, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Anyway, just as I was getting the being overwhelmed thing under control, I found out about what was happening here, without my knowledge, and I went into full-blown boss bitch mode.”
“You didn’t answer my calls.”
“My phone died.”
“And you didn’t charge it for a week?”
“No, it died when I spilled the coffee in your beautiful car—just let me know what I owe you for the detail—and I haven’t had time to replace it. And no.” I point at him and narrow my eyes. “You’re not going to have one brought to me.”
“Why not? I can have one here in about thirty minutes. Also, you don’t owe me anything for the car.”
“I can order the phone myself.” I’m not even going to argue with him over what it cost to clean that gorgeous car.
“You just told me you don’t have time.” Now those hazel eyes narrow, and he looks irritated. “Polly, if you’ve decided that—”
“Stop.” I shake my head and push my fingers through my hair in agitation. “Don’t even finish that thought because it’s not true. I haven’t changed my mind about you, and I won’t have you say those words out loud. I know I messed up this week, and you didn’t deserve that, but that bitch basically tried to make me go out of business. Even if that wasn’t her real intent, that’s the way it would have gone if she’d stayed in charge another day. You understand business. So, rest assured, I’ll get online today and order a new phone. It’ll be here tomorrow.”
“So, what’s wrong with me having it delivered to you today? I can take that off of your plate, Polly.”
“I can do this,” I insist and hear the stubbornness in my own voice. “I can handle it. But I do need to thank you for the kitchen.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. Thank you for the kitchen. I’ve barely been home long enough to look at it, but it’s seriously beautiful, and I probably don’t deserve it.”
“Of course, you deserve it. I’m glad you like it. Did you get everything unpacked from the trip?”
“Only the bare necessities from my luggage.” I sigh and feel close to tears yet again and make myself rein it in. What is with all the waterworks lately? “I think between the jet lag and coming into what I did here at the shop, I’ve just been too tired. I got home last night around ten and immediately went to sleep, and then I was up and back at it at seven this morning. How about you? Are you all caught up on work?”
“Not even close.” He smiles now, and I feel some of the tension between us melt away. “But since I haven’t been able to reach you, I decided to come find you and make sure you were okay.”