want to talk about it.
“Not yet,” he said. “Here are your keys. They work, but why don’t you go try it out on the door.”
She did, and they did and now that she had stronger, more secure locks, they both needed to get back downstairs because she needed to open her store. She usually only took a thirty minute lunch break and today it had been over an hour.
“Time to open shop,” she smiled as she walked over to the store front door, unlocked it and flipped the sign to open.
“I should change that lock too,” he ran his finger over the locking component.
“Some other time,” she smiled. “Right now you need to get your area setup to suit your needs. Please feel free to move things around however you want to in there, and if you need anything please let me know. I’ll run to the office store once I close today and I’ll get you a new chair.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“You saw the chair in there right?” It was an old wooden chair that looked like it should be at the edge of a country kitchen table. There was no way that would be comfortable all day. “You know, you should come with me so we can make sure the chair is comfortable for your body.”
“Cool,” he said. “A chair shopping date.”
“Date…oh, uh…” The door swung open.
“Customer,” he tilted his head toward the door, took a long look at the young woman who had entered as if sizing up her threat level before dismissing himself and going into the security room. Why had the word “date” unnerved her? He was joking, just teasing with her and there was nothing romantically implied in his tone or his words yet the word had reminded her of what she actually did want with the man—a date. Oh yes, she was in trouble, because in just a few hours of knowing the man she had already wanted to toss her dating hiatus to the wayside and take the man out for dinner already. Thomas may not have picked this man himself, but why couldn’t he ask whoever he had asked to help out, to find somebody old with fifty grandkids; somebody less threatening to a woman’s single status?
Yes, she was in trouble and she knew it. Because if she wanted that man, desired him, this much after just a few hours she couldn’t imagine what a few days, weeks or even months might do to her desire levels. “Through the roof,” she mumbled before going to help her customer. Her desire levels were going to go through the roof for a man she couldn’t even have.
Chapter Three
T heir chair shopping date, as Shane had called it, turned out to be very much like a real date. He insisted on driving the truck. It made sense because he had far more space than she had and it would be easier if they just took the chair back instead of having to pay for a single delivery. But she also thought he needed a new desk, so in her mind she was prepared to order both. When they arrived at the store she had walked in with him, and for some reason she felt herself resisting the urge to grab his hand. She really, really wanted to hold on to the man, and she couldn’t. She was his boss. He was her employee. There couldn’t be anything more no matter how attractive he was. She kept reminding herself of that fact as she refrained from reaching out and taking his hand in hers.
“What kind do you want?” She looked at the plethora of chairs in front of her. They ranged from basic and short to big and bulky. In her opinion, something too big might make that room feel smaller than it already was, but something too small wouldn’t fit his body. The point of going chair shopping was to get something that fit his body and made him feel comfortable for the numerous hours he would spend in that room.
“You should let me buy you dinner.”
“What?” She said. “What does dinner have to do with a chair?”
“You haven’t eaten. I haven’t eaten. I can’t think on an empty stomach. Let’s go eat
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