at birth.
Oh, well, she thought, just as she heard a deep male voice behind her. "Well, I have to tell you, that's the first I've heard about my teeth."
* * *
Reese whipped her head around and found herself face-to-face with Brian Doren. Her breath caught. Oh, wow. It was like every time he was the same, only much more vivid. The handsome face, strong jaw, clenched cheek—wait, the clenched cheek was new. And it seemed to come from... anger?
"You'd better look away," he said flatly. "I wouldn't want you to turn to stone."
What? What on earth...? Oh, no. Had Brian somehow overheard her conversation and thought she'd been talking about him instead of Kenneth?
It seemed impossible, but when she mentally replayed the one-sided conversation he'd been privy to, she realized how it could have happened.
Brian turned and walked off, shaking his head, but Reese found herself momentarily paralyzed. She supposed she was still too shocked to see him. She'd been working at Roland & Fisk for six months and had never once seen Brian Doren there—she definitely would have remembered. In a distant part of her mind, she knew it should be easy to clear this up. To catch up before he left and simply explain. But her heart was racing, her palms were sweating; and her feet were inexorably frozen.
Brian had made it to the steps of the cafe by the time Reese managed to spring into action. "Brian?" she called out, feeling guilty as hell, even though she technically hadn't done anything. He kept walking. "Wait!" she cried, and hurried after him.
She could hear the desperation in her heels as they clicked furiously across the shiny wood floor, and down the steps, onto the soft carpet of the store. "Brian, wait!"
Finally he stopped, visibly let out a sigh, then turned around. He made just turning around itself seem a laborious effort. Oh, he's really annoyed. What a mess!
"What?" he asked, his dark brown eyes suddenly falling hard on her.
"Let me explain," Reese said quickly, brushing a careless wave of hair out of her eyes. "What you heard right now was all made up. I mean... I had no idea you were standing there."
"Well, that was obvious."
"No, really..." Her voice trailed off momentarily, as she struggled to compose an explanation that wouldn't make her look like a complete desperado. But it seemed futile. "What I mean to say is, um, I was talking to my mother and"— she's of the opinion that I'm turning into a real spinster —"she was..." blathering on in her usual relentless style. "We weren't even talking about y—"
"Brock!"
Reese jumped at Darcy's voice, and watched with doom as her boss stormed toward her, her charm necklace clanging and her finger pointing accusingly. "Is this your post?"
Instinctively, Reese's face reddened. "No, Darcy, but—"
"What is your post?"
"I—"
"I can't heeeaar you." Then she brought her hands up to cup her ears dramatically.
"Excuse me," Brian said to Darcy, an edge in his voice, "I was asking this woman for help. Is there a problem?"
For a shocking twist, Darcy fell silent. So did Reese, but then, what could she say? Anyway, there'd been something in Brian's tone that sounded reasonable but firm, and calm but very intimidating.
"Oh, sir, of course." Darcy began groveling, and fiddling with her hair. Then she seemed to really notice Brian for the first time, and switched to an almost flirtatious tone. "I didn't mean to... I just figured that she was bothering you."
Reese shot an insolent look that Darcy didn't catch. But then she was pretty busy—kissing up to Brian the customer, and batting her eyelashes at Brian the man. Reese could not believe what she was witnessing! Darcy was licking her lips and contorting her head into unnaturally coy poses, while Reese was standing there trying not to slap her.
She didn't even spare Reese a glance when she said, "Brock, when you're done with this customer, go back to the cafe." Then she giggled out of context, and trotted off.
Reese resisted an
Oh, well, she thought, just as she heard a deep male voice behind her. "Well, I have to tell you, that's the first I've heard about my teeth."
* * *
Reese whipped her head around and found herself face-to-face with Brian Doren. Her breath caught. Oh, wow. It was like every time he was the same, only much more vivid. The handsome face, strong jaw, clenched cheek—wait, the clenched cheek was new. And it seemed to come from... anger?
"You'd better look away," he said flatly. "I wouldn't want you to turn to stone."
What? What on earth...? Oh, no. Had Brian somehow overheard her conversation and thought she'd been talking about him instead of Kenneth?
It seemed impossible, but when she mentally replayed the one-sided conversation he'd been privy to, she realized how it could have happened.
Brian turned and walked off, shaking his head, but Reese found herself momentarily paralyzed. She supposed she was still too shocked to see him. She'd been working at Roland & Fisk for six months and had never once seen Brian Doren there—she definitely would have remembered. In a distant part of her mind, she knew it should be easy to clear this up. To catch up before he left and simply explain. But her heart was racing, her palms were sweating; and her feet were inexorably frozen.
Brian had made it to the steps of the cafe by the time Reese managed to spring into action. "Brian?" she called out, feeling guilty as hell, even though she technically hadn't done anything. He kept walking. "Wait!" she cried, and hurried after him.
She could hear the desperation in her heels as they clicked furiously across the shiny wood floor, and down the steps, onto the soft carpet of the store. "Brian, wait!"
Finally he stopped, visibly let out a sigh, then turned around. He made just turning around itself seem a laborious effort. Oh, he's really annoyed. What a mess!
"What?" he asked, his dark brown eyes suddenly falling hard on her.
"Let me explain," Reese said quickly, brushing a careless wave of hair out of her eyes. "What you heard right now was all made up. I mean... I had no idea you were standing there."
"Well, that was obvious."
"No, really..." Her voice trailed off momentarily, as she struggled to compose an explanation that wouldn't make her look like a complete desperado. But it seemed futile. "What I mean to say is, um, I was talking to my mother and"— she's of the opinion that I'm turning into a real spinster —"she was..." blathering on in her usual relentless style. "We weren't even talking about y—"
"Brock!"
Reese jumped at Darcy's voice, and watched with doom as her boss stormed toward her, her charm necklace clanging and her finger pointing accusingly. "Is this your post?"
Instinctively, Reese's face reddened. "No, Darcy, but—"
"What is your post?"
"I—"
"I can't heeeaar you." Then she brought her hands up to cup her ears dramatically.
"Excuse me," Brian said to Darcy, an edge in his voice, "I was asking this woman for help. Is there a problem?"
For a shocking twist, Darcy fell silent. So did Reese, but then, what could she say? Anyway, there'd been something in Brian's tone that sounded reasonable but firm, and calm but very intimidating.
"Oh, sir, of course." Darcy began groveling, and fiddling with her hair. Then she seemed to really notice Brian for the first time, and switched to an almost flirtatious tone. "I didn't mean to... I just figured that she was bothering you."
Reese shot an insolent look that Darcy didn't catch. But then she was pretty busy—kissing up to Brian the customer, and batting her eyelashes at Brian the man. Reese could not believe what she was witnessing! Darcy was licking her lips and contorting her head into unnaturally coy poses, while Reese was standing there trying not to slap her.
She didn't even spare Reese a glance when she said, "Brock, when you're done with this customer, go back to the cafe." Then she giggled out of context, and trotted off.
Reese resisted an
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