“What does scandalized mean?” Evie asked while I groaned.
“It means I’d be shocked, though I promise, I won’t be,” Jonah answered. He looked at me. “Going by that groan, I suspect Mom has answered way too many why questions by now.”
“You’re not wrong about that,” I muttered while he tickled Evie, and she fell to the floor, giggling uncontrollably.
The doorbell rang, and I frowned. “I’m not expecting anyone,” I said, starting to get up, but Jonah gently held me in place.
“I’ll get it. You rest.”
I didn’t argue. My body was aching, and he’d already spent the entire night fussing over me like I was made of fragile glass. I heard the door open, then quiet voices. A few seconds later, I got curious and padded over to the entryway.
There stood Brian and Stacey. Brian held a pot, probably soup, and Stacey had a little bunch of cheerful daffodils. But they weren’t looking at me. Their eyes were locked on Jonah, standing barefoot and perfectly at home in my hallway.
My stomach dropped. This was exactly what we’d been trying to avoid.
“Hi,” Jonah said, stepping back to let them in. “You two work with Lexi, right?”
Brian made a noise that sounded like a mix between a hiccup and a cough. Stacey managed a nod.
I wasn’t sure how, but I knew that if I sent them away without an explanation, it would be worse. “Come in,” I said, giving Jonah a desperate look as I gently herded them inside. We hadn’t exactly planned onthis. His slight shrug told me we’d have to improvise.
“We just wanted to check in,” Brian said, glancing at me with concern as he handed me the soup. “Raf said you were sick.” I set the soup on the table, touched by the unexpected kindness of my colleagues bringing me food and flowers.
Before I could respond, Evie came up to them. “Jonah took care of my mom when she was sick!” she declared proudly.
That earned us another round of stunned silence.
“She didn’t look great when she left the employee awards event,” Jonah said. “So I thought I’d make sure she was okay. That’s all.”
Brian let out a long, “Ooh,” and Stacey looked like she couldn’t decide whether to be shocked or impressed.
A couple of minutes later, Jonah was in the kitchen, making Ovaltine for Evie, and Brian, Stacey, and I sat on the couch. The two of them exchanged a meaningful look before turning to glance at Jonah through the kitchen doorway.
They stared at me, mouths agape. “You’re the mysterious ‘someone’ that Jonah Walkers is seeing?” they breathed in unison.
“No wonder the name wasn’t publicly available,” Stacey breathed out.
“You’re sleeping with the CEO!” Brian whispered dramatically.
Jonah hadn’t said much, but clearly, these two were drawing to the right conclusions. Stacey just shook her head, her expression shifting to something more serious. “Lex, I get it, okay? I really do. The man is built like an NFL linebacker with his broad shoulders and thick arms.” She swallowed, looking like she was forcing herself to focus. “But this … this feels risky.”
I sighed, already bracing myself.
“It just doesn’t end well usually,” Brian added. “Professionally. You worked your ass off to get here without a degree. I don’t want to see you lose all that.”
They weren’t wrong. But they didn’t see what I saw. Jonah hadn’t just shown up with soup and a thermometer. He’d taken care of me long before the flu. Like when he noticed how my back ached and sent a masseuse over. Or how he always kept his word, like a gentleman. That might sound small, but in my world, it wasn’t. It was so old-fashioned and caring that it meant everything.
They hadn’t seen the way he was with Evie either. The patience and the effort. Like she mattered. Like aparentmight feel.
“You’re not wrong,” I admitted, glancing toward the kitchen, where I could hear him talking softly to Evie. “I haven’t reallytalked this through with anyone. So … thank you. For being honest with me. Can you keep it quiet?”
“Of course,” Stacey said. “I don’t want to see you lose your job. You’re damn good at what you do. But when a man like that is interested in you …” She hesitated. “I mean, he’s really hot. Those shoulders …” She spaced out, her gaze fixed on Jonah in the distance, while Brian coughed pointedly.
“When Stacey gets back from her mini daydream involving a shirtless Mr. Walkers—oof,” he grunted while Stacey clocked him in the gut.
“I think it’s better for you to not get involved with someone so powerful,” Stacey said in a low voice. “I hope it’s just a fling, Lexi, and that you aren’t getting your emotions involved. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Their reaction upset me. Of course no one would get on board with me dating the CEO. I could logically understand that, but I still couldn’t separate my emotions from Jonah.
