For the rest of the morning, Theo worked just as hard at keeping his thoughts from straying to the woman in the office next door as he did on the speech he was writing.
Three times he was interrupted.
“Come in,” he said the first time.
She opened the door and read from a paper. “Mr. Wivell called. He wants your opinion on building squirrel bridges on Main Street to increase safe passage.” Her lips quivered when she met his eyes.
He cleared his throat and tried for professional interest. “Please tell him I will take that under consideration.”
“On it.” She nodded smartly and spun on her red heels. His collar felt too tight, and he was suddenly too warm. Theo cursed the heat outside and took off his suit jacket.
The second time she knocked, he looked up and the feeling of anticipation surprised him. Kelsey would never have interrupted him this many times. He wouldn’t have allowed it. He took off his glasses. “Yes?” he asked, already anticipating her heart-shaped face in the doorway.
“Message from a—” Amber paused, her brow furrowed in mock seriousness. “Mrs. Slaughter. She wants to know what—wait, let me make sure I get this right.” She cleared her throat. “What woke bullshit is on your agenda for the next state of the town address?” She looked up innocently, and Theo caught the mischievous look in her eyes. “What shall I tell her, sir?”
“Please tell her,” he said just as solemnly, “that the agenda includes mandatory yoga for all council members, to improve flexibility in decision making.”
“Understood, Mr. Mayor.” Amber’s lips curved delightedly.
“And, Amber?” Theo added as she turned to leave, “hold all future messages, please.”
Amber nodded. “Got it, boss. Priorities only.”
An hour later, she came back with a Post-it note and put it on his desk silently.
R.E. Annual Pirate Day. A formal request for “Talk Like a Pirate Day.” Do you accept? Yay or Nay.
Theo stared at the note for a full ten seconds.
Amber held out a purple pen.
Theo took it and checked‘nay’with a heavy hand.
Disappointment made her lips pouty. He had a brief, wicked hot thought of taking that full bottom lip between his teeth. He waited until she turned around to leave. “Amber,” he called.
“Yes, sir?” She turned with an eyebrow raised. The air in his office seemed to disappear, and Theo had a sudden image of those red heels digging into his back again.
“No more interruptions.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She closed the door with a little snap.
And Theo was alone in his blessedly quiet office again.
Which was no fun at all.
At noon,Amber cracked open her Diet Coke and fished a package of Red Hots out of her purse. She had typed a report, made a golf reservation, and thought up inappropriate Post-it note messages to write to Theo for the last hour since he kicked her out of his office.
She snickered, remembering Theo’s reaction to her interruptions. Every time she knocked, she was half-convinced Theowould lose his patience with her, maybe even fire her, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
It was that wild feeling that had gotten her in trouble her entire life, but with Theo she couldn’t seem to stop herself. If she were honest, she didn’t want to. It was like earning a congressional medal when she got him to loosen up. That yoga joke had been pretty good actually, not that she would tell him that.
Theo needed more fun in his life, as far as she was concerned. Now that she had her hands on his schedule, she could confirm that he did very little aside from work. No wonder he looked tired.
Idly, she popped a few pieces of cinnamon candy into her mouth and pulled up Phillip Beckerman’s website. His event schedule for the summer was full of her favorite Northfield events: the carnival, Fourth of July fireworks at Canandaigua Lake, the arts festival on Main Street—the guy was everywhere this summer.
She pulled up Theo’s calendar and compared, made some notes with her favorite pen, which she took time to admire. She was just finishing up when Theo appeared in her doorway.
“I’ll be back in an hour," Theo said, rolling down his shirtsleeves over tanned, muscular forearms that she eyed with interest. His classic gold watch gleamed at her, drawing attention to the forearm porn in front of her.
