“Yeah, it looked like you did,” Leila says with a smile. “You and Whitney both.”
I clear my throat, but don’t respond. Leila goes back to her cereal, eyeing me suspiciously while she eats. When she’s finished, Chase swoops in and collects her dishes before rinsing them out in the sink.
I want to roll my eyes, but I don’t. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen my brother act so gentlemanly before toward a woman he brought home.
“I’m going to go hop in the shower, babe,” Chase says to Leila before leaning down and kissing her on the cheek. Shebeams at the gesture, looking up at Chase like he is the star that lights up her sky.
Leila reads his hidden request and nods her head. “Give me just a minute.”
Chase’s lips pull into a smirk before he saunters out of the kitchen and down the hallway to the bathroom. Once he’s entirely out of earshot, Leila turns to me.
“So, you like Whitney, huh?”
I nearly spit out my coffee and look over to the woman sitting at my bar. She’s blowing gently on her steaming cup ofwater, looking awfully pleased with herself.
“Don’t give me that look. I’m letting you know I approve, but don’t hurt her. She might come off as uptight and have some ridiculous expectations, but she’s really vulnerable on the inside. Just take care of her.”
Ridiculous expectations?I had no idea what the hell that meant. Whitney had never given me any indication that she had expectations of any sort.Thankfully. I’m not sure what I’d do if I found myself in another relationship where I never felt like I was up to par. Going through one of those already was one too many for my tastes.
I nod my head. “Noted.”
“Thanks, Theo. This was a great talk. Hopefully, I’ll see you around.” She gives me a wide smile before sliding out of the barstool and floating down the hallway with a mug of hot water. I try to ignore the fact that I hear the bathroom door opening and my brother's appreciative groan when she clearly joins him in the shower.
I’m left standing there, coffee mug in hand, wondering if Leila just unexpectedly gave me her blessing.
Having her permission or not, there’s still the inner turmoil of whether or not I can or should pursue Whitney further.
I want to screamyesand convince Whitney that there is no other man she should be with besides me, but still, my reason knows that wouldn’t be the best course of action at this time.
So, with a resigned sigh, I shuffle into my living room and reach for my briefcase next to the couch. I pull out my laptop and power it on, clicking on my email icon. I mouse over to thenewoption and pause when a blank email draft pops onto the screen. My fingers hover over my keyboard, and I hesitate, running over all potential outcomes.
Of course, I could just text her this, but perhaps creating this professional boundary right from the get-go would be the best decision.
Finally, I shake my head and begin typing.
To:Whitney Palmer
From:Theodore Hurst
Subject:Monday
Ms. Palmer,
We should discuss our conversation from yesterday. I’m not satisfied with how we left it. Unfortunately, I believe we may need to go in a different direction than what was initially implied.
Let's schedule a time to meet and go over the details of this matter sometime Monday.
Sincerely,
Theo Hurst.
I send it before I can change my mind. My eyes fly over the completed—and sent—email. Obviously, email inboxes are monitored by IT, and while I may be the CEO, it doesn’t hurt to be as discreet as possible. In my opinion, the email comes across as an email from a boss to his assistant about any old matter.Nothing more, nothing less.
I fall back into the cushions of my sofa and stare blankly at my screen. This will work. Whitney and I will have a chance to sit down and talk about this. We’ll have a heart to heart, lay it all out on the table, and then hopefully nip whatever this is in the bud before it has the chance to bloom into anything further.
We both have an attraction for each other, so what? We’re both adults, I imagine we will be capable of putting feelings aside during work hours.
But what aboutafterwork hours?My traitorous thoughts feel the need to make themselves known.
