“What’s going on? What happened?” Kane asks.
I fist my hands at my sides, hoping that Kane goes along with this. He can easily blow my cover. “I gave Sam the keys to her company car.”
“Company car?” he asks speculatively.
Sam looks up at Kane, trying to read his reaction, and Kane finally chimes in. “Right, right, company car. Sounds good. Have you checked it out yet?”
Sam shakes her head, and Kane grabs the bag she’s holding. “Well, let’s go look at it. Elijah, you coming?”
I want to, but instead, I shake my head. “No, I have a few things to finish up on. I’ll see you two in the morning.”
Sassy hands the keys over to Kane and stays back as he goes outside. She looks at me with full-on gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you, Elijah. Really, thank you for the job opportunity and?—”
I hold my hands up. “No more thank-yous. Just do what we talked about, okay? You deserve this, honey. This and so much more.”
She nods and then follows her brother out the door. I watch through the window, and as soon as I see Sassy’s face light up, I know I did the right thing. Yeah, people usually work here a minimum of three months before they get a company car. And insurance doesn’t usually kick in until after ninety days of employment, but that all changed this morning. I made calls to put it all in motion. And seeing Sassy smile like she is right now is one hundred percent worth it.
CHAPTER 6
SASSY
I’m exhausted but happy.
I thought for sure that Elijah had created some kind of fake job for me out of pity, but my list of things to do is growing every day. It’s challenging but also rewarding. I actually feel needed and wanted here, so it has been a great experience.
I love the job, and it’s not just because of the work I’m doing.
I had hoped by working here, I could forget about my attraction to Elijah that consumed most of my younger life. But here I am, pregnant by another man, and my insides get all gooey just looking at Elijah.
And damn, the grownup version is even better than the childhood Elijah.
He’s muscled, smart, and confident, and when he talks, everyone listens. He’s an amazing boss, and not just to me. It’s obvious that the office staff and the crew out in the field love him and respect him. It would be so easy to let my feelings get out of control. But no, I’m going to keep tamping them down because I can’t go there. If I do, it will ruin everything.
He’s just being nice. He’s my brother’s best friend, and he’s looking out for me. He did it when we were younger, so of course he’s going to do it now.
Carrie comes into the conference room, breaking me from my wayward thoughts. She’s carrying a huge bouquet of flowers. “Oh my God, they’re so beautiful.”
She holds them up. “Thank you. I love them. My boyfriend gave them to me, and I couldn’t leave them at home since I spend more hours here than there. You’re not allergic or anything, are you?”
I stand up and come toward her, pressing my nose to the fragrant flowers. “Allergic? No! They’re so beautiful. What’s the occasion?”
She shrugs, smiling. “Just because.”
I gasp. “Ooooh, just because. That’s so sweet.” I softly touch a red petal. “You know… I’ve never been given flowers before.”
Her mouth drops open. “Samantha… you’re kidding me. No man has ever given you flowers?”
I wave her off. I don’t know why I confessed that, but I did now, and I can’t take it back. “Yeah, but it’s no big deal. I don’t even know why I told you that. Your boyfriend sounds like a keeper.”
Her smile gets even bigger. “Oh, he’s a keeper all right. I think he might be the one!”
We both giggle, and Carrie says, “Okay, I’m going to put all this up, check and send a few emails, and then we’ll continue with training, okay?”
When she walks out the door, I hear her say, “What’s up, boss man?”
Seconds later, Elijah is peeking in the door, looking at me worriedly. “You doing okay?”
I nod. “Perfect! The car is a dream, Elijah.”
