"What?" I blurt out.
"Well, I know it's true that the guy is an absolute douchebag, and it's exhausting being polite to him, of course. But there isalso the fact that you're in love with your boss," Amos says before taking a swig of his drink.
His observation makes me choke on my beer, and I need a minute to recover.
"Excuse me, what's this now?"
"You are so head over heels for Joss Gallagher," he says, fixing me with a knowing stare.
"She's engaged, dude."
"Yeah, so? And you have a thing for her."
"My boss is off limits," I say, trying to sound firm enough to end the topic.
But my childhood buddy spins toward me on the stool and says, "Then why do you never date?"
"I've barely been in this town for a year. Cut me some slack!"
"It's because you're hung up on your boss," Amos says with finality before changing the subject to his wife's new kitten rescues.
After a busy morning delivering feed to small farms on the outskirts of Corvid Valley, I pull up to find Bart's baby blue BMW parked out front. An annoyed groan tumbles out of my mouth as I step out into the chilly February air. Walking inside, Joss looks up at me, startled, with Bart standing in front of her.
"Oh, hi, Brando. Bart here decided to surprise me with a visit," she says, and I can't quite read her expression.
"I'll get out of your hair," I say, tipping my hat and heading into the back.
2
Joss
While I'm taking inventory in the back, the storage door rolls up, letting in chilly February air. My jack-of-all-trades employee, Brando, steps in, his cowboy hat casting a long shadow in the winter sun.
A surprised yelp escapes my lips when the cold air hits me, and he looks at me with surprise.
"Oh, sorry, ma'am? I didn't know you were in here," he says.
I shake my head with a laugh, feeling my cheeks burn.
"First of all, please stop calling me ma'am," I beg him, and he chuckles. I swear I can see Brando's cheeks redden under his scruff.
"Sorry. It's a habit."
"The only people I allow to get away with calling me ma'am are teenage cashiers," I say, trying to lighten the mood, and he responds with a shy grin.
My pussy reacts to seeing his crooked smile, lighting up his dark purple eyes, and I scold myself internally. Cut that shit out, Joss. You're an engaged woman, and this is your employee.
"Anyway, Brando, don't ever apologize for doing your job. I can handle the cold," I say, turning back to the inventory before I make a fool of myself.
As I continue checking items off my list, the dragon shifter loads his truck with feed. When I hear the truck bed slam shut, I turn and wave him off.
"I can close this. Where are you headed?"
"The Brooks Farm. Thank you, ma'am." He catches himself. "Thank you, Joss."
I smile at him as he walks to the driver's side. I can't help appreciating how his jeans hug his ass. When he slides into the driver's seat, I jump up and yank down the storage door.
Staring at the spreadsheet, I realize I must have missed a crate. With an annoyed groan, I stand and head back into the storage unit.
