I clear my throat as if that will dispel my arousal. “Alright, let’s get out of bed before I convince myself I’m a fucking idiot. We can talk more tonight.”
She laughs as I move off her so we both can get out of bed.
“Oh my god,” Lily gasps.
I glance over at her and find her stare locked on the front of my tented sweats. Groaning, I turn away from herand head toward the bathroom, muttering, “Scratch that, I am in fact a fucking idiot.”
The tinkling laughter that follows me as she leaves my bedroom, while not as good as being in bed next to her, has my heart thudding with affection.
Sitting at my desk,taking notes, I glance up when Mandi walks into my office. She sets a cup of coffee from a local place nearby on my desk.
“Your reward for working so hard today,” she teases.
Rolling my eyes, I take off my reading glasses, tossing them on the desk before grabbing the coffee and gulping some down, ignoring the slight burn. “You’re such a pain in the ass.”
She shrugs with a smug smile.
I take another drink before telling her, “Tom asked about you the other day. Said he would love it if you came to visit sometime soon.”
Her smile grows regretful as her eyes shift down and she toys with the top of her cup. When she looks back up, any joviality is gone. “I feel bad. I haven’t been to see him in a while. Just makes me so sad to see him in there.”
I nod because I get it. “I know. It’s hard for me, too.”
She waves a hand in the air. “I’m sorry, Chris. That was stupid. I’m sure it’s infinitely more difficult for you. I have no real excuse.”
“Mandi, it’s not a comparison about who’s allowed to feel more sad. You care about Tom, too. You’re allowed to feel however you want.”
Letting out an emotional breath, she nods. “I’ll go see him later this week.”
Smiling, I take another sip of my coffee. “Good.”
“How’s Seth?” she asks. She’s met Seth a few times when he was younger, but has heard me talk about him enough times.
I shake my head. “He’s definitely a teenager now. I got to see him play basketball on Saturday. He texted me that his mom couldn’t be at the game and asked if I wanted to come. He was so good. And he’s only a freshman.”
Mandi clasps her hands under her chin. “I love hearing that. Maybe he’ll get a college scholarship.”
I lift a shoulder. “Doesn’t matter. He’ll have his college paid for one way or another.”
Mandi and Tom are the only people who know I set up an investment account for Seth years ago and have been putting money into it regularly. He’ll have a good amount to pay for college and get him a comfortable life once he leaves his mom’s house.
Her watery smile hits me right in the heart. “You’re a good man. Chris.”
The corner of my lips lifts in a half smile, but needing to move to a less emotionally charged topic, I ask, “Now, did you come in here just to give me coffee, or did you have another reason?”
“That was really it.”
I pick my glasses back up and slip them on. “Well, get back to work then, before I dock your pay.”
“Pssh, as if. I run payroll around here.”
Resuming my notes, I mutter, “I should probably change that at some point.”
She calls out as she leaves my office. “You really should. The raises you’ve given me in the past year might bankrupt you eventually.”
Chuckling, I shake my head. I trust Mandi enough toknow she’d never steal from me, but she’s absolutely given herself a raise. Luckily, she’s worth every penny. And probably more.
I finish the notes I need for a meeting I have tomorrow with one of my clients, and I pull back up the browser I’ve been using for some research. Leaning back in my chair, I stare at the screen and rub my fingers over my lips in thought.
