Joslyn
It’s afternoon when I saunter into the office, puppy by my side. I dressed in some old, comfortable Levi’s and a black T-shirt with the Wolves logo prominently displayed across my back. With the staff gone for the day, it feels so nice to wear something other than business attire. I don’t mind dressing for work, but a girl likes to wear her comfy jeans on occasion.
I’m surprised to discover coffee already made in the break room, and lights on in the hallway. I hope Bill isn’t back early. Just the thought of him makes me nervous. The audit meeting isn’t until later this afternoon, but I don’t want to take any chances.
Abby gives a happy bark and trots down the hall to Damon’s office, much to my relief. Knowing he’s here makes me feel much less anxious. Bill creeps me out, but I feel much safer with Damon around. I choose not to examine the why too closely. Maybe he’ll want to sit in on the meeting later today. It wouldn’t hurt to have another set of eyes. I decide I’m going to check with him about his schedule. I do have to retrieve my dog, right? I’m certainly not making up excuses to see him or anything. I ignore the butterflies in my stomach as I follow my dog down the hall.
“You and Jacob are going to make her fat, but at least they’re organic,” I tease. I’m standing at his office door, and it’s hard to miss the big box of treats on the shelf behind his desk.
“It’s not my fault she’s adorable. You can’t possibly expect me to resist those eyes.” He says it with a smile that makes my knees weak. His fit, muscular body is on display in a tight black t-shirt. Those biceps! I run my tongue over my bottom lip and try not to think about licking my way down his chest.
He ruffles Abby’s ears again and gives her another treat. “Don’t listen to the mean lady. I’ll give you all the treats, Abby.”
“Oh, I see how it is,” I scoff. “You, my friend, are a sucker! She’s most definitely playing you.” I smirk, but my insides melt. What is it about a handsome man loving on a cute dog? Swoon-worthy.
“Oh, I know. Abby’s the one I’m trying to impress here.” His grin is wide and infectious, those sexy eyes full of teasing humor.
I press my hand over my heart. “I see, second fiddle to my dog. That’s it, no year-end bonus for you, buddy.” I’m smiling so wide it almost hurts. I enjoy our banter.
“Wow, going in for the kill. That was fast. What should we do, Abby? Does Mom need some bribery treats, too?”
Abby cocks her head in that adorable way dogs do. She’s as smitten as I am.
“Oh my god, I can’t be mad when she’s so cute. I love it when she does that!” I bend down to pet my pupper. When I look up, Damon’s lips are in a pout, and his puppy dog eyes are on point. I laugh and shake my head. “I’ve raised boys. You’d better have something better than puppy dog eyes in your arsenal. This is not my first rodeo.”
I raise an eyebrow and give him my best stern parent look. He breaks first, that deep laugh of his making me shiver. God, even his laugh is sexy. We don’t say anything for a bit, just stare at each other smiling until I lookaway. I can’t sit here mooning over him. Why am I here again? Oh yeah, the meeting. I mentally pull myself together.
“So, I stopped by to see if you were busy this afternoon. I have a meeting with the auditors, and I thought you might like to attend, at least for the first part. The last part will be a lot of detail, so you don’t have to stick around for it if you’ve got a busy day.”
His face brightens with a malicious grin, telling me he’s looking forward to Bill’s comeuppance as much as I am. That grin makes him look like a comic book supervillain-okay, a really hot supervillain,-but still.
“There’s nothing pressing on my schedule, and I would love to hear what they find. Is Jacob coming in for the meeting?”
“No, he asked me to handle it. I guess something’s going on with his fiancée, so he’s dealing with that.” I try not to let my feelings about her color my comment, but Damon gives me a look, and I know I’m unsuccessful.
“I haven’t met her yet. I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend, much less a fiancée. He doesn’t talk about her, at least to me.” He looks at me to fill in the blanks.
“Well, I’d be grateful for that,” I respond dryly, “I wish I could say I was a fan, but I just don’t like the way she treats him. I want to like her for his sake, but I can’t help but feel that at the end of the day, she’s going to hurt him. I guess I’m still the protective aunt.”
I grimace. He’s so far gone at this point that it’s going to be painful regardless of what happens. It makes me want to punch her perfectly made-up face.
Damon pats my arm. His face is full of compassionate understanding, and it fills me with a wonderful warmth.
“It’s hard to watch people we care about make poor relationship choices. I’m facing the same issue with my daughter. I can’t stand her boyfriend, but if I say anything, then I’m ‘controlling’ and ‘trying to ruin her life.’ More than half the time, I’m afraid to comment when she talksto me about something, because she’s so defensive. I’m getting really good at listening…quietly.” He sighs heavily, and I see how weighty the concern he’s carrying is for him.
“Granted, she’s only eighteen, so she’s much younger than Jacob. She’s going to be a freshman at DU this fall, and this is her first time living alone. As a parent, it’s terrifying, so I completely understand how you feel. My heart hurts just watching the way he treats her. I can see that he’s going to hurt her, but watching it is killing me.”
Handsome face tight with frustration, he runs his hand through his silky black hair. I feel a strong urge to hug him. I don’t, but God, do I want to. Being a parent can be challenging at times, regardless of your children’s age.
“Wow, that’s tough. It’s incredibly hard to watch your adult children make mistakes you know will hurt them, even knowing that you have to let them live their lives and learn their lessons on their own. As a mom, it kills me every time. I completely get how you feel!” I pause, remembering some of the things I’ve experienced with my own children.
“So, tell me about your daughter’s boyfriend. What’s he like?”
I encourage him to share more, hoping it’ll be helpful for him to talk it through. I take a seat on his black leather office sofa, and Abby immediately comes over to curl up at my feet. He releases a heartfelt sigh before taking a seat in the big gray armchair next to the sofa.
He walks me through the events of their dinner a few weeks ago, and a shiver of fear grips me. Some of her boyfriend’s behaviors are definite red flags, and I recognize them, given my marriage was full of them. The food situation is particularly alarming and poses a potential danger to her health. It brings back very vivid reminders of my own experiences with abuse and control, leaving me with a very uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It also bothers me that he’s so much older than Lexi, particularly sinceshe hasn’t even started her freshman year classes yet. Why isn’t he dating someone his own age?
Many women don’t recognize it when abusive behavior begins since it can be very subtle at first. I certainly didn’t have a clue. I’m so glad, for his daughter’s sake, that he’s aware of the situation’s potential and is willing to step in if needed. It’s something I never had.
