“The agreement says that we have to be able to accomplish this within a reasonable timeframe. The distance between the access door and her unit won’t allow us to move everything reasonably.”
“But you have time to stand here and argue about it?” Cody asked.
“Sorry, man,” the first guy said. “It’s not part of the agreement, and it’s not in our timeframe.”
The second guy shrugged, and then they both turned and began to walk toward the door.
“What’s the name of the company?” Cody asked.
“Direct Line.”
“Great. Then I’ll know where to file a complaint.”
“Okay. You do that,” guy number one said.
Cody could see that he didn’t believe Cody would do it. He’d taken one look at him, saw that he was a cowboy, figured he was a country bumpkin, and assumed that he would not sit his ass down at a computer and write complaints and reviews here, there, and everywhere. He would.
Because if Cody Grayson was one thing… Well, it was stubborn, but if he were another thing, it waspetty. Jesus could save souls, forgive, and forget. Cody would save receipts and stay mad.
“Sorry,” Marlowe said, her face flushed. “I’m kind of an endless drama.”
“It’s fine,” Cara said. “It’s just that men are an endless disappointment.” She looked at Cody. “No offense.”
“Oh. None taken.” He was having a hard time taking his eyes off Marlowe. The rosy color in her cheeks might be from anger, but it made it so easy for him to imagine her flushed from a kiss or…
“You’re here,” Marlowe said, looking at him, and then she blinked and shook her head. “I mean, obviously you’re here. I just… I’m surprised.”
“Good thing,” he said. “Because otherwise the two of you would be doing all this.”
“You’re my boss,” she said.
It seemed for a moment like she had something else shewanted to add, but she let that first part sit there. Her eyes landed decidedly on his, and he felt tension in his gut. And growing desire.
“I’m sure you’re busy,” she said finally.
“Not so busy that I can’t help carry the boxes up. It’s just going to be a few elevator trips. It’s not like you have all that much.”
“Some of it is just heavy. Plates and dishes, things like that. Clothes.”
“And the whole ass couch,” he said.
“Yeah. There is that.”
Thankfully, Cara was there, and so as the three of them began to make trips from the lobby to room number 46, they had a chaperone. His skin felt like it was close to being on fire. Something about being near Marlowe.
In any other circumstance, this might’ve intrigued him.
Because what was it about her?
There was something. Something deeper than just regular old attraction, and he had a feeling that it could be combustible in the bedroom. But, the bedroom was all he would ever have to offer – considering relationships required compromise and other things that he would never give – and a fling with an employee also fell under the header of shit his father would have loved, and therefore shit that Cody would never do.
So it didn’t matter. Didn’t matter that being near her was like taking a hit of some lethal substance. Didn’t matter that she made him feel things that he had never felt before.
Yeah. None of that mattered.
But, he had a feeling that common sense might have gone out the window at some point had it not been for Cara’s cheerful and chatty presence.
The apartment was looking good, but now he wished that he had put more into it. A cozy chair for her to sit by thewindow and look out at the view. The couch was fine, but wouldn’t it have been nice for her to have a cozier place to sit? Somewhere for the early morning.
