Page 10 of Keeping Denver

Dr. Morgan rears back. "Why have you not eaten anything in over twenty-four hours? No wonder you passed out. I have to warn you, Miss Hollis, you are doing serious damage to your body by denying it proper nutrition. Are you on one of these silly fad diets?"

I blow out a breath and squeeze my eyes shut. "Yeah. It's called the 'I'm homeless and have no money for food diet, Dr. Morgan." Placing my elbows on my knees, I lean forward and rest my forehead in the palms of my hands.

"I see," Dr. Morgan says, his voice gentle. "Does Callan know of your current situation?"

"No!" I snap my head up. "Nobody knows, and I want to keep it that way."

"If Callan knew…" Dr. Morgan goes to say.

I hold my hand up to stop him. "I don't want my boss to know I'm homeless. I don't need his or anyone else's pity. I can take care of myself. I'm also saving up to get myself an apartment. I'll only be in this predicament for a couple more weeks." I fold my arms. "I don't need anyone." By the look on my face and the tone in my voice, Dr. Morgan can sense the matter is closed. Slowly losing some of my defenses, I say, "Look, I'll try to do better about eating. I get my first check at the end of the week. I have a plan to start looking at apartments soon. I can assure you my situation is only temporary."

"Okay, Miss Hollis. For now, I am going to give you my number. I want you to call me day or night if needed." Dr. Morgan pulls a card from his pocket and scribbles his number on the back then hands it over. "I don't agree with the fact you won't say anything to Callan or even Frances, but I will respect it." He gives me a pointed look. "Your health comes before pride, Denver."

I take the offered card with a nod. I don't have any intention of ever telling Mr. Hawk anything.

Standing, I follow Dr. Morgan out of the office, where a worried Frances and my brooding boss are waiting. I ignore Mr. Hawk as he talks in hushed tones with Dr. Morgan. By the glare on his face, he is not pleased with the fact the doctor is not willing to divulge any of my information. Meanwhile, I take a seat back behind my desk.

"What are you doing, Denver?" Frances asks.

"I'm getting back to work," I shrug as though it was clear.

"I don't think that is a good idea. Perhaps you should go home and get some rest."

I give Frances a warm smile. She truly is the sweetest lady. "I'm fine, Frances. Really. I was in such a rush this morning I forgot to grab some breakfast. That and I have been feeling a little under the weather, and took some medicine on an empty stomach." I let the lie roll off my tongue. "I'll have some lunch in a little bit and be as good as new."

"The hell you will," a gruff voices barks over Frances's shoulder. "You'll eat now, and you'll eat in my office where I can keep an eye on you. The last thing I need is a passed out employee." Mr. Hawk turns to Frances. "Tell Kelly she is to handle all of Miss Hollis's calls for the next hour." He then turns to me. "My office, Miss Hollis. Now." Mr. Hawk turns and storms off and I'm left stunned. I look to Frances for help. Only she doesn't offer anything except a huge grin.

"You don't want to keep him waiting when he's in a mood."

Sighing, I brace my hands on my desk and stand. "Is he always like this with his employees?"

Frances's grin turns into a full-on ear to ear smile. "Nope."

When I step inside Mr. Hawk's office, I stand at the door, unsure of what to do. This whole situation has thrown me off-kilter. "Sit," he barks as he stands at the mini bar with his back to me. I watch as he fills a glass with ice then pours a small bottle of orange juice into it. Grabbing a bottle of water from the small refrigerator, along with the glass of juice, Mr. Hawk's legs eat up the distance between us. As he makes his way toward me, I can't help but take him in. Today he is wearing a grey suit with a white button-down. The red tie he had on earlier is now missing, and the top two buttons on his dress shirt are undone, exposing a smidgen of ink. I'm now suddenly curious about what is under his shirt and the extent of his tattoo.

"Denver," Mr. Hawk growls, catching my attention. The look on his face says he knows I was checking him out and I can feel my face flush. This is also the first time he has called me by my first name. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the way it sounded on his lips.

I look up at his face and swallow. "What?"

He sets the glass and the bottle of water down on the table in front of me. "Drink."

This time I find myself not arguing. I pick up the glass of orange juice and place it to my lips, my boss watching my every move. I close my eyes and moan as the coolness slides down my throat. When was the last time I had orange juice? It tastes like heaven.

A knock at the door causes me to abandon my trance, looking up to find Mr. Hawk peering down at me, his eyes hooded. His green eyes draw me in, and without thinking, I run my tongue across my full bottom lip. The grip my boss has on his bottle of water tightens, and the plastic makes a crackling sound under the pressure. The second knock on the door does the trick at snapping him out of his current state. The delivery guy stands in the doorway to the office, waiting for Mr. Hawk's orders. "You can set it down over here on the table," he tells him. Mr. Hawk pulls out his wallet and hands the delivery guy some cash. "Close the door on your way out, Dillon."

"Will do, Mr. Hawk. See you next time."

I find it endearing my boss is on a first-name basis with the guy who delivers his food. That thought causes me to smile.

"What's that look for?" he asks, taking a seat in the chair across from me and begins pulling the items from the bag.

"I think it's nice you know the name of the man who delivers your lunch," I shyly admit.

Mr. Hawk removes the lid to a plastic container and places it in front of me. On it is Thai chicken with a side of broccoli. It smells delicious. "Dillion has been bringing me my lunch at least three times a week for the past two years. I would be an asshole not to know his name, Miss Hollis."

I guess now we're back to Miss Hollis.

Together Mr. Hawk and I eat our meal in silence. I take my time to savor each bite, and the food is going a long way in making me feel better. As the minutes tick by, I become less nervous around my boss. He is abrupt with me, and kind of a bossy jerk, but has never been outright mean.