Page 21 of About That Pact

She dismissed her childhood nonsense with a flick of her wrist. “I didn’t want to break my mother’s back. That childhood limerick haunted me. Remember when you asked my mom if babies came out of the pee hole or poo hole?”

“I was eleven,” Rafe refuted.

They went back and forth on embarrassing moments while his friends watched. Will and Callie got along well with Charlotte. He could tell by the constant banter between everyone. One drink turned into two. Then drinks turned into eating dinner together. This second favor of his was turning into a great night. He couldn’t help but notice how well Charlotte fit into his life. And how much he liked it.

Chapter 8

SCRAMBLING THROUGH HER desk, Charlotte eventually found what she was looking for. Working at Catch Me always kept her on her toes with the ever-changing environment of technological advancements. The company didn’t just provide technology solutions to customers, but always made sure all applications and systems were the latest in-house. Currently, an employee was demanding five weeks of vacation as opposed to the standard four all entry-level employees received. He swore it was in his contract, which she’d luckily just found.

Her phone rang, and her face lit up seeing it was Rafe. After their dinner last week with his friends, something had shifted. Their normal hostile had jabs turned into friendly joking. They were having fun, and to her, it felt like old times when they had been friends who teased without one of them taking offense.

“Please tell me you’re calling because Callie wants to be my best friend. I had a good time hanging out with her,” Charlotte answered without saying hello. She didn’t normally answer her cell at the office, but Rafe had managed to find a way to make her relax, despite being in her office with a mountain of work to do.

His gruff laugh made her smile. “She said something similar about you. But I think she only likes you because you have so much dirt on me.”

“Of course. The world does revolve around you.”

“As it should.”

One thing Charlotte had always been attracted to was his humor. She loved his dry comments and witty comebacks. Over the years, she’d forgotten how many similarities they shared and how easy it was to be herself around him.

“I am cashing in my third favor.”

Ah, the third favor. While she was off daydreaming about how she enjoyed being around him, he had only called because he needed something. She sat up straight in her chair, using her free hand to tap her desk with annoyance.

“What is it this time?” Even to her, her tone was harsh.

“Come on, Charlie. You act like spending time with me is such a hassle.” He sounded like his feelings were hurt at her peppered response.

“Well, I don’t have any upcoming plans you can crash.” Her voice did soften, but only because her office door was open. She didn’t need someone to hear her and spread gossip. It wasn’t, at all, to make him feel better.

“I figured since you’re at work a majority of the time. I bet you’re still there.”

She was still at the office, and she doubted the fact that she was about to leave made a difference.

Her career was important to her, which meant long hours, whether at the office or at home. As the head of human resources, she only had three other employees in the department who reported to her. Work was endless, and she refused to let anything slip through the cracks.

She wasn’t going to apologize for her work ethic.

“Just tell me what you need,” she said, pushing for him to get to the point.

Rafe ignored her obvious annoyance. “I need to get new furniture, and for some reason, I value your opinion. Can you meet me at Harrington Galleries Furniture in twenty?”

“I can if it can wait an hour. I have a few more things to do at the office.”

“No,” he answered immediately.

“Do you want my help or not?”

“This is a favor,” he told her. “See you in twenty.”

He hung up, and she kicked her desk. This man, despite his good qualities, was a royal pain in the ass.

ONE OF THE things he loved about Charlotte was the way she carried herself. As she strode across the parking lot to meet him in front of the furniture store, her blonde hair clipped back into a low ponytail, a black dress that hugged her way too tight, she had confidence and ease he admired.

“That dress should be illegal,” fell out of his mouth the moment she caught up with him. He didn’t have a right to criticize her outfit, no one did, but he said it anyway.

She glared at him. “Are you kidding me? This is a maxi dress. Loose fitting and completely covers my chest.”