Her hands slid up my chest. Her fingers closed, gripping my shirt. I leaned in closer, then she shoved me away.
Breath whooshed out of my lungs as I stumbled backward. I looked up at her, red lips and flushed cheeks and anger sparking in her eyes.
Fuck.
“What? Why? This… No. This can’t happen. This isn’t going to happen. I don’t want it to happen.”
I straightened and nodded sharply. My body was still on high alert, ready to dive back in and finish what I’d started. Sending the message all around that it wasn’t happening was a slow process. One made slower when she clutched a hand to her heaving chest and drew my eyes to her perky nipples pressing against the thin fabric of her costume.
A fucking maid’s costume. Jesus fucking Christ. The woman had no idea what she did to me. Hell, I didn’t know until I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her. But that outfit, with the tight black skirt, the lace-edged top that exposed the very top of perfect globes of skin, and those fuck me heels I wanted very much to listen to, I was out of my damn mind.
All she had to do now was turn around and get the hell out of my office, but she didn’t. She stood there, her eyes blazing at me like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to kiss me again or punch me.
Probably both.
“You can leave now,” I growled, deciding for her. I wasn’t interested in being her whipping post. I was far too often, and I needed a break. It was the whole reason I was in my office in the first damn place. She was the one who followed me.
“But…” She drew a deep breath, lifting those breasts my hands itched to mold. She looked at me once more, then turned on one of her heels and let herself out, slamming my office door behind her.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered when she was finally gone.
That was not supposed to happen. Nothing was supposed to happen. Not with her. I decided I was ready to start dating, not torturing myself. And spending time with that woman would be pure torture.
But it’d be so damn good.
“Nope.” I shook my head, trying to toss the thought out. She worked for Finley, one of my best friends in the world. And her son worked for me. It was too close. Too much.
Plus, we didn’t like each other. At all. She never spoke to me unless it was in irritation, and the feeling was mutual. If I was going to get involved with another woman, it was not going to be one who made my skin feel too tight and my body feel like it was on fire. In a bad way.
Nope, Anna Charlotte was not going to be the woman I started dating or kissing or anything else. We were going to go back to hating each other and forget this ever happened.
A knock on the door had my cock jumping. Fucking hell. The lonely bastard was hoping Anna had changed her mind.
“We just talked about this,” I grumbled as I moved toward the door.
He didn’t listen. I adjusted myself and conjured up pictures of Old Man Bill, one of my regulars who sat at the bar on Monday afternoons and told me stories about his long-lost love. I was going to be him in a few decades.
I opened the door, ready to walk out if it was Anna back for another round of yelling at me. But it wasn’t. It was Finley with baby George, my Godson, on her hip.
“What happened to Joey?”
“Really, Fin? Do you think I’d intentionally hurt the kid?”
“Of course not. That’s why I asked. Anna came out of here all flushed and furious and dragged the boys out so they could go to the hay maze. She said something about not wanting to be here any longer. Laura said Joey’s hand is okay, but obviously there’s more to the story.”
I shook my head and reached for George. He was quickly becoming my favorite person in the world. He never judged me for not having my shit together, was always happy to see me, and smelled good all the time. He was sort of like a puppy, but I’d never tell Finley that.
“Someone stepped out in front of Joey and he dropped a tray. When he went to clean it up, he got bumped and a piece of glass cut his hand. He washed it, and Laura checked it out, but you know how Anna is about Joey working here. I’m surprised she didn’t make him quit right then and there.”
“Are you okay?” Finley asked.
Her ability to see past my bullshit was starting to get on my nerves. I didn’t know if it was motherhood that made her more sensitive to the emotions and needs of others or if we’d been spending too much time together, but either way, the last thing I needed was Finley catching wind of anything that happened in the office before she arrived.
I buried my nose in George’s neck and smiled when he nuzzled against me. “I’m good. Anna lost it on me, but it’s fine. She already hates me, this is just one more reason.”
“I don’t think she hates you. I think she likes you.”
My damn dick jumped again. I swallowed a groan and shook my head. “Nope. Definitely wrong on that one. But it’s all good. Joey’s a damn good employee, and that’s all that really matters to me.”
“We both know that isn’t true.”
I couldn’t risk looking at Finley. Not when I was sure she’d see all the things I was feeling about Anna in my eyes. Instead, I focused on George and lifted him over my shoulder. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t just care that Joey’s a good employee. You want him to do well in school and to work hard and play hard. Same with Matty. I know you care about those boys. You care about everyone in your circle. If you’re really honest with yourself, you probably care about Anna, too.”
I nuzzled against George in order to avoid Finley again. I nodded, hoping it would appease her. “They’re good kids.”
“They are. And Anna is a good person. I’m sorry you two don’t always get along, but I’m sure eventually you will.”
“Doubtful.”
“Well, either way, she’s gone, and you should come enjoy the party. The place looks amazing, by the way. You always do it right.”
I nodded, happy to be on a safer subject than Anna. “I try. I’ll be out in a minute. I need to write up the report on Joey so I have a record.”
“Okay, sounds good. And, Hudson?”
“Yeah?”
She waited until I handed over the baby and met her gaze. “I know you’d never hurt anyone on purpose. Not Joey, not Anna, no one. Anna knows that, too. She was just scared tonight. I’m learning that’s the default emotion as a parent.”
I nodded, offering her a smile and a wink, then encouraging her gently toward the door.
That one hurt. I’d always wanted to be a parent. Hillary and I were talking about it when she died. Not having kids was the only thing in life I regretted. Not that I could have done anything about it when my wife was dead, but I wished I’d had kids. Having Joey and Matty at O’Kelley’s was almost like having kids, but not. I knew they weren’t mine, but they didn’t have a dad and I didn’t have kids, so there were times I pretended. Not that I’d ever admit that.
I sat at my desk and tried to breathe. As much as I played it cool when Joey came to me with his hand wrapped in that towel, it scared the hell out of me. He was almost a man, but in that moment, I saw him as a little boy. I wanted to just wrap him up and never let anything else happen to him.
But I was his boss, and that meant making sure he was okay first. The rest of it was his mother’s job. And shoving my tongue down her throat did not help any of it. It was best if I just stayed away from the Charlotte family and kept a wall between me and the rest of them.
I filled out the form quickly, a formality more than anything else, and added it to Joey’s personnel file, then headed back out to the party to lose myself in the fun.
I’d never been a big drinker. People thought it was strange that I owned a bar and didn’t drink a lot, but I bought it for that reason. If I was always around the alcohol, the draw was less. Like a teenager wanting to do something. It was only appealing until it was allowed.
That was why it was almost a surprise to me when the night was winding down and I couldn’t make it out the door. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had so much to drink. I stumbled around the party, chatting with customers and laughing with my friends. I was having fun and forgetting about the rest of the day. It was only when the lights came up and the music went down that I realized just how far gone I was.
I shuffled my way through clean-up, telling the few remaining employees how much I appreciated their help, then locked the door behind them and dragged myself to my office. It had been a long time since I slept on the couch in there, but making it home was not an option, so I crashed hard on the couch.
When I was coherent again, the sun was barely shining through the back windows. My office faced the River, which was west, but I could tell the sun was up but not high. Barely daylight.
I checked my phone and groaned. I’d gotten about five hours of sleep. My head was pounding like it held a jackhammer, and my mouth felt like I’d forgotten to take the cotton swabs out after dental surgery.
I rolled off the couch and headed for the bathroom first. The medicine cabinet had a large bottle of painkillers. I downed a few and scooped water from the running sink into my mouth. It would take a while for the meds to kick in, but in the meantime, I had work to do.
The place wasn’t too bad, which was a nice surprise. I emptied the trash cans and tossed the bags into the dumpster outside. I wiped down the bar and straightened all the bottles. Bathrooms were good to go, and the kitchen was spotless.
It was too early to open, which was good since I was too exhausted to do it. I thought about going to Cracked for breakfast, but I needed a shower and a change of clothes so I headed home.
The painkillers finally kicked in after my shower and once I got some breakfast in me. My headache lingered, and I knew it was going to be a long day, but it was better than it could have been.
I’d just barely gotten back to the bar when I got a text from Finley.
I growled at the phone and tossed it on the bar. I didn’t want to deal with Anna. Not with the headache I had.
I ignored the message while I got things set up to open. The entire time, the back of my phone glared at me, encouraging me to flip it over and reply to Finley.
When I couldn’t make up any more excuses, I snatched my phone from the bar and thumbed out a quick reply.
Three dots appeared, like Finley had been sitting there waiting for me to reply. She probably was. Which made me feel like shit for ignoring her for so long.
I ignored the twitch in my jeans at the thought of seeing Anna again today. On the weekend, she usually didn’t come in when she dropped Joey off or picked him up. But if she was bringing Matty, she would.
I refused to be excited by the idea. I would be lucky to make it through the day with my balls intact if she had anything to say about it.
The bar opened and customers started filtering in. Some looked like I felt, but others showed up with smiles, playing pool and talking and laughing with friends like they hadn’t been up drinking half the night. I was getting too old. Damn. I didn’t think forty-two was that old, but I was starting to feel like it. I was twice the age of the youngest drinkers, and that realization hit me in the nuts as hard as anything.
I busied myself through the day, trying not to think about Anna coming when it was time for Joey’s shift. I absolutely did not watch the door or look up every time it opened. And I sure as hell didn’t have to go to the office to adjust myself a few minutes before they were going to arrive.
Absolutely not.
I was in the kitchen with Charlie when Joey walked in to clock in. Everything in me jumped when I realized he was there early and I wasn’t out front waiting for Anna.
It was good. It was better that way. I didn’t need to see her. There was no reason for it.
“How’s the hand?” Charlie asked Joey.
Joey held it up to show him the bandage wrapped around his palm. “It’s fine. Ms. Laura said it was good, but my mom’s a little crazy. She told me to keep it bandaged up until tomorrow. She’s taking me to my family doctor.”
“If Ms. Laura said you’re good, I’m sure you’re good,” Charlie said.
“That’s what I told her, but she’s being nuts. She’s always like that.”
“I’m almost surprised she let you come back to work,” Charlie teased.
“I don’t think she wanted to,” Joey admitted, flashing a guilty look my way. “I told her it wouldn’t be fair of me to quit without notice.”
“Is this your notice?” I asked, hating the way my gut clenched at the thought. Shit.
Joey shook his head. “No. She agreed to let me keep working here. I told her no one else is hiring right now, and I need this job to help out at home. I know she hates that, but it’s true.”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of that your family needs money,” Charlie said. “That’s how I got started cooking. My parents both worked two jobs and my siblings and I all took on jobs around the house. I was the tallest, so I was the cook. Turned out I was pretty good, and I enjoyed it. Soon as I could, I started working in kitchens to earn some money so my parents could back off a little on their work. They never did, but it was nice to have that spending money. You’ve got a great work ethic, kid. Don’t lose that.”
“Thanks,” Joey said, his cheeks darkening just a touch under the praise.
“Is your brother here?” I blurted.
Joey looked up at me and nodded. “Ms. Finley said you said it was okay. Is it?”
“Yeah, of course. You just didn’t mention him, so I wanted to ask. Did he sit at the bar?”
Joey shrugged. “I’m not sure. My mom walked him in. I came back here to clock in so I wasn’t late.”
“You’re good. Thanks. I’ll go find Matty and make sure he’s all set.”
“Mmm hmm,” Charlie mumbled.
I ignored him and left the kitchen as he asked Joey what he was doing to get ready for the upcoming baseball season.
Matty was not in his usual seat at the bar when I walked out. I scanned the area quickly, wondering if he’d left his seat and found someone to talk to. He was a chatty kid and if he was alone, he usually wandered.
When I didn’t see him in the bar, I headed toward the office. I had books for him to read and a handheld video game device he played after he finished his homework. And a workbook for him which he fought me on, but he never had much homework so I bought it to make sure he was getting the best education he could.
I heard her voice before I opened the door to the office. As always, she sounded upset. I sighed and drew a deep breath, then turned the corner into my office.
She was standing over my couch with the blanket I’d slept with the night before in her hands. She’d already folded it in half and was getting ready to fold it again.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Her head snapped up at me, a guilty look in her eyes. “I was just folding this blanket since it looks like someone slept here last night. I was trying to be nice.”
I bit my lip to keep from saying something I’d regret. She was being nice. I’d forgotten about the blanket when I stumbled home that morning and hadn’t been back in my office much since I got back.
“Thank you,” I managed. “I should have taken care of it earlier.”
“It’s fine.” She avoided my gaze, keeping hers on the blanket. When she was done, she draped it across the back of the couch and smoothed it out. Then she looked around like she needed to do something else.
“Hey, Hudson, can I play a game?” Matty asked, drawing both of our attention.
“A game? What game?”
Matty lifted the handheld device from the bottom left desk drawer, the one I had just for him with all his stuff. There was a pencil case with pens, pencils, colored pencils, glue sticks, and scissors. His workbook, the books I’d bought for him, a few coloring books that he told me were for babies but I saw him using a few times, and the gaming device.
“What is that?”
“It’s mine,” I blurted. “I like to chill and play sometimes, and I told Matty he could borrow it when he’s here, as long as his homework is done. Does he have any homework to finish today?”
“No. He doesn’t get homework on the weekends. But that’s expensive. He doesn’t need to be playing with your game thingy.”
“It’s fine,” I assured her. “It was only a few hundred dollars. I can get another one if I need to.”
Clearly, that was the wrong thing to say. She rolled her lips in and nodded. Then she walked over to Matty and kissed the top of his head. “Please be careful. I won’t be late. Listen to Hudson and behave. A few hundred dollars might be no big deal to some people, but to me, it’s a lot, so don’t break that.”
Matty nodded, already loading a game.
Anna let go of him and moved toward the door, where I was still standing in the way. She looked up at me, shame and hurt in her gaze.
I opened my mouth to say something, but I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t meant to make her feel bad for not being able to buy a stupid gaming device for her kid. It wasn’t a big deal to me to get it, but I shouldn’t have made it sound like I was better than her because I had disposable income.
“Thank you for letting him stay here,” she finally said through gritted teeth.
“Anytime. I mean that.”
She nodded once, then moved around me and left.
Leaving me feeling like I’d just fucked up. Again.
