Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
The problem was, I couldn’t wear anything overtly sexy. It wouldn’t do to put myself on display at work. If I really wanted to show off for him, I would have to wait until he asked me out or arrange another meet-cute in the park. I finally settled on a tan pencil skirt, one that I rarely wore, but it was work appropriate. I paired it with a green T-shirt with the company logo, the same one that a lot of the staff wore. I looked comfortable and yet feminine. It would do.
Sighing, I grabbed my purse and headed for the car. I got all the way to the driver’s seat before climbing back out and retracing my steps. I pulled the skirt off, replaced it with a pair of jeans, and raced back to the car. Feeling better, I floored it all the way to work, arriving just in time.
I saw Danny helping two other guys load up a truck. Lincoln was nowhere in sight. I shook my head, casting off the remnants of last night’s kiss. Hurrying to the main office, I found Porter going through the filing cabinet.
“Is there something I can help you find?” I put my purse down, stashing my keys in the desk drawer.
“Yeah, I’m looking for the last invoice from the gravel company,” he said.
I took over, finding the file and handing it to him.
He paged through it, located the most recent invoice, and pulled it out. “Thanks. You look good.”
I blinked at him. Not for a moment did I think Gina’s boyfriend was hitting on me, but I waited just long enough to make him uncomfortable. When his face turned red, I began to laugh.
“I mean, have you slept?” Porter asked quickly, caught somewhere between the friend and the boss personas.
“Yes.” I smiled, letting him off the hook. “I did sleep. And thank you for noticing.”
Saturdays were usually very busy in the retail office. Hobbyists who worked all week came out on the weekends to stock up and get started on their next project. Saturdays were usually when the bargain bin sold out and when the tool shop had to be restocked.
I knew Linc would be busy all day. A lot of these amateur construction workers bought more than their own trucks could handle and needed help getting their purchases home. Some people bought online and were only off work on weekends to accept the deliveries.
Our bread and butter, the contractors who were building houses in and around town, didn’t usually show on the weekends. Instead, there was a steady flow of small purchases, generating more work but for less money.
In my office, Saturdays were more relaxed. I couldn’t contact any suppliers or contractors, so there were fewer phone calls. Accounts payable was done on Fridays, accounts receivable on Mondays, so there wasn’t any bookkeeping to do on Saturdays. I answered a constant string of customer calls with, “yes, we’re open today,” and “yes, we have drivers who can help you with your lumber.” Other than that, my day was low stress.
Noon to one, I went to work the cash register to give Molly a lunch break. It was just busy enough to go by quickly, and the customers were mostly friendly.
Before I knew it, my single hour in the tool shop was up, and Molly returned from break. I took the opportunity to peek in the lunchroom to see if Linc was there. He wasn’t. The room was empty, not surprising since Saturdays were all hands on deck.
I tried not to be disappointed. Just because he had kissed me didn’t mean we were going steady. I wasn’t entitled to see him every day or to talk to him when we both had more important things to do. I walked out of the barn toward the main house, pretending that I wasn’t searching for him.
My heart leapt when I caught sight of him halfway to the building. He was walking the lot with Danny and Henry, the other drivers. They were deep in conversation, laughing about something. Linc wasn’t limping, and he didn’t look out of place. In fact, he looked more relaxed than I had seen him since he returned.
A part of me wanted to go over and talk to him, but another part was content just watching from afar. I didn’t want to declare my interest in such a public way and interrupting a conversation between all of the drivers would accomplish just that. I knew Linc was struggling with demons of his own, and to watch him come out of his shell was heartwarming. Feeling satisfied for the first time since waking up, I continued my journey back to my office.
11
LINCOLN
It was torture to kiss Aly and then not see her again for nearly a week. I made a point of walking out to the park at night on the off chance that I might catch her there. But if she was still awake and looking for distraction, she wasn’t doing it at the same time and place that I was. After three nights of solitude, I began to marvel at the fact that we had met up in the first place. Maybe she was hitting the park at a different time of night. Or maybe she had other places that she walked. Maybe she was actually sleeping.