Room 143

Chapter 7

Caroline

Nash slams the door to what I assume is the office hard. The blinds rattle, and the walls shake. It knocks over a picture frame sitting on a built-in shelf. He looks at me with disbelief, his blue eyes so dark, they're almost black. The same intensity I encountered over the weekend stares back at me, but this time it's not full of the passion that overtook us on so many occasions. Now, he appears broken, disappointed, and unsure of the situation. I can relate, I'm just as unsure as he is. When I took this job, I had been hired by a woman, who spoke with the smooth accent of a woman baking cookies for her grandchildren. I had no idea this force of nature was the person I'd be working for. The last name probably should have clued me in, but I'm ashamed now that I didn't notice it.

“Explain." The word is ripped from his throat. A whisper so hoarse I'm barely able to hear him. “Please explain to me how you're here, and how you were there. Obviously you're a damn liar, and I'm not sure I want you to be working for my company. Who the f*ck are you?"

There's never been a moment where I've wanted to lie as badly as I want to now, but I know I can't. If he deserves anything, it's the truth. Taylor and I, we owe him that much. “My best friend, Taylor…"

“The one I was supposed to meet," he interrupts, throwing his head back as if he can't believe what's going on.

I attempt to turn away so I don't have to look at him, but he pulls me back with a strong hand on my elbow. Our eyes clash, and I breathe deeply, inhaling a now-familiar scent. The smell of him drives me insane; my body knows what to expect from his intoxicating mix of masculinity and motor oil. Those eyes too, they looked at me with awe and barely restrained passion. Now it's disdain, and that hurts.

“Yes." I swallow roughly against the lump in my throat. “You were supposed to meet my friend Taylor."

He lets go, advancing on me. The storm of emotion crossing his face forces me to take a few steps back, to try and get away from the confusion and hurt. My body hits the wall, and I realize how much I'm f*cked. There's nowhere for me to go, nowhere to run. His palms slap loudly beside my ears. I brace myself, wondering what will happen. I'm fully unprepared when he leans in, every single inch of his body touching mine. His tone is dark, arousal spikes between us - we'd be stupid not to feel it. There's a chemistry with him I've never felt before. It's something I don't want to let go, but I'm also not sure it's mine to keep.

“How did I meet you instead?"

Nash's quiet intensity demands an answer, and I desperately want to give it to him, but he's short-circuiting my entire brain. His face tilts to the side as his sharp gaze looks for every secret I've ever had. The tip of his nose brushes mine, and I have to close my eyes; he's suffocating me, but in all the good ways.

“You have to step back." I put my hands on his chest, meaning to slightly push him. Instead, my fingers curl tightly into the cotton material of his t-shirt.

“Why?" His minty breath hits my face, taking me back to the night we met, the night neither one of us left.

I tilt my head down, almost ashamed to admit how much he affects me. “Because, I can't with you this close. I can't with the scent of you in my nose and your taste still lingering on my tongue," I admit, opening my eyes slightly. Shame forces me to be honest, when it would be easier to continue the lie.

He's looking right at me, obviously feeling all the things I'm feeling. He drops his head to my shoulder, inhaling deeply, before he takes a step back. For a moment I'm relieved, but then he crosses his arms over his chest. “Talk to me. Tell me why."

Now that I'm no longer trapped under his spell, I move. Putting a few feet of distance between us, I smooth my dress down over my thighs. “Taylor is my best friend in this world," I start. “She and I went to college together, and she's done things for me that I'll never be able to pay her back for."

“So you f*ck a man you don't know as a favor?"

I recoil as if he's slapped me. “Let me finish." It's hard to keep the raw emotion out of my voice, but I do my best. “Her mom is very sick and Taylor's been taking care of her for a while. She needed a favor." I push my hair back behind my ear. “We're about the same size and she knew it'd been a while since I'd been with a man," I laugh. “She actually told me most widowers just wanna talk. She assured me that's all you'd wanna do. Tay didn't look at your file, she thought you were older."

His stance isn't so rigid, but I can tell he's still upset. “You're not an escort then?"

“God, no." I wipe below my eyes where a few tears of embarrassment have gathered. “I thought you'd be able to tell that pretty quickly, but you seemed into it." My cheeks heat.

He unfolds his arms, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “Oh, I was into it. Probably too much."

Hearing him say that breaks my heart and I choose not to dwell on the subject. “This job-" I indicate the office with a sweep of my hand, “I really need it. You're the only call back I've had since I moved here from Atlanta. Bills have to be paid."

In the daylight he looks different. Not nearly as vulnerable as he did in that hotel room. Here, he looks like he could break something in half, maybe me - I'm not sure. But the connection we had in that room, it isn't as strong here out in the open. In front of me, I hold my hands, picking at my nails, worrying that he's going to tell me to take a hike.

“You're the only applicant we had who knows how to work the computer system. Harper Valley is small-town USA. Not many people stay here or come back once they've left. Your job is safe." His voice is gentler now. “But what happened between us, Taylor-"

“Caroline." This time I interrupt him.

“Caroline." It seems as if he tries my name, moving his lips around the shape and sound. “It can't happen again. It was a one-night thing. I'm not looking for a girlfriend, a friend with benefits, or a wife." He levels me with his gaze. “One night only."

Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, I fight back tears. I'm upset, devastated that he can turn off his feelings so quickly. Our bodies, they way they spoke to one another, it felt like more. Maybe that was stupid, but I had hope. The way he says these words is so final, like there's no way to persuade him. It doesn't seem to matter the chemistry we had was off the charts. “I get it, one night only."

“Okay." He clears his throat. “Let me show you around. The sign might say Gilbert and Sons, but Dad is a silent partner. I run most of the day-to-day operations."

“Right." I nod as he opens the door.

There's no one in the any of the bays and I'm thankful. If someone heard us, I don't know what I would do.

“We're not the only shop in town, but we're the busiest shop in town. We have low prices, good work, and we're personable."

I do my best not to laugh when he says the last part.

He rolls his eyes. “I get that sh*t from my brothers day-in and day-out. You're not gonna bother me."

“Understood." I grin.

“Two things." He holds up two fingers. “You can nix the dress, jeans and a t-shirt will work fine around here."

“Good." I breathe a sigh of relief. “At my old job I had to dress up and I absolutely hated it."

“Two, I hope you don't mind dogs." He whistles loudly and a pretty Brindle Boxer comes running. “Bailey." He leans down on his knee. “This is Caroline, Caroline this is Bailey." I watch as his face transforms while he rubs her head swiftly. “She's my old girl. Ten this year, but she's all mine."

God, the way he talks about the dog, I wish he'd talk about me. Leaning down, I put my hand out for her to sniff. She does, and hesitantly comes forward slightly. “I won't hurt you," I coo.

“You'll still be able to sleep in your spot in the office," Nash promises her.

The nub of her tail wags back and forth, and she reaches up, licking his chin. Very quickly, I realize something. If I want to make friends with the man, I have to make friends with the dog, and vice versa. This is melt-my-heart hot.

“We open in a few minutes." He checks his watch. “Let's get you logged in, and I'll show you where her spot is so that you don't disturb it."

“Sounds good." I smile, completely overwhelmed, but also completely ready to claim my spot here in this town. Looking out of the bay as we walk back to the office, I can't help but feel like I'm finally home.