AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bryce turned his alarm off as soon as it sounded. Samantha was sleeping peacefully beside him and the last thing he wanted to do was wake her. Nothing like having to set an alarm for a Saturday morning. Before Samantha showed up on his doorstep, he was planning to do his work from the office where the internet connection was better. Now he decided his best plan would be to go to the office, make an appearance, and then grab whatever he needed in order to work from home.
After dressing in silence, he took one more look at the beautiful woman in his bed. Her thick lashes fanned out above her cheeks. Her lips were parted, and she snored softly as she slept. It took everything in him to keep from crawling back into the bed beside her.
Lizzy was stepping out of her car as he pulled up. He hadn’t expected to see her, but her presence didn’t bother him since the heart-to-heart they’d had the night before. She had apologized for her behavior and assured him that she had no ulterior motives. He would have to thank Samantha once he got back to the house.
“Good morning,” he greeted Lizzy as she joined him near the entrance.
“Long time no see,” she joked.
He held the door open and waited for her to walk through before he followed her inside. It being a Saturday, he wasn’t surprised to see the office empty. Some workers would likely trickle in and out to tie up some loose ends, but that would be it.
“I thought you had to work your other job today.”
Lizzy set her bag on one of the desks in the shared work area. “I do. I’m just here to grab a few things. I don’t have to work until later.”
He wasn’t sure what her second job was, but he didn’t ask. Even though they had turned over a new leaf, he still wouldn’t consider her a friend.
“Same. No need to sit here all day if I can grab what I need and work from my temporary home.”
He went into his office and put a few papers into his bag. He wished there was a way to go completely paperless, but with so many workers preferring different programs, it was nearly impossible. Most of his work for the day would be consolidating everything into the program he preferred to use. Staying organized was easy when everything was in one place.
“Drive safe, Lizzy,” he called out before closing the door behind himself.
The drive was a short one, but he used it to think about his current situation. Samantha had quickly become more important to him than anyone had before. She had been nervous about showing up uninvited, but there was nothing that could have made him happier than seeing her standing at the other side of the door. Warmth spread from his chest and through his body as he recalled opening the door and finding her uncertain gaze meeting his.
Asher wagged his tail without looking up from his spot on the couch when Bryce eased his way into the house. If Samantha was still asleep, he didn’t want to wake her. His concern faded when he was welcomed by the scent of freshly brewed coffee.
“Figured you’d be gone longer. Good thing I brewed a whole pot of coffee,” Samantha said as she held a mug out to him.
“I don’t want to take yours,” Bryce said in hesitation.
“You aren’t. I was just getting ready to sit down with a cup when I heard you pull up. I made this one for you.”
Bryce took the steaming mug from her hands before giving her a quick kiss. The warmth returned to his chest with just that small gesture. Refusing to identify the feeling, he sat down on the opposite side of the couch from Asher, and Samantha sat in the middle.
“Was the owner’s daughter there this morning? You never did tell me how things went last night,” Samantha noted.
“She was, but it wasn’t as awkward as I would have guessed. We cleared the air like you suggested.”
Samantha quietly waited for Bryce to go on. She shifted her position on the couch until she was sitting yoga-style and holding her coffee cup in both hands.
“I told her that I’m not trying to be an asshole, but she makes me uncomfortable because she acts too familiar around me. I’ve never been as forward as she is, and I especially don’t care for it because I’m in a relationship.”
“How did that go over?” she asked, sitting forward.
Bryce took a sip of his coffee and reflected on the night before. Lizzy had seemed contrite when she responded to what he said. Instead of doing her signature hair flip and blowing him off, she immediately sat up straight and pulled her hair up as if she meant business.
“It went over way better than I thought it would. I hope you aren’t upset, but without going into detail I explained that after everything you dealt with in your marriage just the thought of flirting with another woman makes my skin crawl. She apologized and seemed genuine. She even said she would like to meet you. It doesn’t matter though, because soon enough I won’t have to spend all my time on this job site,” he explained.
“I wouldn’t mind meeting her.”
Bryce nearly choked on his coffee. The woman never stopped surprising him. He was well aware of her big heart, but this was beyond just being nice.
“We’ll see.”
“Don’t brush me off, I’m serious. You said she seemed genuine. If you have to work with her and you’re stuck down here for a while, we might as well do everything we can to make the best of it,” Samantha explained.
“Speaking of making the best of it…”
