Page 41 of Miss Fortune

I could imagine he did. Running from meeting to meeting and dealing with so much personal baggage each day must take its toll. I shut the door behind me. “Does stuff like that with Sheila happen a lot?” What could I say? The thought of him getting hit on by his clients left me unsettled.

He sighed. “Sometimes. If you don’t mind, I need to catch up on email while I wait for my client to call me back.”

Ouch. Once again, I was being dismissed. “Okay. Let me know if I can do anything.”

“Actually—”

I paused, a weird hopefulness in my chest. “Yes.”

“You haven’t told Doris about us spending Saturdays together, have you?”

And get her hopes up she might have succeeded in matchmaking? No way. “No, I haven’t mentioned it. Have you?”

“No. And it’s best we don’t tell her or anyone else in the office, don’t you think?”

Probably. Yet it stung. Almost like he was ashamed of spending time with me. “Yeah. Sure.”

* * *

“You spent Saturday with Caleb?” Tory asked. She and Kelsey had come over on Tuesday night for tacos and girl talk.

“Yeah, we went on a hike in Malibu. It was incredible.” Caleb might not want me talking about our Saturdays together with anyone from the office, but he couldn’t keep me from sharing with my best friends. “Yet once we get back to the office, he acts as though I don’t exist. Doesn’t want me telling people we’re hanging out.”

After he’d shared about his divorce and I’d confided my medical history, I’d thought we’d developed a deeper connection, but then he’d gone and ruined it. Sure, I didn’t want Doris thinking our hanging out was leading to anything more, but it wouldn’t be the world’s worst disaster if she did find out.

Kelsey weighed in. “Probably the type who keeps his personal and professional lives separate?”

“Perhaps. But we have become friends, I think.” At least on the weekends.

“Maybe he’s only putting you in the friend zone while you work for him?” Kelsey speculated.

“I think the better question is whether you hope to be out of the friend zone, Daise?” Tory offered.

“The answers to your questions are maybe and maybe. We’re very different people.” Who desired vastly different futures. As Caleb said, he didn’t do relationships. Heck, he’d admitted even friendships were a challenge.

“I thought you mentioned he’s sweet?” Kelsey inquired.

“He can be. Especially when I was injured. But then come Monday morning, he’s back to sour. He’s like a Sour Patch Kid. You’ve gotta get through the sour to get to the sweet.”

Both women chuckled at my description.

It was funny, but it was also true. My boss’s mood swings were rough. During the week, he was uptight and cool toward me. But on Saturday, he was thoughtful and sweet and went out of his way to try to connect. “He’s permanently placed me in the friend zone.”

“Are you sure? You’ve spent the last three Saturdays with him.” Tory looked skeptical.

To be fair, one Saturday hadn’t been planned, it had been a medical necessity. “He flat-out said these aren’t dates. Although I’m attracted to him, I don’t think it’s mutual. If he was the least bit interested, wouldn’t he have made a move by now?”

Tory sighed, taking a sip of her margarita. “Perhaps, but having slept with my boss, I will tell you it’s a complication you might want to think twice about.”

“Your boss is now your loving and devoted boyfriend.”

“He is indeed. But the journey from there to here wasn’t without its bumps. At least you have—what? Only three more weeks you’re working for him?”

“Yep, three more weeks.” Long, excruciating weeks.

“Do you think he’s waiting to make his move until you’re no longer at the firm?” Kelsey inquired.

My ability to read a man was limited. And Caleb was like Fort Knox, all locked up and absolutely impenetrable. “I doubt it.” We’d decided for the next weekend we’d do a baseball game. But he never indicated wanting more than the one day a week we spent together.