Page 29 of For Your Consideration

When we pulled up outside my apartment, Asher went to turn off the car but I grabbed his forearm, stopping him. He looked over at me with a quirked eyebrow.

The sun had started setting and the golden-hour sky was doing him wonders. The scruff on his jaw looked thicker than he normally wore it and yet it did nothing to hide the severe cut of his jaw and cheekbones. His hair was illuminated from the sky behind him and his amber eyes, which were locked on mine, almost looked like they had flecks of gold running through them.

“I’m not after your money,” I said in a rush. Quinn’s comment about what Asher had thought of her when they first met was playing around in my head. “I know I’m a mess and I don’t have super nice stuff but I’ve provided for my daughter without any help and I have no intention of changing that. I want to be friends or whatever, if you want, but it has nothing to do with your money and I need you to know that.”

His frown only got deeper the longer I talked. When I stopped, we sat there for a few moments. I opened my mouth to keep going but he cut me off. “Never thought about it at all. Why would you say that?” He watched me closely.

“Quinn just mentioned something about when you first met her.” I tried to look away but he put his hand under my chin to stop me.

“I’m protective of my people, it’s why I asked Quinn that question when I first met her. She also taught me that not everyone is after us. I didn’t even think that about you, not once. You’ve worked hard to give that happy girl all she needs. Never even crossed my mind, got it?”

When I nodded, his eyes softened. He tapped his finger on my chin before he dropped his hand and got out of the car. I sat for a moment, letting out a breath from the tension he had left me sitting in.

“Asher.” I stayed in my seat as he pulled my door open. He lifted an eyebrow, one hand on the door, one on the frame keeping me in as I turned to look at him. “I feel like I’m just getting my head above water. This job is great. I finally have a good schedule, and I’m starting to feel more like myself, more than I have in a long time.” He kept watching me as I let out a sigh. “I would really like it if you and I were friends. I could use some friends.”

I watched him closely for a reaction to my comment but none came. Nothing changed on his face. I felt my cheeks heat up. Maybe that was a stupid thing to say. Maybe he had done all of this today out of—

“Friends I can do,” he replied, cutting into my internal spiral. With that simple agreement, he tapped the door and stood back, offering me a hand so I could step out. I cleared my throat, took his hand, and slid out of the truck.

I grabbed Sophie’s car seat and watched as he unclipped the base. I followed behind as we moved it back to my car and then he insisted on walking me up so he could carry the seat for me.

My new friend left me in my apartment with a long look and a gruff demand for me to lock the door behind him.

10

Asher

The front receptionist waved at me from her desk as I walked into the Maria Knight Memorial Fund office on Monday. I couldn’t remember her name.

Gaby? Gertrude?

I gave her a brisk nod as I walked toward the back offices, brushing the snow off my shoulders and wiping a hand over my head. The staff didn’t pay me much attention since I was here often enough. Quinn worked a lot and some days we came here to hang out and work with her, especially on the rare days Knight had to be out of town because he hated the idea of her being alone. She liked to claim she hated it as she grumbled, but I knew she didn’t.

Except today I wasn’t here to see Quinn.

I heard her voice before I saw her.

As I turned the corner, I found her sitting at her desk on the phone. She was playing with a pen in her hand as she nodded at whatever the person on the other end was saying.

She smiled and then laughed. Her laugh might be musical but her singing was truly atrocious. Yet, for some reason, I found myself wanting to hear more of it.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I also kind of hated that someone else was making her laugh, even if it was small, and I wondered if I could make her do that. She seemed to give them out freely enough.

Except I wasn’t the kind of man that usually made people laugh. My general glowering didn’t lead to a lot of conversations, which was how I preferred it. But with her, I wanted to make her laugh.

Her eyes darted to me as I stepped in front of her desk.

“Sure thing, Mr. Hanson. Miss West will call you back when she’s available.” She smiled as my eyes narrowed.

Who the fuck was Mr. Hanson?

And why the fuck did it seem like she had talked to him enough times to be friendly?

I had no right to be jealous over her talking to a man on the phone at her job. But he was making her laugh and that pissed me off.

Jealousy wouldn’t listen to reason or logic.