simply because all relationships had to be built on the solid foundation of mutual trust.
And if Lucas didn’t trust her enough to give her an interview, to answer questions about his past, then what?
She honestly didn’t know, which was probably why she found herself holding her breath.
“Katie.” He only said her name, but the tone of his voice set off alarm bells inside of her. “Do you mind if I shut my door so we can talk privately?”
“Uh…. no. Not at all,” she said, clutching her files and folders with nervous hands. Private. He wanted to talk in private so maybe he was finally going to talk to her about himself, his past, about all the things that any woman would naturally be curious about, especially a woman who found her young son smitten with the man, to say nothing about the amount of time Lucas would be spending with Rusty.
She wanted to know this information for Rusty’s sake, she told herself. She had a responsibility as a parent to make certain she knew everything about the adults her son associated with and she didn’t think it was unreasonable for her to want to know more about Lucas’s background.
It was simply parental common sense.
But from the look on his face as he rounded his desk and quietly shut his office door, she didn’t think he was going to see it that way.
When he shut the door, all sound from the outer offices and hallways was instantly silenced, and it seemed as if they were suddenly alone in the world.
And Katie wished the idea of being all alone with him didn’t make her so…twitchy.
Instead of retreating back behind his desk, Lucas grabbed the empty chair next to her, pulled it closer and turned it so he was facing her, then sat down.
For a moment, he said nothing. He merely looked at her until she was certain she was going to start fidgeting under his riveting gaze. There was something intensely male about that look of his, Katie mused, something that made her respond and feel on a level that was instinctively primal and entirely female.
Perhaps that’s why just being around him unnerved her so.
“Katie,” he finally said, reaching for one of her damp hands and cradling it in his own. “I think it’s very important for us to keep these relationships separate, so to speak.”
“Separate?” She shook her head as he gently stroked the skin of her hand with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Let’s see if I can explain this.” He hesitated a moment as if gathering his thoughts. “In our professional lives, I’m the chief of police, and you’re a reporter and the managing editor of the town’s only newspaper.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Well, thank you for pointing that out, Lucas, but I wasn’t really confused about our titles or roles.”
“Well that’s what I want to talk to you about. Our roles. Everyone plays different roles depending on who they’re with and the circumstances. When I’m with Rusty, acting as his buddy, I’m not the police chief any more than when you’re at home, supervising his homework, you’re not acting as a reporter, but as his mother. I guess what I’m saying is that I think it’s vitally important for Rusty’s sake, and for our own, that we keep our professional and personal lives separate.”
“I don’t think I understand, Lucas.” She blew out a breath, feeling a thread of annoyance begin to unravel. “I don’t know how to separate myself. One minute a reporter. One minute a mother. I’m both of those things at the same time.” And had worked damn hard to be able to do both well.
“True, just as I’m the chief and Rusty’s buddy at the same time. But it’s very important that we not let anything that happens say…in our professional lives, any disagreements or differences of opinion we have in our professional lives interfere in our personal lives. I think to do so might end up hurting Rusty, something I don’t think either of us want to
And if Lucas didn’t trust her enough to give her an interview, to answer questions about his past, then what?
She honestly didn’t know, which was probably why she found herself holding her breath.
“Katie.” He only said her name, but the tone of his voice set off alarm bells inside of her. “Do you mind if I shut my door so we can talk privately?”
“Uh…. no. Not at all,” she said, clutching her files and folders with nervous hands. Private. He wanted to talk in private so maybe he was finally going to talk to her about himself, his past, about all the things that any woman would naturally be curious about, especially a woman who found her young son smitten with the man, to say nothing about the amount of time Lucas would be spending with Rusty.
She wanted to know this information for Rusty’s sake, she told herself. She had a responsibility as a parent to make certain she knew everything about the adults her son associated with and she didn’t think it was unreasonable for her to want to know more about Lucas’s background.
It was simply parental common sense.
But from the look on his face as he rounded his desk and quietly shut his office door, she didn’t think he was going to see it that way.
When he shut the door, all sound from the outer offices and hallways was instantly silenced, and it seemed as if they were suddenly alone in the world.
And Katie wished the idea of being all alone with him didn’t make her so…twitchy.
Instead of retreating back behind his desk, Lucas grabbed the empty chair next to her, pulled it closer and turned it so he was facing her, then sat down.
For a moment, he said nothing. He merely looked at her until she was certain she was going to start fidgeting under his riveting gaze. There was something intensely male about that look of his, Katie mused, something that made her respond and feel on a level that was instinctively primal and entirely female.
Perhaps that’s why just being around him unnerved her so.
“Katie,” he finally said, reaching for one of her damp hands and cradling it in his own. “I think it’s very important for us to keep these relationships separate, so to speak.”
“Separate?” She shook her head as he gently stroked the skin of her hand with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Let’s see if I can explain this.” He hesitated a moment as if gathering his thoughts. “In our professional lives, I’m the chief of police, and you’re a reporter and the managing editor of the town’s only newspaper.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Well, thank you for pointing that out, Lucas, but I wasn’t really confused about our titles or roles.”
“Well that’s what I want to talk to you about. Our roles. Everyone plays different roles depending on who they’re with and the circumstances. When I’m with Rusty, acting as his buddy, I’m not the police chief any more than when you’re at home, supervising his homework, you’re not acting as a reporter, but as his mother. I guess what I’m saying is that I think it’s vitally important for Rusty’s sake, and for our own, that we keep our professional and personal lives separate.”
“I don’t think I understand, Lucas.” She blew out a breath, feeling a thread of annoyance begin to unravel. “I don’t know how to separate myself. One minute a reporter. One minute a mother. I’m both of those things at the same time.” And had worked damn hard to be able to do both well.
“True, just as I’m the chief and Rusty’s buddy at the same time. But it’s very important that we not let anything that happens say…in our professional lives, any disagreements or differences of opinion we have in our professional lives interfere in our personal lives. I think to do so might end up hurting Rusty, something I don’t think either of us want to
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