guy who found himself suddenly attracted to her? He was even less thrilled about her leaving. And that troubled him. He never got emotionally involved with the women he slept with. He never got emotionally involved with co-workers. But here he was, his heart stuttering at the thought of Isabelle leaving. For that alone, he should forget the stipulation in the sales agreement for Buds and Blossoms and let her go.
But that didn’t sit right either.
He counted seven bags. “Did you do the weekly shopping?”
“No. Bob’s coming over tonight. I thought we’d barbeque.”
His hand around a jar of jalapeno peppers, he stopped it halfway out of the bag. “What?”
“Oh, come on, Devon, you love barbeque.”
He did, but that wasn’t the point. And it was really hard to say the point—that Bob was suddenly around their family a little too much.
“Izzy, you’ll stay for supper, too, right?”
She peered into one of the bags. “It depends. What are you barbequing?”
“The steaks we picked out.”
“Then, yum. I’m in. I also make a wicked potato salad.”
His mom walked two bags of veggies to the refrigerator. “That would be great. I love potato salad. Never quite got the hang of making it, though.”
Isabelle leaned close to LuAnn. “My mom had a secret. If you have enough potatoes, I’ll make it here and you can watch.”
“I love it!”
Feeling like a fifth wheel on a Buick, Devon turned and walked back down the hall to his office. This was the problem with family businesses. Situations could deteriorate to just family—forget business—in the blink of an eye. Worse, he still hadn’t figured out what to do about Isabelle. Should he confront her about the conversation with her mom about the new flower shop? He did have an in. She was part of the package deal for the Donovans to buy Buds and Blossoms. If she was planning on leaving, she’d be in violation of their agreement.
Two minutes after he took his seat behind his desk, Isabelle came into her office. She shrugged into his mom’s old sweater and started reading.
“Aren’t you hot?”
“Is that a question about the temperature or my general state of being?”
He laughed. And this was why he should let her go. They didn’t relate like a normal boss and assistant. They slipped into casual conversation too easily. “You know some men might take that as flirting.”
“I have a wickedly wrong way of looking at things.”
Which might be why he liked her so much, why it was so hard for him to ignore her. She was fun. Sort of silly but sort of right in her sarcasm. He’d always been a sucker for sarcasm.
“But I shouldn’t have said that.”
Her pink cheeks told him she regretted what she’d said, and he once again realized they were a little too comfortable with each other.
“Sometimes I don’t know when to keep my thoughts to myself.”
While they were talking so casually, he was tempted to walk into her office and ask about her parents’ plan to whisk her away, but he put his mind back on his work. If he asked about her leaving, even if he told her it was because she was part of the deal and she couldn’t quit, it could also become obvious that he had feelings for her. He might like her. He did like her. But they’d both decided they wouldn’t be doing anything about those feelings.
After two phone calls, he searched his computer for a file but realized he hadn’t scanned it. He’d have to get the paper copy. Without a thought, he went into Isabelle’s office and walked to the filing cabinet. He looked in the first drawer. It wasn’t there. The second? Not there either. The third…
“Damn it.”
Isabelle looked up. “What?”
“I had a file of articles on a guy who’s taking over a company I’d heavily invested in. I thought I’d scanned them and put them in my computer. But I didn’t find them there. And now I can’t find the hard copy file.”
“What did you file it under?”
“His name.”
She rose
But that didn’t sit right either.
He counted seven bags. “Did you do the weekly shopping?”
“No. Bob’s coming over tonight. I thought we’d barbeque.”
His hand around a jar of jalapeno peppers, he stopped it halfway out of the bag. “What?”
“Oh, come on, Devon, you love barbeque.”
He did, but that wasn’t the point. And it was really hard to say the point—that Bob was suddenly around their family a little too much.
“Izzy, you’ll stay for supper, too, right?”
She peered into one of the bags. “It depends. What are you barbequing?”
“The steaks we picked out.”
“Then, yum. I’m in. I also make a wicked potato salad.”
His mom walked two bags of veggies to the refrigerator. “That would be great. I love potato salad. Never quite got the hang of making it, though.”
Isabelle leaned close to LuAnn. “My mom had a secret. If you have enough potatoes, I’ll make it here and you can watch.”
“I love it!”
Feeling like a fifth wheel on a Buick, Devon turned and walked back down the hall to his office. This was the problem with family businesses. Situations could deteriorate to just family—forget business—in the blink of an eye. Worse, he still hadn’t figured out what to do about Isabelle. Should he confront her about the conversation with her mom about the new flower shop? He did have an in. She was part of the package deal for the Donovans to buy Buds and Blossoms. If she was planning on leaving, she’d be in violation of their agreement.
Two minutes after he took his seat behind his desk, Isabelle came into her office. She shrugged into his mom’s old sweater and started reading.
“Aren’t you hot?”
“Is that a question about the temperature or my general state of being?”
He laughed. And this was why he should let her go. They didn’t relate like a normal boss and assistant. They slipped into casual conversation too easily. “You know some men might take that as flirting.”
“I have a wickedly wrong way of looking at things.”
Which might be why he liked her so much, why it was so hard for him to ignore her. She was fun. Sort of silly but sort of right in her sarcasm. He’d always been a sucker for sarcasm.
“But I shouldn’t have said that.”
Her pink cheeks told him she regretted what she’d said, and he once again realized they were a little too comfortable with each other.
“Sometimes I don’t know when to keep my thoughts to myself.”
While they were talking so casually, he was tempted to walk into her office and ask about her parents’ plan to whisk her away, but he put his mind back on his work. If he asked about her leaving, even if he told her it was because she was part of the deal and she couldn’t quit, it could also become obvious that he had feelings for her. He might like her. He did like her. But they’d both decided they wouldn’t be doing anything about those feelings.
After two phone calls, he searched his computer for a file but realized he hadn’t scanned it. He’d have to get the paper copy. Without a thought, he went into Isabelle’s office and walked to the filing cabinet. He looked in the first drawer. It wasn’t there. The second? Not there either. The third…
“Damn it.”
Isabelle looked up. “What?”
“I had a file of articles on a guy who’s taking over a company I’d heavily invested in. I thought I’d scanned them and put them in my computer. But I didn’t find them there. And now I can’t find the hard copy file.”
“What did you file it under?”
“His name.”
She rose
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