know, you’d want to be with your girlfriend.”
His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “My girlfriend?”
She nodded.
“What makes you think Amber is my girlfriend?”
Now she squirmed. If only she hadn’t said anything. “Well, um, I’ve heard talk at work.”
This time, he raised only one eyebrow. “What kind of talk?”
“Nothing, really, just, you know.”
“No, I don’t know. Please tell me.”
She sighed, wondering if it would be less painful to throw herself off the balcony. “Well, I just was told that you were seeing her and that she has talked about, um, being in your backseat.”
He looked bewildered. “Amber told you this?”
“No. No. I just, um, I heard some stuff.”
“The kind of stuff that made you assume we were dating?”
She nodded. “I apologize. It’s none of my business. I just thought … ” What the hell, she didn’t know what she thought. She was an idiot for opening up a can of worms when things had been going so nicely.
Clay smiled. “Amber’s not my girlfriend. If you want to know about my backseat you’ll have to talk to her. I’m not saying anything except that I’m not dating her and I never have. I’m not dating anyone, unless you agree to grab something to eat with me later.”
It was her turn to register shock on her face.
“Going out later would be a date?” She was fighting fear again, but this time, it was the fear that she’d allow this man to get close to her, as close as he wanted.
He shuffled his feet. “No, not necessarily. It could be two people who worked hard together and deserve a beer and a burger. Or, it could be a date. We won’t know until we try.”
“Wh — why do you want to date me?”
He bent, picked up the overloaded bucket, mop, and ladder, and walked toward the door. “Damned if know, Cassidy. You make me crazy when I’m with you and I can’t stop thinking about you when I’m not. I’ll see you in about two hours.”
• • •
The door slammed behind him and Clay hauled the cleaning paraphernalia to the maintenance closet at the end of the hall. Christ, he felt like a fourteen-year-old asking a girl out for the first time. His hormones were betraying him again. He’d listened to Cassidy’s comments with a tiny voice in his head whispering, “Grab her and kiss her. That’ll show her Amber’s not your girlfriend.” On second thought, the voice was located well below his head and making its presence known. He hoped Cassidy hadn’t spotted his bulging frame of mind.
Amber? Those workers at the store thought he and Amber were dating? It had to be the old biddy. That was his fault, removing his phone from his pocket and faking a call to her in front of Rosie. He couldn’t imagine Amber telling them about her arrest and being in the backseat of the police car. Knowing her, if she’d talked at all, she’d colored the event to suit her reputation.
Oh well. It was probably good for Amber’s esteem and it would keep their focus off of Cassidy.
He’d thought all day about asking Cassidy out. Seeing her bent over cleaning the oven, watching her labor over spots on the tile floor, and clutching her thighs to balance her on the ladder had fueled a fire he thought had died with his divorce. That moment on the ladder with her so close had made him heady.
A door closed and he turned to see her walking toward the exit. What was she thinking? Beat feet or give the guy a chance? Maggie had laid it on the line for Cassidy and she’d elected to accept their job arrangement. That was some indication she wouldn’t take off. He wished he was more certain. Maybe after a beer tonight she’d open up a little.
• • •
It was ten minutes beyond the two hour mark when Clay knocked on Cassidy’s door. She opened it after checking the peep hole and smiled.
“I still don’t have your number or I’d have called.” He handed his cell to her. “Here. Key it in please.”
He watched while her fingers lightly bounced
His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “My girlfriend?”
She nodded.
“What makes you think Amber is my girlfriend?”
Now she squirmed. If only she hadn’t said anything. “Well, um, I’ve heard talk at work.”
This time, he raised only one eyebrow. “What kind of talk?”
“Nothing, really, just, you know.”
“No, I don’t know. Please tell me.”
She sighed, wondering if it would be less painful to throw herself off the balcony. “Well, I just was told that you were seeing her and that she has talked about, um, being in your backseat.”
He looked bewildered. “Amber told you this?”
“No. No. I just, um, I heard some stuff.”
“The kind of stuff that made you assume we were dating?”
She nodded. “I apologize. It’s none of my business. I just thought … ” What the hell, she didn’t know what she thought. She was an idiot for opening up a can of worms when things had been going so nicely.
Clay smiled. “Amber’s not my girlfriend. If you want to know about my backseat you’ll have to talk to her. I’m not saying anything except that I’m not dating her and I never have. I’m not dating anyone, unless you agree to grab something to eat with me later.”
It was her turn to register shock on her face.
“Going out later would be a date?” She was fighting fear again, but this time, it was the fear that she’d allow this man to get close to her, as close as he wanted.
He shuffled his feet. “No, not necessarily. It could be two people who worked hard together and deserve a beer and a burger. Or, it could be a date. We won’t know until we try.”
“Wh — why do you want to date me?”
He bent, picked up the overloaded bucket, mop, and ladder, and walked toward the door. “Damned if know, Cassidy. You make me crazy when I’m with you and I can’t stop thinking about you when I’m not. I’ll see you in about two hours.”
• • •
The door slammed behind him and Clay hauled the cleaning paraphernalia to the maintenance closet at the end of the hall. Christ, he felt like a fourteen-year-old asking a girl out for the first time. His hormones were betraying him again. He’d listened to Cassidy’s comments with a tiny voice in his head whispering, “Grab her and kiss her. That’ll show her Amber’s not your girlfriend.” On second thought, the voice was located well below his head and making its presence known. He hoped Cassidy hadn’t spotted his bulging frame of mind.
Amber? Those workers at the store thought he and Amber were dating? It had to be the old biddy. That was his fault, removing his phone from his pocket and faking a call to her in front of Rosie. He couldn’t imagine Amber telling them about her arrest and being in the backseat of the police car. Knowing her, if she’d talked at all, she’d colored the event to suit her reputation.
Oh well. It was probably good for Amber’s esteem and it would keep their focus off of Cassidy.
He’d thought all day about asking Cassidy out. Seeing her bent over cleaning the oven, watching her labor over spots on the tile floor, and clutching her thighs to balance her on the ladder had fueled a fire he thought had died with his divorce. That moment on the ladder with her so close had made him heady.
A door closed and he turned to see her walking toward the exit. What was she thinking? Beat feet or give the guy a chance? Maggie had laid it on the line for Cassidy and she’d elected to accept their job arrangement. That was some indication she wouldn’t take off. He wished he was more certain. Maybe after a beer tonight she’d open up a little.
• • •
It was ten minutes beyond the two hour mark when Clay knocked on Cassidy’s door. She opened it after checking the peep hole and smiled.
“I still don’t have your number or I’d have called.” He handed his cell to her. “Here. Key it in please.”
He watched while her fingers lightly bounced
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