Probably old fashioned, but she found it perfect.
He was standing at a desk with a box open, and was just glancing through an order. He signed it and turned toward her.
“Deuce made it in on time?” Cole asked.
“A personal record.” She tucked some hair behind her ear, and moved forward. Rarely were they in the same space. “What can I do?”
“I want you help seal up the box, put the packing label on, and then help me gather some items. We’ll do one box at a time so we don’t get confused.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Gotcha.” Please don’t let me screw this up. Let me get this right.
She held the box closed as he taped it all up, and then, checking the address, she got the packaging slip, and placed it on the box.
“How are you finding the job?” Cole asked.
“Oh, I’m loving it. Thank you for giving it to me.” She turned her back to him, and rolled her eyes. Giving it to me? Why do I sound like a porno now? Why couldn’t she get porn off her mind? Why did his ink look so much better up close?
“You love DIY?”
“I don’t love it at all.”
“Be honest with me, Elena.”
“Okay, okay, I find it incredibly boring, and as you can see there’s no way in hell I could ever do any of these projects, but I really need this job. Please don’t fire me.”
“I’m not going to fire you. We’re just talking here.”
“You’re sure?”
“Unless you want me to fire you?”
“Nope. Not at all. I told you, I love my job. Cuts and all.” She held her hand up and smiled.
“You’re adorable.”
Not the best of compliments but still. He was her boss.
“So, erm, do you mind me asking what it was about college that you didn’t like?”
“You know about that?”
“Small town, Cole. Everyone knows a little something about everything. You quit college, came home, became a plumber, and took over this place.”
“I wasn’t enjoying it. None of it. I hated every single second of college. This was my calling. My folks weren’t happy. They felt I threw away an opportunity. They wanted me to be head of a company, CEO, and all that crap. Didn’t appeal.”
“All that money, wealth, the women.”
“I don’t need money to get women,” he said.
“Right, of course you don’t. I didn’t mean to imply that you do.”
“I like living my life, Elena. I don’t want to spend twenty hours a day in an office, and then one day find out I’m old and have done nothing. I want a life. I want to have a family, and go on picnics. When it comes to the holidays, I want to actually enjoy them. Not be stuck in front of a computer all day.”
Cole was the whole package, and Elena had fallen in love with him many years ago. This just confirmed she had the best taste in men.
Chapter Two
Elena smelled like cinnamon, and all Cole could think about was rolls with lots of sugar and cinnamon, and it was making his mouth water. Having her this close was a bad idea, but he was getting tired of waiting around. He wanted her, had always wanted her.
“So, are you dating anyone?” he asked.
She glanced up and shook her head. “Nope.” She ran her hands across the label before picking it up, and moving it toward the area where he was stacking them getting ready to send them. “You know, I never thanked you all those years ago.”
“For what?” He folded his arms and leaned against the desk, watching her. She bent down, and once again, he was gritting his teeth. Having Elena close was not going to do well in the long term for his teeth. Just seeing her bent over or in any way where her ass was on display was not good for him.
“Helping me with those bullies in high school. You didn’t have to do that at all, and could have joined right in, taunting me, being mean. You weren’t. I knew then you were a decent guy.”
“You think I’m a decent guy?” He liked that she thought about him at all. It meant he registered with her, that she knew he existed.#p#分页标题#e#
Stop sounding like a damn pussy, and kiss her.
“Everyone knows you’re a decent guy, Cole. It’s why you’re always the first place to stop, and not heading into one of those ghastly malls that are so popular.”
“You don’t like shopping?”
“I do, but I also like supporting the town. Besides, could you imagine me in a car for an hour just to get to town? It’s a nightmare.”
“You never did learn to drive?” he asked.
“Nope. The driving instructor said if I took another lesson, he’d quit. I decided that being the chubby kid was bad enough. I didn’t want to be known as the girl that cost drivers’ ed.”