Joyfully His(Sterling Canyon Book 4)(16)

“If you think you’ll make me feel sorry for you when you get to live in this place and never have to worry about money, it ain’t gonna work.” He smiled and swigged some beer, and she had the grace to chuckle.

“It looks nice from the outside, but it gets lonely. Mitchell’s not the most affectionate man, especially since we got married. Even on his best day, he was nothing like you.” She canted toward him and laid one hand on his thigh.

Damn.

He lifted her hand and gently placed it in her lap, then squeezed it. “Millie, we had a lot of fun, and you’re a great lady, but I don’t mess with married women.”

“What if I told you that Mitchell and I have an understanding? He wanted a trophy wife, and I wanted security and, eventually, a kid. We care about each other, but we’re not the great loves of each other’s lives. As long as I’m discreet and don’t stray back at home, he’ll look the other way.” She leaned closer, grazing his arm with her chest and touching his hair.

That explained why the man would leave his wife the day after Christmas on a “business trip.” He caught her hand again and set it aside before scooting forward on the sofa to put space between them. “Look, if you and your husband have an understanding, I’m the last person to judge you. But I’m still not interested in being your monkey in the middle.”

She laughed. “What’s with you? You’re acting like we haven’t had sex before. Do you want me to grovel? Will that ease your conscience or make you hotter?”

“Please don’t.” He stood. “I’m sorry if I misled you into thinking I was interested in more than this job.”

“Well, this is a surprise.” The light in her eyes dimmed. “And not a good one.”

“Sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”

Heaving a sigh, she shrugged. “I suppose it’s time you leave.”

She swiped his half-empty beer from the coffee table.

“Don’t be mad or embarrassed. I won’t tell anyone what you told me tonight.”

Her eyes flashed hot, then her face turned as hard as ice. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

So, that’s the way she wanted to play it. He wouldn’t argue. If anything, he felt sorry for her. “I guess I won’t waste my time working up a bid for the bathroom job.”

“You guess right.” She turned away. “See yourself out, please.”

It’d be futile to try talking to her now. She’d humiliated herself, and he knew from his own experience how humbling it could be to face people in the immediate aftermath of that kind of misstep.

Beneath the initial surge of irritation, he found compassion. She was an unhappy young woman who had bargained away a chance at real love for the comfort of security. Tomorrow morning he’d act like nothing happened and hope for the best. For now, he’d try not to dwell on his shitty scorecard for the day.

Women angry with him: 2

Good decisions (not sleeping with a married woman): 1

Job security (on either front): 0

#

Nikki hoped her face showed no emotion while listening to Millie yammering on the other side of her desk at seven thirty in the morning. Inside, her heart deflated as if it had been run over by a Sno-Cat. “This is a serious charge. One I’ll have to put on Andy’s employment record. He’s a probationary hire right now, so this will also likely get him fired.”

Surely the severe consequences to Andy’s career and reputation would convince Millie not to press forward with a lie. And Nikki prayed this was a lie.

Millie’s expression remained firm. “I mean, I really don’t want to get him in trouble, but he was out of line. I’m married now. I don’t know what he was thinking last night, but I’m not comfortable having him as my instructor. I’m happy to go back with Billy.”

Thinking back, Andy had kissed Nikki without warning or invitation that night in the parking lot. Maybe Nikki’s sour phone call had planted the seed, like a twisted dare. Or maybe old feelings came up, and he assumed Millie would fall into bed with him. Now that Nikki knew exactly how much pleasure he could give, she was almost surprised Millie hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity.

“Billy will be happy to keep you as a client. I’ll make the change. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go inform the head of HR about this.” She watched Millie carefully, searching for a hint of remorse or regret. Nada. The woman must have been telling the truth. Nikki’s stomach lurched, but she had to do her job. She couldn’t play favorites, not even for Andy.

“Thank you.” Millie rose from her chair and left Nikki’s office.

Twenty minutes later, Nikki went outside, clutching her clipboard, stomach fighting to keep breakfast down. She handed out assignments, carefully avoiding Andy’s gaze. When she assigned Millie to Billy, he shot Andy a look.

“You must’ve screwed up big time.” Billy’s shit-eating smirk bothered Nikki, but she still didn’t look at Andy. She did, however, feel him staring at her.

She hadn’t assigned him any lessons. Once the crowd dispersed, she looked at him. It took effort to keep her voice even. “We need to go to Don’s office now.”

“What the hell is going on, Nik?” He followed her inside, his own expression a mix of concern and anger.

“Millie filed a complaint.” She kept walking, looking straight ahead.

Andy stopped. “She did what?”

Nikki turned to him. “She said you tried to get her into bed last night. Shades of sexual assault, she said.”

“That’s bullshit.” His jaw ticked.

She wanted to believe him, but how could she know for sure? And regardless, legally speaking, Millie’s claim had to be reported. The resort had to protect itself against a possible lawsuit or public scandal. It couldn’t have instructors assaulting clients. “I explained that her claim would have to go through HR. She knew all the consequences but remained firm. You two were friends. Why would she hurt you that way for no reason?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because she’s embarrassed that I rejected her?” He crossed his arms.

She hesitated. A plausible defense, but, again, without evidence, it didn’t matter. “I’m sorry, Andy. It’s ‘he said, she said.’ I had to report it. It’s HR policy and protection against liability. You know this.”

“Do you believe me?” His gaze bore into hers for an agonizing few seconds, while her thoughts tumbled like a first-time skier. “Wow. Your hesitation tells me all I need to know.”

“I don’t want to believe her, but you didn’t call me last night, either. I have no idea what you did or were thinking.”

“I told you to call me once you got your panties out of a bunch. That’s why I didn’t call.” He shook his head, then strode ahead of her toward Don’s office.

When they arrived, Don gestured toward the chairs. “Andy, I’m sure Nikki has filled you in on the complaint.”

“She did.” He said nothing more.

Nausea continued to churn, burning a hole in her stomach. Andy was pissed at her, but her hands would still be tied, even if she had given him the benefit of the doubt. Still, her doubt had hurt him.

Crap. She’d screwed up.

“Is that it?” Don asked.

“Millie’s lying, but I have no proof. She invited me over to bid on a remodel job for her master bathroom.” Andy shifted a bit, looking down. “Apparently, her real agenda was to resume our past personal relationship. But I don’t dabble with married women, so she kicked me out. That’s it.”

Don nodded, glanced at Nikki, then returned his focus to Andy. “Unfortunately, while I’d like to believe you, I’m in a bind here. I’ve got a client filing a serious charge. This kind of thing can hurt the resort, so I can’t dismiss it. Given that you’re already on probation and we’ve had a prior client complaint, too, I really don’t have a choice. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to let you go. It’s not personal.”

Andy’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t act out. He also didn’t spare Nikki one glance. He merely stood and extended his hand to Don. “I understand. I’ll get my things.”

“Thanks for taking it well. Again, I’m sorry it didn’t work out.” They shook hands, and Andy left without a word to Nikki.

“Finish up the paperwork on this and put it to bed, okay?” Don said.

“Sure.” Nikki hustled out of his office, hoping to catch Andy before he left the building. She saw him near the door and hollered, “Andy, hold up.”

He stopped but kept his eyes on the ground.

“I’m sorry. For all of it. I’m sorry about my attitude yesterday, and I’m sorry that I had to report this to Don.” She reached out for his arm, but he shirked her off.

“I’m used to people thinking the worst of me, Nik. I just didn’t expect you to be one of them.” He took two steps toward the door.

“That’s not fair, Andy. It’s not even true.”

He whirled on her, his green eyes blazing with accusation. “Isn’t it? You doubted me, which means you’re not the friend I thought you were, and this”—he gestured between them—“isn’t what I thought, either. So there’s nothing left to say.”