A hurt look crossed his handsome face, but disappeared just as quickly. “For what it’s worth, I really am sorry.”
She folded her arms. “Fine. You said it. Now you can go.”
But he didn’t. Instead, he ran his hand through his hair and looked out at the lake as if he wanted to say something else, but couldn’t figure out how. After a moment, he turned his gaze back to her.
“I know the last thing you want to do is work for me, but do you think you could at least come in tomorrow for a few hours?” he asked. “I’m taking a group of tourists up into the mountains to do some fly-fishing, and I was wondering if you would mind watching the store until Nicole and Darren come in.”
She blinked. Was he serious?
“I won’t be there, so it’s not like you’re going to have to talk to me,” he added.
Kendall didn’t answer. Working at the store—even for a day—would mean having to see Jason again, and that would only make things more uncomfortable for them both. But for some reason, she found herself nodding.
“Okay. I suppose I could do that.”
He sighed. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
Jason gazed at her for a long moment, his blue eyes filled with something that looked like regret mixed with a touch of sadness. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Kendall waited until he’d left to sink down on the Adirondack chair. What had she been thinking, agreeing to mind the store for him? It was like she was looking for an excuse to be around him. Which was just plain stupid on her part because he’d be out fly-fishing and wouldn’t be there anyway. And when he returned, she was walking out on him and his damn store and not looking back. Then she was packing her bags and leaving for Los Angeles.
When Kendall got to Outdoor Outfitters the next morning, there were more than a dozen very eager fishermen milling around the front entrance. Giving them a smile, she worked her way through the crowd to the door and let herself in. Jason was behind the counter, and he looked up when she walked in.
“You’re here. Good.” He grabbed his keys from the counter. “I’ll be back before closing, but Nicole and Darren will be in this afternoon, so you won’t have to hang around.”
Even though she knew that would be for the best, she shook her head. “I don’t mind staying.”
Jason looked taken aback by that, but he shrugged. “I’ll see you this afternoon then.”
The urge to tell him to be careful on the tip of her tongue, and Kendall bit back the words as he left. Jason wasn’t her boyfriend. And after today, he’d be nothing more than a memory.
That should make her happy, but for some reason, it only made her heart ache.
The store was quiet most of the day, which sucked. Without a steady stream of customers to occupy her time, her mind kept wandering to Jason. When she was at the counter, she was reminded of that first day at Outdoor Outfitters when he’d taught her how to work the cash register. When she went in the back to get something, she’d walk by his office and picture Jason seated at the desk. When she passed by the rack of red and white fishing floats, all she could think about was the day she’d knocked it over and what had happened afterward.
The thought of Jason spanking her brought a rush of color to her cheeks, and she fidgeted on the stool where she sat behind the counter. Why did she keep thinking about him spanking her? The more she tried not to think about it, the more vivid the images became until she swore she felt her ass cheeks tingling.
Thank God Nicole and Darren showed up for work when they did, or she might actually have locked herself in the restroom and fingered herself to orgasm.
UPS brought a delivery shortly before closing, and after Kendall signed for it, she brought it back to Jason’s office. As she turned to leave, her arm brushed against a pile of folders and knocked the whole stack on the floor.
As she knelt down to pick them up, she couldn’t help but imagine what Jason would say if he walked in on her right then. She could just picture his scowl as he surveyed the mess she made. His brows would draw together and he’d fold his arms across his broad chest, demanding to know why she was so clumsy. He might even accuse her of doing it on purpose, just to distract him from his work.
Of course, Kendall would deny such a thing. But maybe, just maybe, somewhere in the back of her mind, she’d wonder if he was right and she had done it deliberately. She’d never own up to it, though. Which would only make Jason even more determined to take his wayward employee in hand.
He’d stride across the room and take her arm, hauling her to her feet. Her breath caught as she pictured those gorgeous blue eyes of his clashing with hers before he bent her over the desk to give her the spanking she so richly deserved.