Phoenix Rising(18)
A blush stained her cheeks, and Connor hid a smile. Whatever she was thinking, it was apparent that she liked what she saw. Her eyes were riveted to the patch of skin at his throat. Three of his buttons were undone. He’d not thought to redo them when he’d put his shirt back on after moving the liquor. Judging by her reaction it was better that he had left the shirt undone, anyway. Jessa seemed fascinated with that tiny glimpse of his chest.
“Jessa?” Alex was talking and neither of them had noticed. “Are you all right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
A smile twitched on Connor’s lips. He wondered if she realized how transparent her curiosity was. He only wished he knew the exact nature of her interest. It would make things far less complicated.
“Alex will show you around the bar. He knows what goes on there better than I do,” Connor explained without breaking eye contact. “But stop in the office before it gets busy and fill out the usual paperwork.”
“Okay, sure.” Her gaze flickered away. “Thanks, Connor.”
“Anytime.”
It took every ounce of control to walk away. He wanted to hang around and watch. But that wasn’t how he usually did things. And making Alex even more suspicious wasn’t going to ease things along.
Connor took refuge in the familiar confines of his job. He immersed himself in his computer, entering receipts and invoices with barely a glance. A neat stack of new hire paperwork sat on one corner of the desktop. He refused to look at it. Connor didn’t want to ponder the moment when Jessa would enter and some of his questions about her would be answered. It was likely that most of her answers would make his strange infatuation irrelevant.
It should’ve been a nice thought. That something would render things normal. That he would somehow be able to go back to choosing a willing partner for an impersonal, purely physical coupling. But that wasn’t really what he wanted.
“Are you busy back here? Alex says I probably have a few minutes before the afternoon regulars start drifting in.”
Connor had no idea how long he’d been sitting at his desk staring into space when Jessa’s husky voice interrupted his self-recrimination.
“Come in,” he rumbled, gesturing to an extra chair.
She sat nervously on the edge of the chair, crossing her legs at the ankles and clasping her hands in her lap.
Connor took a mental inventory of his expression and unconscious body language. He didn’t think he came off as too intimidating, though Alex often told him otherwise. Yet Connor sensed there was something else bothering her. Being alone with him wasn’t causing her stress. So was it the paperwork?
“Is it the standard stuff?” Jessa asked quietly.
Connor passed her a form, “Pretty much. I just have to make a copy of your Drivers’ License and tell my accountant how many dependents you have.”
She stared blankly at the tax form before a wan smile crossed her features. “I guess I just claim myself, right?”
“Got any kids?”
“No.”
Her reply was quiet, final. As if it were an answer she loathed giving. “What about a husband?”
He wasn’t imagining her distress. It was so strong he could smell it. That same protective instinct hit him hard. Connor crossed his arms over his chest to physically prevent himself reaching out to comfort her.
“My uh,” Jessa paused to find the words. “I’m getting divorced.”
Everything clicked into place.
“Then you just claim yourself.” Connor pointed to the form. “Put a one in that box.”
“Thanks for giving me this job.”
Her words surprised him. “You’re doing us a favor, really. It’s hard for Alex to handle tables when he’s behind the bar on a busy night.”
“What happened to the last waitress?”
“She walked off the job one night last week.”
Jessa looked startled, as if there was some secret they hadn’t told her.
Connor grinned. “There’s nothing horrible going on. I promise.”
“Oh.”
Connor didn’t know why he felt compelled to spell it out. “Selena wanted more compensation than I was willing to give her.”
“Like a percentage?”
Why had he opened himself up for this? “Actually, she wanted a more permanent situation.”
There was another moment of confusion in her eyes before the light clicked on. It was strange, but Connor could sense the exact moment Jessa understood what he was getting at.
“She wanted Alex?”
“Actually, no.”
“You?”
She seemed so surprised that Connor had a hard time keeping a straight face. “What? I’m not good-looking enough to tempt someone into a relationship?”