Page 24 of Possess

“I try to be.” She slipped on a white hardhat as she stepped through the door and glanced around.

Zeke couldn’t stop smiling; he was so happy to see her. He had to fight the urge to enfold her into a big hug.

“This turned out nice.” She looked around before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she gazed at him.

“The vinyl flooring was one of the last pieces, but we did have a few changes.” She looked adorable in her white hardhat, and while her long brown hair was pulled back, strands kept escaping. “Let me show you.” He gestured to the makeshift table where the plans were laid out. “I thought it would be easier to go over them before I filed them.”

“Sure.” She adjusted her hardhat, and he grinned.

“I talked with the engineer about the wall and your suggestion. We had to move the doorway between the two, which meant changing a few other things. We moved the office.” He pointed to the spot on the plans and then to the newly redone office. “The freezers will be moved down, and there will be more counter space.”

She glanced up and took in the location of the new office and how the freezers were arranged. “I’m assuming the electrician double-checked the voltage and made sure everything was good?”

“Yep. Have his report here.” He slid the papers out from underneath the plans and handed them to her. He kept his gaze on her as she read the report. “It was a good thing this was an ice cream shop before. Most of the electrical was already set up for freezers.” She looked at the plans. “It looks like you lost some table space.”

“A little bit. I talked with Lara. We’re losing roughly four tables, but she’s okay with it as it will give them more room behind the counters and the freezer space is bigger.

“And the doorway?”

“Yes. Going with your suggestion, we moved the doorway so when we pull down the wall between the two places there won’t be any problems.”

“Since the electrical inspection has been done, and everything lines up, go ahead and file the plans. I’ll make notes in your file, but it all looks good.”

“Will do.”

She straightened up from the plans and looked at him. “I need to change the subject for a moment and move to a more personal topic.”

Zeke froze. Her tone was serious and her expression filled with worry. “Sure. What’s up?”

Allyson glanced down at the floor, before meeting his gaze once again. “I need you to stop sending me gifts at work.”

Her cheeks turned pink, and Zeke had to bite back a grin at how adorable she looked. “Are the gifts not to your liking?” While she’d texted him her thanks for the bear, they hadn’t really talked, mainly because he’d been busy between his company and then working at Wicked Sanctuary.

“It’s not that.” Her teeth worried her lower lip. “Zeke, it could look like a bribe to some people in my office. We’re not allowed certain gifts. I have to make sure no one thinks we’re not keeping things on the up and up.”

He remembered the talk. No big-ticket items, but these were small things, nothing that broke the rules. “Who is having issues?” He stiffened.

“It doesn’t matter.” She shook her head.

“It does to me.” He didn’t like the idea of someone thinking of her being unprofessional. “Those gifts are between two friends.”

“Is that what we are? Friends?”

“I’d like it to be more.” A lot more. But he didn’t want to scare her away. If friendship was all she would accept, he would take it.

“I’m not sure I can do that.” She sighed. “But no more gifts. It could look like a quid pro quo.”

He swore silently. “Is your boss making accusations?” He didn’t like the idea of someone making Allyson feel she was doing something wrong. She wasn’t. They weren’t.

“Not my boss.” She scuffed the toe of her boot and looked at the floor.

“Allyson.” He kept his tone soft and soothing, even if his dominant side was chaffing at the bit to get the entire story. “We’re doing nothing wrong. I want to get you to know you better.”

“I’m still not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” He was perplexed. They’d had a good dinner a little over a week ago; she admitted she liked his gifts, and the kiss they shared had been the tip of the iceberg. He hadn’t pushed this last week, maybe that had been a mistake.

She lifted her head and stared at him. Ah, there was that flare of independence.

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