Page 41 of Stolen Kisses

"Of course not, but I'd feel better if I combed through it a few times."

Fuck me.Part of me wanted her to refuse the job. Then I could pursue her.

I took another sip of the drink, then chastised myself. The whiskey must have already gone to my head, although I couldn't imagine it working so fast. Even if Hannah wasn't working at Sterling Investments, Josh's warning was ringing in my ears. I wasn't right for her at all, and I needed to lay off.

"So, can I help you with something?" she asked.

I looked in my glass. "Yes, actually. What keeps you from selling your grandmother's inn?"

"Oh, that’s an unexpected question," she murmured. "You know, I can't even explain it, which is ridiculous. But growing up, I was happy there, you know?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean."

"How so?"

"Remember I told you that I want to buy back my parents’ store?”

“Yes.”

“They ran it back when they were still married, and my brothers and I went there after school every day. We practically grew up there. Then, when they decided to part ways, they each needed capital to be able to start over, so they had to sell it."

"Oh, that's sad," she said.

"Yeah. Anyway, even though I’m sure I’m offering more than anyone else, the owner is still considering everyone. He said it’s not all about the money.”

“Maybe he wants to know you’re a good fit. If I ever sell the inn, I’d only do it if I really liked the buyer.”

I cleared my throat. “That’s not boding well for me.”

She snorted. “You made another of your legendary grumpy first impressions on him?”

“It usually gets me what I want in business deals.”

“Chase, this is a mom-and-pop store, right? I think the owner expects a different approach. Maybe he doesn’t feel good about selling to an investment fund. Does he know your family owned it?”

“No. That’s none of his concern.”

She laughed. “Oh, Chase.”

“But I think you’re onto something. Thanks for the suggestion.”

“Sometimes it’s good to let people know you have a soft side.”

“Soft what? That’s not even remotely true.”

“Riiiiight.” She sounded on the verge of laughter. “How do I phrase this? Show them what it means to you personally.”

Damn it, she was adorable. Instead of telling her that I would leave her to review the contract, I said something else entirely. "Don't take the job, Hannah."

"What?" she said abruptly.

I closed my eyes, sighing before opening them up again.

"Why not? You changed your mind? You don't think I'm a good candidate?" she asked.

"No, I think you're a perfect candidate. In fact, you're annoyingly perfect. You drew the attention of half our company with your test score."

"Why is that a bad thing? Why don't you want me to take the job?"

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