Page 36 of Connor

We sit sipping our tea, and I help her work around some staff planning, forgetting all about my own deadlines. While I love our banter, I’ve just caught a glimpse of how we are when we work on a common goal, and it’s undeniably electric, the thought making my body hot.

So much so, I think I’ll need to drink a gallon of this fucking tea.

15

DAISY

I’ve been here for a week, and I feel like I’m part of the furniture at the distillery already, and with the hours I’m working, I might as well be. I’m usually here early and leave late, but I love it. I knew that I would enjoy the change, and I was excited about the challenge, but I’ve never loved something as much as building this spa business, being here in a small town, and creating something from scratch. It’s like I arrived and suddenly everything in my life just clicked. The feelings I get from doing the work and being in this small pocket of the world just feel right.

“So, is it everything you wanted it to be?” Trisha asks as we chat on the phone, our first real conversation since I left the city, even though it’s noon on a Wednesday.

“It is. More so, really. I mean, the job is great, but Whispers is…” I say to her, pausing to think of the right word. Not wanting to understate my feelings, yet not wanting to totally fangirl over this new town that has captured my heart in an instant.

“Cold? Barren? Full of old, sleazy farmers who can’t get it up?” she asks, and I laugh.

“No. It’s beautiful. The fresh air is amazing, and my sleep in the quiet of the night is the best I’ve ever had.” I don’t miss the sirens and noise of the city that filtered through my small bedroom window every night.

“How’s the good-looking, arrogant boss with the big balls?” she asks, and at the mention of Connor, my body hums. Warmth spreads through my joints like I’m lying out in the sunshine for the first time all year, and I look up at my office door to ensure he isn’t spying again.

“He’s the trifecta,” I huff out, defeated. I tried hating him, and at first, he made it easy. But now I feel like the goalposts have moved a little, and I have to admit, I’ve never met a man like him before.

“Holy shit,” she says in shock. Trisha and I often score her dating potentials based on a few things. Usually, most men have one or two things, but never all three, and while Connor and I still have some resistance to each other, I think we crossed the threshold the other night in my office, moving from insulting each other to admiring each other. He spent time going through staffing solutions with me, crunching numbers, working potential rosters. He didn’t need to do any of it, and no doubt had a million other things to do, but he did, and we worked well together. Too well.

Which isn’t great, because now not only is he devastatingly handsome, but his arrogance has decreased, the suave-o-meter has increased, and I’ve seen his passion for the work he does on full display, not to mention his business smarts. So he’s the trifecta. Good-looking, smart, and somewhat charming.

“Yeah, well, first impressions obviously weren’t great, and he still carries an air of arrogance, but he’s so smart and this distillery of his is amazing,” I tell her, looking around my office and appreciating how indulgent it is. I’m not even sure the five-star spas in New York could rival this.

“Soooo, been on a date yet?” She fishes for information.

“Oh no. That’s not happening,” I state clearly, needing to instill that fact not only into this conversation, but also into my brain. “I said he was a trifecta, not that I’m going to do anything about it. He’ll remain a trifecta from a distance. It was simply an observation on my behalf.” Scrubbing my eyes, I will the thoughts about Connor to go away, far, far away. “We work together. I’m here for a month, and he’s the owner of this place. There’sno waywe can cross that line.”

“Come on, Daisy. Rules are there so we can break them,” she says, full of cheeky confidence, confidence that I just don’t have when it comes to the opposite sex.

I release a sigh. “Not that one. Don’t fall in love with your boss is the almighty rule that’s never to be broken.”

“Who said anything above love, Daisy? Why not just go for hot, sweaty sex? You know that kind that makes you want to rip each other's clothes off. The kind where he pushes you against the desk, throwing all the paperwork across the room in his urgency to get your clothes off,” Trisha says, and I take a breath. I’ve never had that. Wouldn't even know how that would feel, other than my traitorous body is becoming hot all over, just thinking about it.

My limited sexual encounters have all been slightly awkward. A tangle of limbs in the wrong places, my jiggly body seemingly too much for some men who just don’t know what to do with me. Other than missionary, where they don’t even look at me, and usually, the ending isn’t satisfactory for me at all.

A man has never made me come.I bet Connor Whiteman could.I swallow, looking at my desk, the images filtering through my mind rapidly, making my cheeks burn hotter. I take a sip of tea and shake my head. Because there’s no way that will be happening. I’m a realist. Those kinds of movie star things never happen to a girl like me.

“Not happening. Anyway, how’s Tom?” I ask her, not wanting to talk about my boss any longer. Especially not at his distillery, where anyone could hear me.

“Who?”

I huff a laugh and roll my eyes, because it's a new week, and of course, Trisha has a new man already.

“You know Tom? The guy you were in love with and were going to name your firstborn after me with?” I quiz her, smiling. She’s crazy, but I love her.

“Oh yeah, no, he turned out to be a bit of a dud. But I met Jeff, andheis amazing!” she gushes, my workplace romance now forgotten as she tells me all about her new love interest.

After hearing all about Jeff, a guy she met when he came in to order pizza the other night and left her a huge tip, I end the call with Trisha and get my head back into my workload.

I have a few interviews lined up later in the week and a few more applications to look over. After working with Connor the other night, I’m close to making some offers with flexible staff members who are looking for full-time hours and are happy to have those hours not only in the spa but all around other functions in the distillery.

I’m expecting another delivery of goods today, some yoga mats and equipment, so I’ll be finding a spot for all that later. Victoria’s currently in the space, measuring the shelving for the retail space and cupboards for the treatment rooms, cross-checking the colors for the linen and towels I chose before we place that order next. It’s slowly falling into place, and while I’m not sure if we’re moving fast on this or not, compared to how spas usually open, it feels like things are coming together quickly and without issue.

“Daisy?” a voice from my door says, and I look up and smile at the receptionist, Stephanie.

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