Page 37 of Accidentally Sliding Into A Second Chance

He chuckles. “Come in!” Travis sticks his head out the door, looks in both directions, and then guides me into the conference room. Charles is sitting on the opposite side of the table with a broad smile on his face.

Swallowing hard, my stomach flips.

“Cat!” Charles says enthusiastically, standing up from his seat. “We’re excited to hear about Bark In The Park…and your news.”

“M—My news?” I stammer, letting Travis guide me to a seat across from Charles. Resting in the chair, I swallow past the lump in my throat.

“David and his ‘mystery woman’ have been causing ripples of conversation throughout the office, but we didn’t realize it was you until a tiny bit ago,” Travis says from behind me.

“Me?” My head is spinning. This isn’t how I intended things to go. Is it safe to believe from their reactions that I’m not going to get fired?

That they might actually beexcitedabout this?

“Yes,” Charles chuckles, turning his laptop around so I can see the screen. “That isyouand David, yes?”

Pulling the laptop closer I look at the pictures of the two of us in the park. David’s arms wrapped around me, us laughing and the moment he told me he volunteers as tribute.

Hunger Games? Really, Cat?! It’s just marriage for goodness' sake. Why all the drama?

“I guess the cat’s out of the bag!” I say with a shaky grin, ducking my head. A knock on the door interrupts, and Hope walks in carrying a water bottle. Her eyes dancing with excitement. “Thanks, Hope,” I mumble, as she walks out.

“This is brilliant marketing. It alone will fill seats,” Travis says once the door clicks shut. “Did you know David before you started working here?”

“Yes and no,” I answer, a wave of nausea rolling through me as I lift a shaky water bottle to my lips and gulp. “It’s a long story…”

“Relax Cat,” Charles says easily. “The Smokies don’t have any policies against dating co-workers.”

Keeping my attention focused on the bottle in my hand, I slowly turn the cap and breathe in deeply. “Well, that’s a relief!”

I glance up, my gaze moving back and forth between their easy smiles, and my gut churns. “How do the Smokies feel about marriage?”

Tea Time

HeyTeaLovers.

Catherine‘Cat’Bailey, the new director of fan experience for the Smokies, is the name of David James’ mystery woman!

These pictures from yesterday are brewing some serious chemistry!

The glances, the touches…we’re sipping on a hot infusion of spice-filled warmth.

What can we expect next from these two?

Till next time,

Chamie

Chapter Fifteen

David

“Daddy?”Scarlettstaresupat me, grabbing my hand, worry filling her hazel eyes. “Do you think Emmy likes it there?”

‘There’ is the Love It & Leaf It Paw-some Playcare that Ava found for me before she left for her audition last week. According to the ‘Paw-Cam’—which I now have an app for on my phone— Emmy had a blast. My favorite part, after her first four-hour visit, was how exhausted she was that night.

“You don’t think her pulling us through the door to get inside was an indication that she’s excited?” I ask as I lift her into the back of my truck, buckling her in. Her eyes linger on the door, and the uncertainty there squeezes my heart. “Hold on a second and let me show you something.”

Closing the back door, I climb into the front seat and start the engine. Grabbing my phone I open the ‘Love It & Leaf It’ app and pull up the ‘Paw-Cam’. Once I find Emmy, running around and barking up a storm, I hand the phone to my daughter.

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