Page 2 of She Likes It, Hey Micah
“Pretty thing like you could be cleaning arealhouse. My husband is always off on business trips, and I get so lonely.”
I shoot to my feet so fast that the bottle of cleaner slips from my frosting-covered fingers, landing with a thud between us. “I have a job,” I croak, and for the first time since I started with Grant, it actually sounds more appealing than a different offer. I clear my throat, forcing away the panic that came from her touch and taking a step back. The space helps, especially when I can take a breath that isn’t full of her heady perfume. “And I am not that kind of man. Excuse me.”
I dart back to the kitchen and immediately turn on the tap, turning it as hot as it will go as I let the water run over my palms, bright blue and green washing away in the stream. I shouldn’t have let her get to me. She barely did anything surprising, though I expected more of a job offer than an invitation to be a maid and escort, and yet my skin is crawling. That one small touch shouldn’t have been enough to get to me, but I still feel her fingers running through my hair.
“Fischer.”
I jump, turning to find Grant leaning against the granite counter with his arms folded. “I’m almost done,” I mutter.
“You okay? I’m surprised you turned Shannon down when her offer was so full of…perks.” There’s a bit of a smile on his face, which almost reminds me why I turned to Grant in the first place when I had nowhere else to go. He can be a decent guy if he tries. When he pays attention. That has happened less and less lately.
I turn the water off, curling my fingers up against my palms and frowning at how red my skin is. I hadn’t even noticed the water getting that hot—I was so focused on washing away the woman’s touch. I roll my eyes. “Is she always so—”
“Predatory? Yeah. But her kid is friends with Dex, so…”
Swallowing, I try to understand why this interaction is happening. Why Grant is suddenly treating me like a human when he usually doesn’t. “Uh, is there anything else you need today?”
He frowns, and I can practically see the wheels turning in his head. Something tells me he didn’t even realize today was Sunday, which means his grasp of time is slipping more than ever. “Oh. No. I guess you can go.”
I take a step but stop myself. He showed uncommon concern just now when he brought up Shannon, and while his commiseration may not have been much, it’s a lot for him. And I don’t know how to repay that outside of doing my job on a day I don’t need to. “Remember we—you—have that meeting with the new event planners tomorrow for the Greenwood reopening. I scheduled a car to pick you up at eight.”
“Ah, right.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets, his frown only growing deeper. It’s because the Greenwood Lodge—a decades-old lodge a couple of hours away and an old favorite destination for a lot of people before it fell into disrepair—is his last hope of keeping his company alive, which means we have to make sure this event planning company is worth their crazy prices. I did a lot of research, and supposedly Ember Events is the best in the state. I’ll make sure they are, or Grant won’t be the only one who loses everything.
I don’t have a lot to begin with, so this job is something I will fight for with everything I’ve got. No matter how much I hate it.
Chapter Two
Micah
October 7
“There’s just something about thatfirst meeting that is so special.” I say this through a mouthful of chocolate croissant, which probably lessens the romanticism of it, but I don’t care. I only have so many minutes left before I’m officially late for work, and these early morning coffee meetups are the only time my best friend and I can get together and gossip. Ember Events can wait a few minutes, even if they can barely function without me.
Kinley rolls her eyes. “I think you’re seeing something that isn’t there. Look at how awkward they are!”
I shake my head, curls bouncing into my face because apparently I care about this subject enough that my gestures are getting violent. “Are you watching the same thing I’m watching? They’re adorable.”
It has to be a first date. The way the blonde girl in the corner booth has barely touched her food, while the redhead guy keeps fidgeting with his sleeve, has first date written all over it. They shared a stiff hug when they first walked in—okay, I’ll admit that part was awkward—and had a little battle over who got to pay, and they’ve been sitting in the corner for almost half an hour now, both of them full of smiles. I have no idea what they’ve been saying, but I imagine it’s full of things in common and plans for their next date.
“He is totally into her,” I say, even if Kinley hasn’t had a chance to defend her argument.
She doesn’t waste her opportunity now, when I’m resting my chin in my hand and imagining how much fun they’ll have telling their children about their cute first meeting. “Um, you do realize he’s looked over here like a dozen times since he sat down, right?”
I swat her. “He has not.”
“He definitely has. See! He just did it again.”
Heat blooms on my cheeks because he totally did look over here, making eye contact with me and smiling a little wider. “Noooo, I’m going to ruin their perfect first date!”
Sure enough, the girl looks at her phone and says something that has the guy pursing his lips and nodding once. They both stand, say a few more things to each other, and then she gives him a cringey side hug before walking out of the coffee shop alone.
“I need to start making bets on this sort of thing,” Kinley says, tucking her phone into her purse. It’s her way of telling me that I need to leave soon unless I want Lila to get mad at me for being late. Again. “Just think of all the money you could have been paying me every time you’re wrong about a couple.”
“I’m right sometimes!” I complain, even if I can’t think of any evidence to back me up. It’s not my fault that I see the potential when no one else does.
Rolling her eyes, Kinley takes hold of my hand like she thinks I need someone to walk me through the real world because I’m not going to make it on my own. “You are hopeless, and you’re about to walk out of here with a date with the guy who wastotally intosomeone else.”
“I am not going to—”
