Page 28 of Hold Me Instead
He looked at the paperwork. “We’ll have cleared floor space.”
Charlie shook her head.
“Hey, before you said something about corporate-owned clinics. Has it been bad here?”
“Yeah. I have friends I went to school with around the state, at least half of them have had their clinics purchased. One was by a smaller company, and it was pretty seamless. But the others were snatched up by—”
He leaned forward. “Neptune Corp?”
“Yes!”
“Damn. They bought the clinic nearest ours in Chicago. Nearly unrecognizable. Would’ve been bad for business, but our clientele has very specific taste and the corporate mold didn’t work for them.”
“That’s lucky, then.”
A knock sounded at the door. Maura peeked her head in. “Special delivery for the Lee family.” She walked in, a foil-covered casserole dish in hand, and set it on Daniel’s desk.
Zachary slid back like it would bite, the chair crunching over papers. “What’s this?”
“The Schmitt family dropped it off. Mrs. Schmitt had an appointment this morning and heard you were here. Went home and baked your family a casserole. They send their best.”
“Oh, well, that was…nice.”
“Yes, dear,” Maura soothed. “Want me to put it in the fridge?”
“No, no, I got it. Thanks.” He stared at the dish as Maura leftthe room.
Charlie hesitated near the door. “You okay?”
"Yeah." Zachary furrowed his brow. “It's nice to see people are looking out for them, you know? My dad doesn't have many relatives here from Hong Kong, and the few that are here live in Illinois. I haven't even seen them in a long time; though, that's partly due to my ex. But I bet it's been a while for him too. I'm just…glad he's got all this love and support around him."
He stared at the gift, his expression adorably confused, a glimpse of his younger self showing. Charlie walked the few feet toward him, then placed her hand lightly on his shoulder.
He startled. His focus went to her hand, then traveled up to meet her eyes. The sadness there threatened to choke her, a vulnerability she couldn’t remember ever seeing from him.
“You sure you're okay?” she asked softly. His frown lines weren’t as deep as the ones when he smiled, but she stifled the urge to trace them just the same.
His eyes widened, and she worried her thoughts were written on her face. Just as quickly, he quirked the slightest half-smile. “All good, Harris. This is a very nice gesture. Mom and Sandra will be touched.” He picked up the dish and stood, gesturing it toward her. “After you.”
Charlie moved to the hall, her feet automatically taking her toward the kitchenette. “Wait,” she muttered, whipping around. She was headed the other direction.
He was right behind her, his eyes zipping up her body to meet hers. She let out a nervous laugh, making to move around him, now hyper-aware of each and every step she took. It felt like she was taking exaggerated tiptoes, her arms tempted to balance at her side.Move likeyour human self, Charlie,not a cartoon. He pressed his back to the wall and let her pass, but she felt the intensity of his gaze.
She suppressed a shiver. There was something unfinished about walking away right now. Or maybe she just didn’t want to?It was probably a strong desire to cover up her ridiculous walk.
“Zachary,” she blurted. When she looked back to find him still standing there, watching her, that shiver reappeared, this time sending a parade of warmth through her body.
He raised his eyebrows, seemingly unashamed that he’d been caught.
“You can fill in for your dad at the cookout.” She sensed his reflex to protest, so she continued. “The grill tent. Pretty straightforward. Should be easy enough for you to handle.” She smirked as his eyes narrowed, feeling like she’d regained a little of her footing. To avoid giving him a moment to object, she hustled into room two.
Chapter 8
Zachary
“Anna.”
“Oh, Zachary!” His ex-wife flung her arms around his shoulders, then glided her way into his downtown Chicago apartment.
