Page 51 of Can't Help Falling in Love
“She is. Thanks. I don’t want to add more stress to them.”
Was she bold enough to ask?You have no idea what he wants. Don’t make a fool of yourself. You don’t even have a degree.
“That’s a lot with little ones at home.”That’s it. Stay neutral. Casual. You’re fine.
Ethan shook his head like he was ridding himself of the worries. “I hate the business side of business. Not the numbers, really—I don’t mind that. But the paperwork and setup and ordering. I’m the people person. I was going to ask Will for your number because he mentioned your business degree. I’m not sure what your work situation is right now.” He trailed off, leaving the floor entirely open.
Will joined them, making her nerves multiply. He smiled encouragingly. Or maybe that was just his smile. He set the hot chocolates down.
“I’m almost finished with school.” She cringed, feeling as if she’d yelled it like an accusation.
“You’re almost there,” Will said easily, resting on the arm of the chair where she sat.
“I’m in a class right now. I need two more to finish,” she said to Ethan.
Nervous laughter erupted. She squeezed her hands together.
Ethan smiled. “Going to admit this might be the strangest job interview I’ve ever given. Tell me about your degree.”
Oh God. Job interview? Is this for real?
She forced her shoulders to relax. She couldn’t serve soup but shecoulddo this. “It’s a business degree with a specialization in operations management.”
His grin widened. “You’re already smarter than my brother.”
Will and Lexi both laughed. When she looked up at Will, hewinked, and though she’d always questioned the wink as a suspicious form of flirting, it sent heat straight to her stomach.
Ethan leaned forward in the chair. “What do you do now?”
Hook old ladies up with grannie pantiessounded wrong. She cleared her throat, noting the way Will smiled at her, like silent encouragement. “I manage a dress boutique in Astrid Park. I’ve been there an embarrassingly long time.”Excellent; make yourself sound pathetic. Jesus, Lexi. Pretend you know how to do this.
“Which proves you have a strong track record. You must be an excellent employee,” Will said smoothly. “Have you done any projects in operations management? Setup? Distribution? Working with suppliers?”
Lexi inched forward, a little seed of confidence nestling inside of her. “Actually, I’ve been doing that sort of thing for years. My current boss has done several makeovers on her business. I do the buying, all communications, most of the books. Honestly, I think she just uses the place more for socialization than anything else. I’m surprised she hasn’t closed down yet. She’s cutting back hours but she does have some steady clientele.”
Ethan stood up, so Lexi and Will did too. “Sometimes life hands you what you need just when you need it. Mama Grand can stop setting you up and I can stop looking at spreadsheets.” He turned to Lexi. “That is, if you’re interested in this kind of position. Even if I just connect you with Brady and you find out where he’s at, what the top priority is right now. If you could get us a staff for the new year, help us get the place up and running so he can come back to it open, that would be amazing. I’ll pay you well. Benefits. Hell, I’ll give you my brother’s car if you want. Lori made him buy an actual mini van so he can’t drive his beloved GTI.”
She was nodding but words weren’t forming in her brain. Breathing in deeply, the crisp scent of fall having followed them inside, shesmoothed herself out. “I’m very interested. I’d love to chat with your brother and learn more.”
“I’m going to call Brady right now. Start thinking about a guest list. I should throw you two an engagement party.”
With almost boyish enthusiasm, he hugged her, stepped back, and then hugged Will.
When Ethan left them, a wide smile on his face, Will pulled her closer.
“Quite a day,” he said, leaning in to kiss her.
“You’re not kidding. My brain is on overdrive. He won’t really throw us an engagement party, right? I feel like that will complicate things more.”
“I’ll tell him not to. He’s excited. With good reason. You’ll be great at this.”
How could he believe in her so easily when she found it so hard to believe in herself?Then change it. Believe in yourself. You can do this. More than that, you want to do this.
Will ran a finger along her jaw. “And you thought the best thing about today would be the promise of pie.”
Lexi chuckled even as she leaned her head against his. “Actually, the best thing about today was and still is the promise of you.”
Twenty
