Page 44 of Boss of Attraction
It had been a few months since we had kissed in the elevator and looked at the condo together, and our relationship had moved back into a strictly professional one. I didn’t know if that was because I’d told him we had to pretend as though nothing happened between us or because we were buried under a mountain of work.
Whatever the reason, I missed our non-work-related conversations like the ones we had shared around the fire in Cape Cod or when we’d gone to dinner. And I didn’t know what that meant for me.
Did I see Declan as a friend and someone I wanted to hang out with? Or was there more? I was pretty certain it was the latter, but I still had difficulty wrapping my head around the fact that the first person I felt I might be interested in since my wife died was a man. However, I couldn’t deny I was drawn to him in a way I hadn’t been to another person since Melinda.
After a few more minutes of considering what I should do, I decided to go celebrate with everyone because I wanted Declan to know I was happy about his recent accomplishment. Just like I had told him on the day we’d gone to look at the condo—which I was closing on next week—I believed in him. His work ethic and drive were impeccable, and I had no doubt he was going to be a very prominent attorney one day.
Leaving my stuff in my office to get later, I locked up and made my way to the restaurant down the street. As I walked into The Backyard, I quickly spotted the group from Ashford, Nolan & Torrance taking up a large portion of the bar area.
“Hey, Sean.” Camille waved me over even though I was already walking in her direction.
Declan’s head whipped up, and a smile spread across his face when he saw me. “Bossman, I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”
I clapped him on the shoulder as I stepped up beside him. “I wasn’t going to miss celebrating you passing the bar.” Noticing he didn’t have a drink in front of him, I announced to the group, “Next round is on me.”
The other employees cheered, and I handed the bartender my credit card, ordering two bottles of Stella Artois at the same time. I gave one of the beers to Declan and said, “Congratulations. There was never a doubt in my mind you’d pass.”
“Thanks, Sean.” He took the bottle from me, and we moved over to a high-top table to make room for the others to place their orders. “I’m glad you were confident I’d pass. When I left the exam, I wasn’t so sure.” He took a sip of his beer. “How’d you know what kind of beer I liked?”
Telling him I remembered what he’d ordered at Fallon’s wedding seemed not only weird but like I was admitting something I wasn’t ready to put words to. Instead, I shrugged. “Lucky guess.”
“Thanks for the drink, Sean,” Clark, a junior associate, called out, and I raised my bottle in acknowledgment.
I shifted my focus back to Declan. “Now that you’re an official lawyer, I need to have a chat about your job with the other partners.”
He smiled. “I hope it will be a good chat.”
I gave him a matching grin. “I’m sure it will be.”
Camille joined us with a bright green drink in her hand, and several others soon followed her. The conversation quickly switched to everyone’s plans for the upcoming weekend.
“What about you, Sean?” Declan asked. “Got any exciting plans?”
“Not really. Probably just packing. I’m supposed to move into my new place next weekend.”
Camille gave me a questioning look. “You’re not hiring movers?”
“I am, but I’m also downsizing, so I need to finish going through stuff and decide what I’m keeping and what I can get rid of.”
“Moving is the worst,” Clark interjected.
“Yeah, it’s been a lot of work so far. But I am looking forward to having practically zero commute.”
“Plus, that shower’s totally worth it,” Declan muttered under his breath, so only I could hear him.
Once again, I found myself thinking about him standing naked under the water. I needed to get a grip and stop indulging in inappropriate thoughts about my employee.
A couple of hours later, everyone except Declan, Camille, and me had left.
“Well, guys. I need to call it a night. The kids get up early, even on the weekends,” Camille stated.
“See you Monday,” I said as she stood.
“Thanks for getting everyone to come out tonight.” Declan hugged her.
“Congratulations again,” she said, and then she left.
Declan turned to me. “I’m going to close my tab and head out too.”
