Page 16 of Stuck-Up Big Shot
Placing my bag on my desk, opening the flap, and extracting my laptop one-handed, I try to decide how best to bring this up without raising suspicions. Graham will give me holy hell if he gets even an inkling I’m interested in Sutton.
Am I? I shake off the thought. While I’m slowly starting to warm up to Sutton and her sweet klutziness, something happens when I’m around her that has me recalling the strangest memories. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s her youth. I’d say she’s roughly the age Mel would be. And Sutton has a youthful quality—innocent in a way and cute as a button.
Something clicks in my head. Sutton.Button.
Nah, no way is she the same little girl I’d given the nickname to a long time ago. If she were, she would’ve said something by now.
Graham’s voice splinters through the odd thought.
“Is everything okay at home and with Blackie?”
“Yeah, man. Everything is fine. It’s just that your dog sitter seems very familiar to me, and I’ve been trying to place her. Has she worked in the office for you in the past, maybe as an intern or something?”
There’s a pause and then a hiss. “Ah, fuck. You didn’t sleep with her, did you?”
I’ve just taken a sip of coffee that Monica, my assistant, left for me on the edge of the desk and nearly spit it out.
“What? No. She’s far too young for me. Why would you even say that?”
Graham gives a mocking snort.“I know you, Miles. Young or not, Sutton is a pretty girl, and you have had an assortment of young women since I’ve known you. I’m sure you’ve been more than neighborly and made her feel very welcomed.”
He’s definitely got it wrong there. I’ve done just the opposite with Sutton, for some inexplicable reason. I don’t know what it is about her, but it’s like she can see inside my blackened heart and knows who I am.
“Bro, you have it wrong. I was just curious if I’ve met her before.”
“Don’t know what to tell you. I’d never met her before Ben introduced us and we interviewed her for the job. You could always go ask him.”
I absently scrub a hand through my hair, still a bit damp from my shower this morning, and consider his advice. It shouldn’t matter at this point, and I should just let it go, but maybe a conversation with Ben would do me good. I have a few business-related matters I need to talk with Ben about, anyhow.
“Yeah, sure. Maybe I’ll do that. I’ll let you go, G-man. Enjoy the south of France, you prick. And don’t worry about a thing here. Just relax and have fun.”
Graham snickers and says goodbye, hanging up, leaving me with the thoughts of Sutton still swirling in my head. I’m a busy man with a shit ton of work to be done. My schedule is packed tight over the next few weeks while Graham is still out of town, and I don’t have time to go traipsing around inquiring about the sexy petsitter next door.
Determined to put it out of my mind, I check my calendar and see that I have a meeting scheduled in ten minutes. I open my inbox to follow up on the email Graham sent and decide to forget about Sutton. For now, at least.
There are other priorities in my life that I need to handle, including Melodie’s upcoming birthday this weekend and managing things with Granny.
9
Sutton
Saturdays arebusy at the boutique. I’ve been working part time for Luciana, Lucy for short, the past two years, and although I’m not the only store employee, I think she’s come to rely on me as one of her best staff members.
I’m the most reliable, at the very least. Which is why I open the store every Saturday and manage the inventory for her once a month on a Sunday evening. Which is scheduled for this weekend.
“Did you find something that worked for you?” I prod the customer who has been in the dressing room for over fifteen minutes trying on several outfits I put together for her.
I hear a rustling of clothing coming from the small dressing room and spy a stash of garments hanging over the top, as I wait patiently for her to finalize her decision.
While I wouldn’t consider myself a fashionista in any sense of the word, I enjoy helping others find clothing that flatters and makes them feel good about themselves.
After a few more minutes, the woman opens the door, arms loaded with a pile of clothes and hair in disarray. But she looks more happy than disgusted, which is always a good sign that I did my job well.
“You were so right. This purple blouse fits so nicely, and the color does look good on me.” The woman beams with gratitude as she hands me the items to ring up.
I smile back at her. “I’m so glad you liked it. The color is a bit loud on the hanger, but I knew it would look great with your complexion.”
Walking over to the front register, I place the items on the counter. “Is there anything else you need today? We have a great selection of accessories and shoes if you want to complete the outfits.”
