The Whole Package

“How about you let me take you and Hazel out for dinner? Let me get to know your girl, too.”

“I think we can do that, but first let me introduce you to her,” I tell Shawn as I stand up and hug him. “Thank you so much.”

When we walk out of the office I feel lighter than I have in a very long time. Maybe ever.

Chapter 6

Shawn

Bailey pulls her hand from mine as we leave the office. I want to reach out and grab it back, but I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. This is all uncharted territory for me, so I decide to go with the flow. I’m technically her boss, but as far as company policy goes you can date people you work with as long as you disclose it to Human Resources. I sent an email to our head of HR last night. I knew if I had even a second alone with Bailey I’d kiss her. Damn, that kiss. It was too fucking good, because now I can’t stop thinking about it.

I watch as Bailey goes over to one of the registers and leans in to talk to another young girl. She’s smaller than Bailey and looks a bit younger, but they both have the same blonde hair and soft brown eyes. They talk alone for a second until Bailey turns around and smiles at me.

“Shawn, this is my sister, Hazel. Hazel, this is Shawn.”

“I’m trying to see Britney,” she says and points the headphone in her ear. “You’re tall.”

“Thanks. It’s nice to meet you.” I hold my hand out for her to shake it and she looks at it and then smiles. She grabs my wrist and turns my hand so the palm is facing her. Then she hits it with hers like a high five. “Sorry, I guess I was doing that wrong.”

“It’s okay. That’s how we learn,” she says and shrugs. It sounds like something she’s been told before. “He’s hot, Bailey,” she says, a little too loud because of the headphones. “I like your tattoos.”

Bailey buries her face in her hands as Hazel steps closer to me and pulls my arm out so she can look at them. Her eyebrows draw together as she studies the lines and then she drops my arm and steps back.

“Do you like cows?”

The question takes me off-guard, but I nod. “Yeah, I do actually.”

“You should come meet Sugar. She would like you.” With that, Hazel turns back around and puts in her other headphone so that she’s got both ears tuned in.

“She’s trying to win tickets to go see Britney Spears,” Bailey says and looks at Hazel with so much love. “But Sugar is the cow that she’s adopted. It wandered past our fence one day and she loved her so much she couldn’t let her go.”

“I know the feeling,” I say as I reach out and tuck Bailey’s blonde hair behind her ear. She blushes, and I wish I could lean down and kiss her again, but I know if I do I won’t be able to stop. “So, what about dinner tonight? Can I take you and Hazel out?”

Bailey reaches over and taps Hazel on the shoulder. After a second she takes her earbud out. “Do you want to go to dinner with Shawn?”

Hazel looks at me and then looks at Bailey. “You get to come, too, right?”

“Yes. It would be the three of us,” Bailey says, smiling at her.

“Yes. I want spaghetti,” Hazel says.

“My favorite,” I say, and she smiles at me.

With that, I decide I need to walk away or I’m going to stand beside them all day and get nothing accomplished. I tell them I’ll see them later and go back to the office. I sit down then stand up, then I start to pace. I’m full of energy now and, more importantly, anticipation. I’m wound so tight that I end up going back out to the store and stocking shelves to pass the time. I end up meeting most of the employees that way and talk to a guy named Kyle who is friends with Bailey and Hazel.

“She’s the best,” he says when I ask him about Bailey. For a second I begin to feel jealous, but then he goes on. “I wish I could find a guy just like her.”

“She’s special,” I agree as I glance over to where she’s working.

“Just be careful.” The warning surprises me, and I look back to him and see his face is completely serious. The easy smile that was there before is long gone. “She’s been through a lot. And her sister is her life. They’re not something casual. You get what I mean?”

“Yeah, I hear you,” I say and nod. “She’s lucky to have a friend like you in her corner.”

The rest of the afternoon passes slowly. I have lunch brought in for the team, which is something I do for all the stores I visit, but I may have gone a little overboard this time. But the smile on Hazel’s face when she saw the giant cheesecake was enough to know overboard was just right.