“Oh, I could never do that.” That sort of awkward conversation would probably make her boss think she was interested in dating him… a sure way to lose her job. She could be more sensitive, though, and express her appreciation whenever possible. But his plight had her worried.
If a man like Steven Gherring can’t find someone to love, what’s going to happen to me?
6
After a shower, Gary emerged from his bedroom to find Steven, in fresh clothes, typing on his computer.
“I was hoping you’d already started dinner,” Gary said, peering over Steven’s shoulder. “I thought you agreed not to do any work until tomorrow.”
“I’m not working,” Steven shook his head. “I’m looking at my training data. I think you were right about needing to relax a little. I picked up some time on my run this morning, and I don’t even feel tired after surfing all day.”
“That makes one of us.” Gary groaned and lunged forward on his right foot to stretch his left calf and hamstring, repeating the process on the opposite leg. “I’m exhausted.”
Steven closed his computer. “Since we’re kayaking in the morning, I thought I’d do a bike ride in the afternoon. Do you want to come?”
“I’d slow you down too much.” It was a good excuse, but his real reason for staying behind was to spend a few hours alone with Katie. Although part of him felt guilty for pursuing her after what she’d said earlier on the beach.
He’d seen the longing on Katie’s face, heard the wistful note in her voice, when she admitted she valued Steven for more than his wealth. On the other hand, Steven didn’t seem the least bit romantically interested in Katie. Wouldn’t Gary be doing both of them a favor if he managed to secure Katie’s affections for himself? Surely he wasn’t obligated to inform Steven of her attraction. If the man had been with her for almost two years without figuring it out, he didn’t deserve her.
Steven slapped him on the back, jerking him out of his reverie. “Come help me fix dinner.”
“I have no cooking skills.” Gary followed him into the kitchen.
“You can cut up vegetables for the salad,” said Steven. “I’m cooking pan-seared scallops with lemon-caper sauce. And we’ll have asparagus, too.”
“I don’t think you’re getting enough carbs for the calories you’re burning.” Gary searched through the drawers until he found a cutting board. “That could be contributing to your lower split times.”
“It’s possible. I’m in such a habit of avoiding starches.” Steven cocked his head to the side. “I’ll serve it over pasta.”
“Sounds gre
at.”
As they worked, Gary’s guilt grew. He owed Steven his life. Perhaps he should try to discover whether his friend held hidden feelings for Katie. It would be like Steven to keep that sort of thing to himself.
He cleared his throat. “I guess you and Katie spend a lot of time together.”
“You could say that.” Steven took several items out of the refrigerator.
“Have you spent much time together outside the office?”
“Nope.” Steven bent to retrieve a pan from a deep drawer. “I haven’t subjected her to that kind of torture. I’m sure she couldn’t handle more than eight or nine hours a day with me, even if we do have a lot in common.”
“A lot in common?”
“You’re the one who called her my clone,” Steven said, as he unwrapped a stick of butter and placed it in the pan. “It’s amazing to find someone with the same perfectionist tendencies.”
Not particularly pleased with Steven’s assessment, Gary took out his frustration on a piece of celery, chopping it so fast the pieces came out in ragged chunks. “But in a lot of ways, she’s really different from you.”
“Like what?” Steven asked.
“You’re about as fearless as they come, and Katie gets nervous about everything. Like the way she wouldn’t even step foot in the water, today.”
On the stove top, the butter sizzled as Steven added crushed garlic, producing a heavenly aroma that made Gary’s mouth water.
“Katie doesn’t let anything stand in the way of getting her work done,” said Steven. “She’s smart and dedicated, with integrity up to her eyeballs. That’s all that matters.”
“If you think she’s so great, why haven’t the two of you ever dated? You’ve had relationships with some of your past personal assistants.”