Now he was the one who was shocked. Katie was well-liked by everyone and she’d caught on to everything he’d shown her so far. When he was explaining the rationale behind why he tested his fertilizers on so many different soil samples, she’d immediately guessed that it was to mimic the many different soil conditions out there so his product would work anywhere in the world. He’d gone to school with people who wouldn’t have understood that concept without it being explicitly explained.
“You’re very smart, Katie.”
When she didn’t look convinced, he put his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes connected with his and Bennett was moved by how vulnerable she looked.
“I’ve been throwing technical jargon at you all day and you’ve kept up just fine. Other than your, um, interaction with our flirtatious earthworm.”
She smiled then, slow and tremulous, and the sight of it sent a spark of heat that arced straight through Bennett with all the heat of a flaming arrow. He’d noticed that she was pretty the first time he’d met her; he was a man, after all. But her smile took her from merely pretty to knock out stunning.
“Oh, that’s inconvenient,” he whispered.
“Sorry, what?”
Now she looked hurt. Before he could even respond, she stepped back slightly and squared her shoulders. He’d seen her do that before, it appeared to be her way of getting herself together when she felt unsure. Oh god, had he made her uncomfortable by touching her shoulder?
“You don’t have to say that to make me feel better, Bennett. I’m cool with who I am. I wasn’t a straight-A student but I’ve always been great at keeping things organized and keeping up with details. Which is perfect since that’s what you need!”
She finished with a bright smile that didn’t even remotely resemble the first one she’d given him. This one didn’t make her eyes sparkle or bring that slight flush to her cheeks.
It was a surprise to Bennett that he missed seeing the real one already.
“Believe me, I’m not the most tactful person out there. If I didn’t think you were smart, I wouldn’t say it. Hell, I’d have probably already told you the opposite without even meaning to.”
That made Katie laugh and even though it was partially at his expense, he was happy to be the butt of the joke if it took that wounded look out of her eyes.
“You’re blunt, that’s true. But at least you tell the truth. Which reminds me, I meant to tell you that you made a mistake on my employment paperwork.”
/> “I did?” Bennett wasn’t sure how that was possible. He’d gone over it carefully before she’d arrived.
She blinked. “Well, yes. You didn’t change the salary number. I figured you’d want to change it to reflect my experience.”
“You’ll be doing the same job so why shouldn’t you be paid the same thing? Once you see how absentminded I really am, you’ll probably feel you’ve earned every penny.”
“Thank you, Bennett. I really appreciate it.”
She sighed again and leaned closer. Suddenly the soft scent of her perfume was in his nose and the only thing Bennett could focus on was how soft her lips looked. She didn’t wear lipstick, just some sort of shiny stuff that made it look like she’d just licked her lips. Then she actually licked her lips and he almost groaned aloud. Was she staring at his mouth? Her breath wafted against his cheek which was shocking enough to bring him back to reality. They were in the middle of the lab and she was likely unaware of the reaction her close proximity was causing.
Also he had an erection. Blushing, he pulled the sides of his lab coat together.
He had to get it together.
“I’m going to go upstairs and change. I think I got some … um, soil on my clothes earlier.”
Her face fell slightly. “Probably when I dropped the petri dish. I’m so sorry about that—”
“It’s fine. Just finish notating in the log which soil sample is in which aquarium. Then you can leave early. We’re done for the day anyway.”
He almost knocked over his stool in his haste to get away from her. She nodded quickly and then turned toward the table with the soil samples but not before he saw the confused look on her face.
Bennett didn’t blame her. He was in charge of his behavior and he didn’t understand it either.
?
“So, how was your second day?”
Ridley had waited until after dinnertime to call, which was showing considerable restraint for her friend. She’d called on her first day of work too and Katie had managed to get out of the conversation but she wasn’t going to be able to put her off much longer. Ri was tiny but she was unrelenting when she wanted to know something.
Katie scrubbed at the same spot on the counter while trying to think of a tactful way to get out of the conversation. Once she’d gotten home, she’d been focused on getting her kids through homework and dinner. Seeing their sweet faces had calmed her a little bit. Her children were the only pure and real things in her world. Nothing else mattered.