“You’re very sure of yourself.”
I couldn’t resist teasing her. “I felt your response to my kiss, Sandy. I have every reason to be sure.”
“You’re such a rake.” She teased back. “I thought you were a gentleman.”
“I’m both.”
“I see.”
“So?” I pushed. “Tuesday, about twenty more dates, then the wedding? Yes?”
She sighed. “Yes.”
I couldn’t help my grin. “Perfect.”SandyMonday morning, my stomach fluttered with nerves. As I prepared the boardroom for the usual start-of-the-week meeting, I worried about seeing Jordan.
How would he act? Would people know we’d been out together? I valued my privacy and I was certain he did as well, yet I also felt anxious about my reaction to him.
He’d been on my mind all day yesterday. Snippets of our evening came back to me, making me smile as I sorted drawers and tidied the house. The way I felt in his embrace—safe and secure. Surrounded by his scent. Max never wore cologne since many of the hospitals had a fragrance-free policy, so I wasn’t used to it, but Jordan smelled like fresh air in the fall—woodsy and warm. I liked it.
And his kiss.
It awakened in me something long dormant. With the age difference between Max and me, our sex life had shifted greatly as Max grew older. The last few years of Max’s life, his body had suffered terribly with his MS. He fought it valiantly, but the passion we had shared so strongly throughout our earlier marriage was missing. We snuggled, exchanged whispered words of love, gentle kisses, but that was all. As hard as we tried to prevent it, I became more of a caregiver than his wife, and although I wouldn’t have done it any other way, that side of our life was gone.
I touched my mouth, still feeling the pressure of Jordan’s lips on mine. The tender possession that had deepened and blossomed into something more. It left me wanting.
And in many ways, it scared me.
Reid walked into the boardroom, his laptop tucked under his arm, a cup of coffee in his hand. He stopped beside me, dropping a kiss to my cheek.
“Hey, Sandy. How was your weekend?”
I patted his cheek. “Good. Yours?”
“Great. Becca and I went shopping for some furniture.” He shook his head. “I’ve never been able to shop for my own stuff before. There’re so many choices and decisions. Good thing I have her.”
I smiled. “Yes, it is.”
Other staff members filed in, and I took my usual place to the side of Bentley. I opened my pad and got ready, knowing once he strode in, the meeting would start. It was as if everyone waited for him, feeding on his energy and leadership to begin the week.
Aiden and Maddox sat down, both smiling and greeting me. My breath caught as Van walked in, followed by Jordan. I relaxed as they both said hello. Jordan smiled, nodded, and sat in his usual place. There was nothing out of the ordinary with his demeanor, nothing overly familiar, yet I felt his glance from across the table. Saw his smile widen a little as I returned his salutation. I averted my eyes as the feeling I was about to blush rushed over me.
Heaven’s sake, I hadn’t blushed since I was fifteen. What was this man doing to me?
Bentley walked in, set his leather-bound journal on the boardroom table, and clapped his hands.
“Morning everyone. We have a busy week ahead of us, so let’s get to it.”
I was grateful for his briskness this morning. I needed to occupy my hands—and my mind.
Blushing.
What next?
Swooning?
Heaven forbid.I stayed in my seat, furiously writing the last few moments of the meeting as people filed out. Bentley had been on fire this morning, discussing new projects, the hiring of additional staff, the transition of some people to the new building, as well as a hundred and one other items on his list.
Busy, indeed.
I jotted down some questions I needed to ask, then snapped shut my notepad.
I glanced up, surprised to see all the boys still in their seats. They were all relaxed, sipping coffee, Aiden eating what I was certain was his fourth Danish of the day. I met their glances, confused.
“Boys—what’s up?”
“Just checking in, Sandy,” Maddox drawled, a smile on his lips.
“Checking in?”
“You look good today,” Bentley stated softly. “Lovely as usual, but better.”
“I had a nice weekend.”
Aiden lifted one eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Very productive. Cleaned out some drawers, went shopping, that sort of thing.”
Reid leaned forward. “Anything particularly interesting filed under ‘that sort of thing’?”
I rolled my eyes. They were fishing. They knew I had lunch with Jordan last week, and like curious children, they wanted to know what was going on. I stood, brushing off my skirt.
“I deleted that app, if that is what you’re wondering. You can all stop worrying.”
“We’ll never stop worrying about you, Sandy,” Bentley stated. “We love you too much.”