“Oh. Hey, Jaycee,” Barron said, trailing toward them with two children behind him.
“Hey. I didn’t know you had children.”
“Yes. Weekend Dad. You know. We’re just headed up to bed, but I saw you and thought I’d say hello.”
She couldn’t miss how his gaze shifted toward Aaron, and the way the latter’s body stiffened told her he didn’t like the way he was looking at him. Barron was a big guy, and Aaron wasn’t. He was thin and athletic, not big and brawny like Barron. If he weren’t Thad’s driver, she would wonder if he weren’t an Alpha instead of a Beta. Alpha’s didn’t serve other alphas. They were equals in all aspects of life, even if one had a higher stature in the human world.
“Oh, Barron, this is Aaron Golding.”
“I know who he is,” Barron replied.
“You’re a fan of my work?” Aaron asked, seeming to ease a bit.
“I used to be,” Barron replied, quickly turning his attention back to Jaycee. “I’ve got to get the kids up to bed. You okay here?”
“Of course. Good to see you, Barron.”
“You too.”
He shot Aaron a look that let him know he didn’t care for him, for whatever reason. Was he really this protective of Thad or was it something else?
“That guy seems like a bit of a dick. How do you know him?”
“He works for a guy I know, lives in the building. I don’t really know him very well.”
“Listen, I’ve got to get up early in the morning, so I’m going to get going. That is, unless you want me to stay?”
“I have to get up early too. I’ll walk you out,” she replied, standing and smoothing down the dress she had worn on their date.
“All right then. I’ll call you tomorrow. Get some sleep. I can walk myself out.”
He kissed her on the forehead and turned to leave. She stood there and watched as he went. He was getting tired of waiting, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to move forward. More importantly, she didn’t understand why.
The following day, work was hectic. She barely had a chance to breathe and when she checked her phone, there were several missed calls from Aaron and a half-dozen texts. It wasn’t like him to be so needy, but she supposed she didn’t usually ignore his calls so long. He was getting attached, which might be good or bad. She wasn’t sure.
Once she got a break, she called him back. The relief in his voice was immediate.
“Thank goodness. I had a horrible dream about you last night and I guess it left me a bit out of sorts. Sorry if I came across like a psycho or anything.”
“It’s okay. I’m glad you care enough to check on me. What’s up?”
“I thought we might go out for a walk later, along the river front. What do you think?”
“Sure. Sounds good. When?”
“Why don’t I pick you up after work and we can just go from there.”
“I’m hardly dressed for a walk.”
“It’s okay. We can drop by your place so you can change,” he told her.
Jaycee paused for a moment. Was it just an innocent thought? After all, that was what normal people do when they are dating someone for a little while. They don’t think twice about bringing them by their apartment to change. Something about this felt like a setup, though.
“Jaycee?”
“Oh, sorry. My boss stepped in. I’ve got to run. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay,” he said.
There was the disappointment again. She put her phone on her desk and sat looking at it. Was she being too hard on him? It wasn’t his fault that she was being fickle. Perhaps, she should stop being such a baby and just let the man into her apartment.
“Will you be doing any work today?” Nasteau said from her open doorway.
She jumped, caught off guard by the intrusion. What had she been doing when he arrived? Oh. Yeah. Staring at her phone. Though she had no use for him, he was currently still her boss and she needed to stay here until she could do better.
“Do you need me for something?” she asked.
“I need you to come with me.”
“Okay. Where are we going?”
“Human Resources.”
Her heart sank. What was this about? She’d been doing a respectable job, despite his bullshit. She wanted to ask but decided to wait until she was in front of Marilyn Stutt, a witness. Why that was important, she wasn’t sure, but it seemed important at the moment. She followed him down the hall and stepped inside the H.R. Department, where the receptionist sent them right in. It was obvious they were expected.
“Hello, Miss Carmichael. How are you?”
“I’m not sure at the moment,” Jaycee responded.
“Have a seat,” she told her, motioning for Nasteau to also sit.
“Have I done something wrong?”
“We’ll get to that. Mr. Nasteau has asked that we discuss this in my office so that it’s on record in the event of further action.”