Saturday, we got all my furniture out of the apartment and into Chase’s garage. It’s weird that he wouldn’t let me rent a storage room, but I guess if he’s got the room, I’m not going to complain about not spending the extra money. I need to save for the first and last month’s rent payments I’m going to have to make on my new place. My landlord had told me not to worry about cleaning the apartment, considering the building is going to be torn down shortly. It’s not like it’s necessary to scrub the grout between the tiles in the bathroom or make sure the fridge is free of sticky syrup. Plus, he gave me my deposit back, which will go a long way toward what I’ll need for a new place to live.
My commute is slightly shorter, which is nice. Not that there’s a long commute in Fair Lakes; I mean, you could live just about anywhere in town and still get to where you need to be in under ten minutes. But Chase’s neighborhood is closer to work than mine was, so that’s a plus. Not to mention the fact that he’s just down the road from my favorite coffee shop, and that makes stopping for my morning jolt of caffeine a lot easier.
By the time I get to the office, Harrison is already on the phone. He’ll be gearing up for his Monday morning managers’ meeting, which consists of conference calls from all the on-site assistant managers. Chase technically manages the locations and travels between the gyms throughout the week, but they both agreed that having an on-site assistant, who can make calls when Chase isn’t around, is best for the company.
“Good morning,” Harrison says through a yawn as he steps out of his office and stretches. The bottom of his T-shirt creeps up, revealing hard abs and tanned skin. I quickly glance away, not because my brother-in-law showed me something he shouldn’t, but out of respect for my sister. Harrison’s a good-looking guy with a body most women would maim to touch, but that doesn’t mean I should be gawking.
Besides, as hot as my brother-in-law is, he has nothing on his best friend…
“Good morning,” I reply, taking a sip of my latte and watching him yawn for the second time in ten seconds. “Rough night?”
“Sophia is teething,” he answers, staring at my coffee with longing eyes.
Grinning over my cup, I offer, “Can I get you a cup of coffee?” We have a small coffee pot in the break room, but it’s rarely used.
“No, thanks.” Then, he reaches forward and steals the very cup from my hands, taking a long, leisurely sip. “God, that’s good,” he groans before thieving a second drink.
“Really?” I ask, placing my hands on my hips and glaring at my boss.
“Sorry,” he whispers, handing me back my drink. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. It was a long night. By the time the princess and Winnie finally fell back asleep, it was about time for me to get up. I love that little girl with my entire heart, but sometimes, I’d consider selling her for just a few hours of shut-eye,” Harrison adds, though with a smile on his face. I know the second he says it that he wouldn’t actually sell his daughter. From what I’ve gathered, most new parents—or seasoned ones—think the same thing at one time or another.
“You better not be talking about my sweet, perfect little niece,” Chase growls as he enters the office, and my entire body charges to life.
“Your sweet, perfect little niece is cutting a tooth and was up fussing all night,” Harrison tells him.
I can feel the warmth of his body as Chase comes and stands right next to me, his arm brushing against my shoulder. The slightest touch jolts my lady parts, a reaction I try to ignore, but it’s hard, considering the man is tall, hard, and smells so amazing.
“She probably just misses her uncle,” Chase adds, taking my cup from my hand and putting his lips on the lid. “Ew, what is this shit?”
I glare at him. “That shit is a mocha, which is apparently a community drink at this point.”
“Too sweet,” Chase grumbles, yet takes a second drink from the cup before handing it back to me.
Without giving it a second thought, I put my own lips on the lid and take a drink. I swear I can feel where his mouth touched right before mine, making my lips tingle. Pushing that thought away, I reply with a little sass, “You could get your own damn coffee, you know.”
He just smirks. “I could, but then how would I irritate you?”
Harrison laughs. “And how is the roommates situation going?”
“Fine,” I grumble at the same time Chase replies, “Great.”
My brother-in-law glances back and forth between the two of us, assessing our replies and probably reading way too much into the situation. Ignoring the question in his eyes, I head around to my desk and fire up my computer. First thing I always do is check out today’s schedule. I know Mondays are busy office days for Harrison, while Chase uses a big part of his day to visit one of the chain locations.