Happily Enemy After (Hawthorne Brothers 2)

Hmm. At first, I decide to ignore the comment and keep walking, but I change my mind after a few steps. When I stop to look over my shoulder, I find the woman and two of her friends whispering. One of them glances at me.

Oh, they’re definitely talking about me. Maligning me, from the looks of it. Now, I’ve had to put up with a lot of crap since I joined this company, mostly from Asher, but now that he’s respecting me like he should, I’m not tolerating any of it any longer.

“Hi.” I give the women a wide smile as I walk over to them. “Is there something you’d like to talk to me about? If you have something you’re brave enough to say to my face, I’m happy to listen.”

Two of the women, including the one I nearly bumped into, fall silent. The third, a brunette in a pink blouse, puts on a smile that rivals mine, too wide to be real.

“We were just… talking about… your lipstick. It looks nice. What brand is it?”

“Oh. It’s…”

I start to get the tube from my purse but stop when I notice the auburn-haired woman rolling her eyes. Oh no she didn’t.

“Is there something else you’d like to ask?” I ask her because she looks like she’s dying to say her piece. “Now’s your chance.”

She looks at me. “Are you going out with Asher Hawthorne?”

Now, that wasn’t so hard.

“No,” I answer.

“You don’t intend to?” she asks next.

“No. So if you want to have a go at him—”

“Then why do you keep leading him on? Why do you have him at your beck and call?”

What? “That is not true.”

“I heard he brings you coffee every morning. Is that not true?”

Is that what this is all about?

“It is, but…”

“And that he lets you go home early so you can relax while he does all of your work?”

I frown. “He does not.”

The woman folds her arms beneath her breasts. “He used to hate you. He couldn’t stand seeing you, and now all of a sudden he’s like… your puppy. And yet you say you’re not going out with him and don’t intend to. So you’re just using him to get ahead? Is that it? Are you sleeping with him in exchange for favors?”

Wow. That’s a lot of stuff she’s been dying to say. Well, now it’s my turn.

I draw a breath. “For the record, I am not—”

“Ms. Cleary is not sleeping with me to get ahead,” Asher says as he emerges from around the corner.

My eyebrows arch. How long has he been standing there? How much did he hear?

“In fact, she’s not sleeping with me at all,” Asher goes on. “Which is perfectly fine with me.”

It is? I thought he wanted me to have sex with him? Did he change his mind?

“I’ve been bringing her coffee to make up for the fact that I was a jerk to her during her first weeks here just like you said. And because I’ve noticed she hasn’t been getting a lot of sleep. And you know why not? Because Ms. Cleary works very hard, even when she’s not in the office. I know for a fact that she’s busy until two in the morning sometimes.”

The auburn-haired woman purses her lips and looks away. The other keeps still and silent. The brunette speaks softly as she fidgets with the strings of her pouch.

“Sorry, sir.”

“Don’t apologize to me,” Asher replies. “I’m not the one you hurt. That would be Ms. Cleary here—a newcomer, a colleague, a woman striving to make a difference in the corporate world just like you. Now, I won’t make you apologize to her, because you’re not children, but let me make it clear that I will not tolerate anyone spreading malicious rumors about Ms. Cleary. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” all three murmur with lowered heads.

Asher said they’re not children, but right now they remind me of three little girls who just got caught making another girl cry in the playground. And by the cool, cute older boy whom they happen to have a small crush on, no less. They look on the verge of tears themselves and I almost want to hug them and tell them it’s alright.

Almost. I’m not that kind.

Asher turns to me. “Ms. Cleary?”

“Yes?” I meet his gaze.

“If you’re done with your lunch break, there’s something I’d like to go over with you.”

“Yes, sir,” I answer.

I follow Asher to his office. Once we’re inside, I close the door behind me.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I tell him.

“I did. If the people working for this company turn on each other, we will lose money.”

He’s right, of course. Still…

“I had it under control.”

“Maybe, but…” He stops as he meets my gaze. His eyebrows furrow. “Have I… offended you?”

“No,” I answer promptly.

Do I look offended?