15 Minutes (Time for Love 4)

Pregnancy looked good on her. Her long brown hair was silky and full, her skin shone with happiness, and her rounded belly was accentuated by the flowing dress she wore. There was no doubt about it, Shelly was a happy and beautiful woman. I was glad that she and Cal had been able to work through the problems in their marriage. Their relationship seemed stronger for it. And, Lord knew, they were both stoked about becoming parents.

“Brock,” Shelly said in greeting as she rounded her desk. “It’s so good to see you.”

I stood and bent to accept her hug and kiss on my cheek.

“It’s good to see you too,” I replied sincerely. “How are you and the baby feeling?”

She brought her hand up to caress her swollen stomach and said happily, “We’re wonderful.” Shelly leaned back on the edge of her desk, then looked at me curiously and asked, “What brings you by?”

I’d only ever been in to discuss business. Shelly handled my account for O’Malley’s, and we always scheduled appointments. I wasn’t surprised that my drop in made her curious.

“I wanted to talk to you about your baby shower,” I began, thinking I’d never in a million years thought I’d utter that sentence. “You said it’s for couples, right?”

Shelly looked at me, a small smile playing on her lips.

“You want to bring Victoria.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yeah,” I replied, taken aback that she’d already known.

“Cal told me that you were dating her after poker night. He explained what you’d said, that you really seemed to like her, and that she was going to be working for you,” Shelly responded, filling in the blanks. “If you’re asking if it’s okay for you to bring her … Of course it is, anyone you bring would be welcome. But, I have to say, with the way things have always been between us, I doubt she’ll come.”

“She’ll come,” I assured Shelly. “I know there’s a history, and most of it isn’t good, but I think if you give her another chance, and she lets you see who she really is, you’ll change your mind about her.”

“I look forward to it,” Shelly said, her lips turned up sweetly. Then she beat me to the punch when she added, “And, don’t worry, I’ll talk to Sasha and Gaby, give them a heads up. I don’t want her to be uncomfortable.”

At her words, I knew I was right to come to her, but at the same time… “I don’t want to take away from your day, Shel; this shower is about you and your family. I wouldn’t even bring this up if I thought there would be a scene.”

She nodded and accepted my hug when I leaned in to take her in my arms.

“Thanks, Shelly, we’ll see you on Sunday,” I said in parting. Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, I let myself out of her office.

I stopped at a coffee house on the way back, then entered my office with a grin when I saw Victoria seated at the desk. She was all business, her hair perfectly straight, makeup done immaculately, and the sweetest little pinstripe number I’d ever seen, but what brought a smile to my face was the pen resting between her lips, and the smudge of ink on her cheek.

She looked so damn adorable.

I sauntered over to her desk, placing a small white bag and to-go coffee cup on the only clear space, before bringing my thumb to her cheek to wipe away the smudge.

“Hmmm … what?” Victoria jerked back. She’d been so in tune with what she was doing, she hadn’t realized I was there.

“Easy,” I murmured. “You have some ink right there.”

She brought her gaze to mine, and either my touch, nearness, or both, caused her pupils to dilate. My body responded immediately, but I remembered where we were and stepped back, breaking our contact.

“I brought you one of those Chai things and a sandwich,” I told her, indicating the stuff I’d left on the desk. “Brady head to lunch?”

Victoria glanced at Brady’s empty desk, as if she hadn’t realized he was gone, then the light dawned and she said, “Oh, yes, he said he was grabbing lunch and some stuff that Brendan needs for dinner.”

I was about to ask her to pack a bag for tonight when the door open and Craig came bowling in. He stopped abruptly when he saw me standing there, his face growling red as he stammered, “Oh, hi … Brock. I’m just punching in … Um ... I had baseball this morning … Brady said it’d be cool.”

I chuckled as he gestured and fidgeted nervously. Craig had been with us for the week, and all of the guys agreed that he was an asset to the team. Young, strong, and eager to please, he had already become one of the guys.

“It is,” I assured him. “How’d it go?” Asking about the game. “You ready for college ball?”

“Yeah, it’ll be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.” Craig gave Victoria a smile and nod, then turned back to me. “Well, I’m gonna get to work.”

“You do that, kid.” After he punched in and exited in the same flurry of movement with which he’d entered, I turned to Victoria and exclaimed, “I’m tired just watching him.”

She smiled slightly, then put her serious face on and said, “I’ve talked to the guys, and they can get everything moved out of here this weekend so that the carpet can be laid first thing on Monday. We will move in the pieces that you are going to keep on Tuesday, but it may be best to work out of your house all week, until we get the furniture delivered.”