They headed into the shop and placed their orders, sitting down to wait for them to be made. “So what’s up with you? You seem a little off tonight. Not that we could talk over the noise but that’s why we’re here. Problems with the new job?”
Mia shook her head. “Just the opposite. It’s a dream job. Great kid, nice room, access to the car, pay is good.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
Amber knew her well. She’d held Mia’s hand and seen her through the trial with her last employer, and the wife’s ranting and raving that Mia had ruined her family, even though it was her husband who’d done an illegal deed. Parker Alexander, thinking he was home alone, had a business meeting with an associate during which they discussed the kind of retirement scam that would make Bernie Madoff flinch.
Mia had heard enough to grow concerned, especially given the memory of the swindle that had cost one of her foster parents everything. Instinct had made her turn on her phone to record the conversation. And when whispers about embezzlement in Alexander Investments started to come out, she’d taken the recording to the police.
Unfortunately, due to New York law, the tape couldn’t stand on its own. It had merely proven to the DA that Mia’s story was true… which was why they’d subpoenaed her to testify. She’d literally had to sit in the hot seat, knowing every word she said was helping to put her former boss in prison.
“Mia? Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Amber asked.
Mia blew out a long breath. “The guy I work for? He’s drop-dead gorgeous and… he kissed me.” And she’d kissed him back, and she hadn’t stopped daydreaming about it since.
“Whoa,” Amber said, shock in her gaze. “Is this a good thing? Or a bad thing?”
“That’s what I’m trying to decide.”
“Mia!” the barrista called out, letting them know their coffee was ready.
“Be right back.” Mia rose and picked up their cups, sitting back down in her seat across from her friend. “Here you go.” She slid Amber’s cup across the table and took a sip of her latte. “Ooh, it’s hot.”
“Okay, let’s figure this out. Did you like the kiss?” she asked bluntly, as was her way.
Mia’s cheeks flushed. “Umm, yes. It was the hottest kiss of my life.”
“So it’s the employer issue?” Amber asked knowingly.
Mia wrapped her hand around the cup. “In part.” And that’s what she’d been struggling so hard with. If she got past the fact that she worked for him, there were deeper issues she didn’t want to think about.
Amber took a sip of her mocha-flavored coffee. “This is me you’re talking to. What’s going on?”
Mia swallowed hard. “He’s the whole package. A sexy man, a good-hearted guy who adores his child… and his daughter is great, too.”
Amber leaned closer. “This is all good! It’s not like you’re telling me he’s a player who hits on every woman he meets. So—”
“So I can’t afford to fall for him! He admitted he’s done the family thing for the last time. He was burned. Badly. But from my perspective, he has, he is everything I’ve ever wanted in my life.” She rubbed her hands on her jeans, hating having to admit these things out loud. “So how foolish would I be to sleep with the man I work for? And possibly fall hard, knowing ahead of time that we want drastically opposite things out of life? Then I’d have to get over him while working in his home. I know that’s not wise,” she said, voicing her greatest fears.
Amber twirled her brown hair around one finger as she listened thoughtfully. “What if you didn’t have to get over him? What if you fell for him and he fell just as hard for you?” her optimistic friend asked.
No, that wasn’t in the cards. “Life hasn’t typically given me the family I wanted,” Mia murmured. “And he’s already made it clear he isn’t doing the commitment thing again.”
“Then go into it for the sex. If that kiss is anything to go by, you’re in for some spectacular orgasms.”
“Be quiet.” Mia crumpled her napkin into a ball and threw it at her friend, her face on fire from the direction of their conversation.
“Just giving you your options,” Amber said unrepentantly.
“Let’s just say you’ve given me a lot to think about and leave it at that.”
Amber shrugged. “Go for the orgasms. That’s all I’m saying.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “You just had to have the last word, didn’t you?”