Kiss Me (You & Me 3)

He shrugged. “Yes and no. Slacks are a must, but the color is your choosing. All shirts must be tucked in. The choice is yours. The polos and black just kind of seem to be what we all gravitate towards. Black hides the coffee stains,” he said with a grin.

She giggled and nodded her head. “I could see that.”

“Anyway, thank you for coming in. I have a few more interviews and will be making my decision by the end of the week. Again, I apologize the chaos you walked into. We are usually much more refined.”

&n

bsp; “It’s absolutely fine. I enjoyed being able to watch from a distance,” she told him.

He shook her hand and they both rose from the table. The second she was outside, she let out the breath she’d been holding. The breakfast sandwich she had scarfed down earlier was making her ill. She started walking, heading nowhere in particular. Her skin felt too tight. It was the same feeling she always got when Tim was stalking her. Everyone looked dangerous. Everyone looked like they wanted to hurt her.

With her eyes focused on the ground, she carefully navigated through the bustling crowds on the street, walking home. She knew Ben would be expecting a call. She promised she would call or stop by his office that was only two blocks from the coffee shop, but she couldn’t face him. Her instincts were telling her to run. Her eyes darted left and right when she heard a male voice that sounded like Tim. It wasn’t him. The last few weeks had been torn away from her with a single message. Gone was the carefree woman who’d slowly been climbing out of the dark.

By the time she made it to her place, her hands were shaking so bad she could barely maneuver the key into the lock. Her life was never going to be easy or normal. It had been foolish of her to think she could ever have a nice, normal life with a job and a great boyfriend.

She quickly shut and locked her door behind her before moving to the living room window and drawing all the blinds closed. The feeling of being watched was creeping her out.

“I’m so sorry, Ben,” she whispered into the empty room, feeling his absence like a huge hole in her heart.

Chapter Eight

Ben

“ARE YOU OUT OF HERE?” Rachel asked as he stepped out of his office.

“I am, unless you need me for something else?” he said, pausing at her desk.

She shook her head. “Nope. I’m about ready to leave myself. I think this day should be noted on the calendar, we are both out of here by five.”

He chuckled. “Do you have a hot date tonight?”

“No, I don’t. I have a date with my TV. I have some catching up to do on my favorite shows before all the fall premieres start. I’ve neglected my shows.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “I don’t think they’ll notice. It’s called having a life and dating.”

“Maybe, but I’m fully invested in the lives of my favorite characters,” she quipped.

“Got it. Well, have a fun night watching TV,” he said with a grimace.

“Oh, I suppose you have a hot date?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I am going to dinner with Katherine and she’s always hot, so I suppose you could say I have a hot date.”

“You are so sprung. If I knew how to do the whip sound, that would be inserted here,” she teased.

“Ha. Ha. I’m not whipped. Sprung, maybe, but life is good right now. I’m enjoying myself and I know she is as well. I like where things are going,” he said with confidence.

The conversation he had with Katherine earlier was still hanging in the back of his mind. Katherine had sounded a little stressed when he’d talked to her earlier. She said the interview went fine, but he could tell something was off. He had asked her to join him for dinner and she had quickly accepted the invitation.

“I’m happy for you. I can’t believe you have finally found a woman you are this excited about. I was beginning to think you were going to be a bachelor for the rest of your days.”

He scoffed. “You and me both. I’ve never met a woman I have been so instantly drawn to. It truly was love at first sight. It was like my soul recognized hers as being the one before I even knew her name.”

Rachel groaned. “You’re killing me with the sappiness.”

“I can’t help it. I feel sappy. I’m hoping she landed that job. I’d be able to pop over there all the time to see her.”

Rachel shook her head. “You better take your laptop with you. You still have a business to run. You can’t be hanging out at a coffee shop all day.”