When You're Back

Major let out a long sigh. “That family is wack.”

Mase was a celebrity’s kid. Life wasn’t supposed to be normal. But apparently, it was worse than I had realized. “He seems worried,” I said simply.

Major glanced over at me before he pulled out onto the main road. “He is worried. But he’s only worried about Harlow. If it wasn’t for Harlow, he wouldn’t give a shit about Kiro. That man may have given him life, but he’s not Mase’s dad.”

I had to agree, though it made me sad to think that he didn’t have a relationship with his real father the way Harlow did. Kiro had missed out on knowing this wonderful man he’d helped create.

“So how’s the job going? Liking it? Ready to quit?”

I opened my thermos and yawned. “I like it. Piper’s really great to work for.”

He nodded. “That’s good. Sucks you couldn’t go with Mase, though.”

Yes, it did suck.

“You reckon he’s gonna pop the question soon?”

Pop the question? Huh? I frowned and put my thermos down. “What question?” I asked.

Major looked at me like I was joking. Then he laughed and held up his left hand. “ ‘Will you marry me?’ That kinda question.”

Oh . . . Oh! I hadn’t thought of that yet. Sure, I was planning on my future with Mase, but this wasn’t something I was expecting anytime soon. We had just started living together.

My silence made Major chuckle. “Guess not,” he replied.

I looked over at him, wondering what he expected me to say. Luckily, he was pulling up to the Stouts’ ranch, and I could end this conversation soon. Once he drove up to the stables, I’d be free. I had no answer for him other than that I doubted it.

When his truck came to a stop, he turned to me. “Just out of curiosity, is that silence because you don’t want him to ask you that question or because you think he doesn’t want to ask?”

I decided to take a page from Captain’s book and be honest. “I think he isn’t ready. We’re still kind of new. If he was really ready to marry me now, he would have asked already. I think he wants to wait until we’ve been together for a while.”

Major nodded and then shrugged. “Maybe,” he said, then tipped the front of his cowboy hat at me, much the same way Mase often did. “Have a good day, Reese.”

I got out of the truck fast before Major could think of any more nosy questions.

Two hours into work, I had drunk my entire thermos of coffee and was working on a new cup from the coffee pot in the office. I was kneeling on the floor, looking for a file that Piper had called for, when the door to my office opened, and in walked Captain.

I was not going to be rude today. He had said he wasn’t flirting with me, so I wasn’t going to be so defensive. We would be working together for a while, and I needed to find a way to do that without feeling I needed to keep my guard up. Besides, I wasn’t normally a rude person. It was hard to do.

In light of my new attitude, I gave him a smile. “Good morning,” I said. I could see the surprise on his face. I wasn’t going to let him say something “honest” and mess this up. “I’ve got to look for a file for Piper, then I’ll help you with whatever you need.” I went back to hunting for the file.

“Did I walk into the wrong office?” Captain asked.

I knew he was going to say something. He had to. It was the way he was. I flashed him another friendly smile. “Nope. Just trying to make this easier. I have no reason to be defensive with you if you’re not flirting with me.”

Finally, the file appeared, and I grabbed it. I stood up and dusted off my jeans before walking back behind my desk. “More paperwork for me to file?” I asked.

He tilted his head and studied me. Well, crap. This was supposed to be easy, but he was going to make a big deal out of it. “Not today. I actually need to see a receipt I brought you last week. If you’ll point me to the right cabinet, I’ll dig through to find it.”

I nodded. “OK. The second drawer has files labeled with the dates on the receipts.”

He was still looking at me like he wasn’t sure what to do with me. Finally, he nodded and walked over to find his receipt. I took that as my opportunity to sit down and find the information that I needed to text Piper. I pulled out my phone and took several pictures of the paperwork she needed. Then I sent them to her in a text.

It was time to return voice mails about lessons, but Captain was still in my office, which seemed awkward. Besides, if he was watching me, I wouldn’t be able to write without messing up.

I decided to get another cup of coffee, even though I was getting jittery from all the caffeine. I had to get better sleep tonight. Maybe I could sleep with one of Mase’s shirts. If I smelled him, it might help.

“Found it,” Captain said, standing up with a paper in his hand. “Thanks. That’s very organized.”

I nodded. I was proud of that. Before Mase, I never would have been able to file anything according to its date. He had changed that.

Captain walked over and kept his gaze on me. “There were a couple of dates that were a little mixed up. I fixed them. I’m sure staring at numbers that much gets to your eyes after a while.”

Crap. I felt my face heat up. Here I was feeling so accomplished, when I’d messed up some receipts. Of all the people to notice, it had to be Captain.

“No need to look like you did something unforgivable. It was just a couple of receipts.”