In Good Company: Chapter 10

Lucy lets out a yelp as her hand drops from her mouth to her chest. She pushes the Bronco door open. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to curse…you just scared the shit out of me.” Her eyes go wide as she realizes another curse word slipped out. “I mean, you really scared me.”

I pull my earbud from my ear and give her a wide smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you. It was just a bit of a surprise to see you. Wasn’t expecting you until this afternoon.”

Her breaths still seem quick from the scare, but she manages a timid smile in my direction. “I wanted to give myself plenty of time to prepare. I hope you don’t mind…” Her words trail off for a moment, and so does her smile.

“It doesn’t matter to me at all.” I point to the bags of food in her passenger seat. “Need any help bringing those in?”

Lucy looks toward the passenger seat. “No, I can get them. I don’t want to make you help me. You can finish…” She looks back in my direction, her eyes traveling over me for a moment. “Your run?” Her words come out as more of a question.

I look down at my shorts and old college T-shirt. “I try to get out every morning I can for a run along the beach.”

Time seems to tick by slowly as her gaze roams my body far longer than necessary. She focuses on where the fabric of my shirt clings to my skin from sweat. When she realizes she’s been caught, her cheeks turn the perfect shade of pink.

“The weather is perfect this morning,” she rushes to get out. She manages to keep eye contact with me for a few seconds before the embarrassment of getting caught is too much for her, and her gaze whips to the bags in her passenger seat.

I let out a slow chuckle. “Yes, it is.” I don’t say anything else, instead choosing to prop my elbow against the door of her car as she gathers all her things from the front, her cheeks still flushed. She seems to be so reactive. It’s amusing. I can’t quite put my finger yet on why I find her so fascinating, but I’ve been looking forward to her first day all week.

Lucy sticks a leg out of the Bronco to get out, but I step closer, caging her in slightly as I reach for the bags. “Let me bring these in.”

She keeps a grip on them, being stubborn just like she was the first night I saw her at Laurent’s. Tiny frown lines appear on her forehead with her concern. “You’re my boss. I can’t make you take in your own groceries.”

I scoff, annoyed she thinks I’m incapable of helping. Or maybe it’s that I’m annoyed she thinks I’ll walk inside empty-handed as she carries everything in on her own. Either way, she’s barely begun her first day, and she’s already finding ways not to listen to me. My teeth grind together with frustration as I attempt to take a deep breath. “I’m fully capable of helping whether you work for me or not.”

When I reach out to grab the bags from her a second time, she lets me. Her mouth opens and shuts as she tries to find the right words. Her shoulders sag in defeat as her eyes meet mine. “It just doesn’t seem right to make you carry in food when it’s my job to do it.”

I take a step back, allowing her to step out of the Bronco. “It doesn’t seem right to make you carry in bags of food when I have two perfectly good hands that can help you.”

Lucy grabs a bag I hadn’t seen from the floorboard of the passenger seat. The way she clutches it to her chest tells me it’d be best if I didn’t argue and at least allowed her to carry that one in.

“Why do I feel like working for you is going to be incredibly different than any other chef job I’ve taken?” she asks, her tone more playful than I was expecting.

I can’t help but smile at the easy way she gives me shit. I think that’s why I’m fascinated by her. People rarely talk back to me, yet she does it so effortlessly—even if it makes her cheeks turn a little pink when she does. I’d guess that she’s not typically defiant, and that smart mouth of hers is reserved just for me. “Because I’m better than anyone else you’ve worked for, obviously. Wickedly charming. Incredibly handsome. Pays well…”

“You do pay well,” Lucy responds casually. She follows behind me as I walk to the side entrance. I want to give her a full tour of the house, but the door I lead her to is closest to the kitchen, so we can put her bags down before doing anything else.

“Weird you didn’t mention anything about what else I said…”

She laughs. “No comment.”

I glance over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t have to say it out loud. I know I’m better than anyone else you’ve worked for.”

She lets out a deep breath as I hold open the side door for her. The playful smile on her lips and narrowed stare tell me nothing about what’s going through her head. “I guess we’ll have to see about that.”

I shake my head as she steps into the small mudroom.

Yeah, having her here every week is going to be fun.

As soon as she’s far enough into the room, I shut the door and gesture to the hallway. “The kitchen is right this way.”

I carefully brush past her, making sure to keep my distance despite the narrow opening of the room. We’re both quiet as I guide her to the kitchen.

“Here’s where the magic will happen,” I tell her, setting the bags of food on the large kitchen island. I tuck my hands in my pockets and turn to face her, wanting to gauge her reaction to the space.

She’s silent, her big brown eyes slowly assessing the room. I wait for a few moments, wishing I could get inside her head. It’s a high-tech kitchen. There’s not much more she could want for in here, but her silence makes me nervous. Is it missing something? I’ll buy her whatever else she could want.

I tap my knuckles against the counter as I watch her closely. “Everything look okay?” It isn’t hard to miss the uneasiness in my question. I clear my throat, not used to having to question things. Uneasy is not a tone I have often.

Lucy’s eyes find mine. Her wide smile could thaw even the most frozen of hearts—including mine. “Of course,” she answers, her voice breathless. She pulls her eyes from mine as she looks around the kitchen. She runs her hands along the quartz countertop, her bright smile never once leaving her lips. “I don’t even have words. Cal, this kitchen is stunning.”

I try to ignore the way my chest constricts ever so slightly at the way she says my name. “It should have everything you need. If you happen to find something it’s missing, just purchase it with the card you were given.”

Her top teeth rake against her plump bottom lip as she tries to keep her smile from growing. “Thank you. Really. I appreciate you giving me the job when things could be awkward because of Oliver.”

I grunt. As much as I love hearing my name from her mouth, I loathe hearing his. “Shouldn’t be awkward at all. He’s stupid and didn’t deserve you. I’m glad you didn’t let him hold you back from accepting the job. That would’ve pissed me off.”

Her jaw drops, but she can’t be that upset because there’s still a hint of a smile on her lips. “That would’ve pissed you off?”

I fold my arms across my chest. “Yes.”

“Why?”

I take a step closer to her. There’s still enough space between our bodies that we aren’t inappropriately close. But even with an acceptable distance between us, the air still feels thick with something. “Because my brother should never be the reason you pass on a great opportunity. You honestly shouldn’t spare him a second thought anymore.”

Her head tilts to the side as her eyes track my face. She doesn’t shy away from our sudden close proximity. “Do you not find it cold to speak of your brother that way?” Her question comes out unsure. She doesn’t ask it judgmentally. It’s as if she truly can’t comprehend how I’m able to talk about Ollie that way.

“Maybe I’m a cold person.” I keep the thoughts running through my mind about my brother to myself. I’m indifferent toward Ollie in a way that probably could come off as cold. But it isn’t just me. I know he feels indifferent about me as well. The blood shared between us doesn’t mean we have to be close.

“Maybe you just want people to think you’re cold,” Lucy offers. She shrugs, taking a step back and rounding the large kitchen island. She runs her fingers along the knobs of the range, completely oblivious that her comment has left me speechless.