The One That I Want (Scorned Women Society Book 3) by Piper Sheldon (e book reader android txt) 📕

He looked me dead in the eyes. “I agree.”

I shot to the mini fridge and searched it. There was nothing inside except a couple bottles of five-dollar water but I couldn’t look at him just then.

I heard him let out a long sigh. “Okay. As soon as you wrap up this thing with MooreTek, you’ll head back? Right?”

He asked me directly. I couldn’t put it off any longer. That was over a week away. By then I’d have good news. I’d have figured things out. I spun back around with an easy smile. “Sure. Yeah, of course, Skippo. That’s perfect.”

He nodded but I could tell there was something he wasn’t saying. “And you’re sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

He stood up. “Okay. I’ll let you get some rest.”

“How was your day?” I asked, finally remembering not to be such a self-centered twat.

“Good actually. I met with Clifford Rutledge. He said you talked,” Skip said.

“Oh Ford, yeah, he’s a great bloke.” I was happy to hear this. I really did want to get enmeshed in the local community and his Ford’s Fosters seemed like a great program.

“He wants to do a camping trip with his students,” Skip explained. “Wants to hire us to help.”

“Excellent.”

“I think so too,” Skip said.

He headed for the door. “We’ll talk more tomorrow. Just be careful with Roxy.”

“Trust me. I won’t do anything unprofessional. We’re just friends.”

“I trust you. But sometimes being just friends is easier said than done,” he said and left the room. I frowned at the door and realized I wasn’t the only one keeping things from my best friend.

Chapter 16

Sanders

After a good night’s sleep, I felt slightly better but not back to my normal self. When I passed my reflection in the hall mirror, I was frowning. As I waited for the elevator, I practiced my smiling in the reflection of the closed door. It fell off almost immediately. It didn’t normally require so much energy.

I needed to rally before I saw Roxy. I had over a week to figure out how to get Outside the Box rocking again. I wanted to let things happen with Roxy at her own pace. Or not at all. Either way it would be fine. Okay, that was bullshit, but she didn’t need to know.

Roxy and I met early in the morning in an empty office that had obviously turned into an overflow construction work space. Next to the small desk was a circular saw covered in a sheet of plastic and some stacks of two-by-fours. Boxes were stacked in the corner. We were forced to sit, knees almost touching, on the only free side of the desk.

“Nice place,” I said gesturing to the ladder and paint buckets in the opposite corner.

“Yeah, the construction is a little bit of an eyesore.” She took a sip of coffee.

She was back to her most buttoned-up self and my already shit mood darkened. As much as I wanted to be patient, it was always two steps forward, three steps back with her. This dance was much less fun than what we did in Denver.

“But if everything goes to plan, this will be my office one day,” she said flicking a glance to me to gauge my reaction.

“And that’s what you want? To be the events coordinator here?”

She sat ramrod straight and tugged the hem of her skirt down and crossed her legs. She didn’t even look comfortable. Could that really be what she wanted?

Her brows knit. “Yeah, of course. I’ve been working my way up the ladder for years,” she said.

I don’t know why this bothered me. I didn’t have any right to have an opinion on her goals but imagining her in this office all day and night, scrunched behind the desk of this windowless box … She was like a beautiful wildflower trying to pass as a dull house plant.

“It just doesn’t seem to fit your personality. The suits and the office and the bougie corporate title.”

Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared. She frowned fiddling with her fringe, making it perfect. “Right. I could never be so corporate.”

I frowned. “That’s not what I mean. I just …” I scrubbed a hand through my hair. What was my deal? I was being a bastard and taking it out on her. This wasn’t fair. “I’m sorry. You could absolutely run this hotel if you wanted.”

“I wouldn’t want to run the Lodge. I just want …”

“What?” I asked nudging her foot with mine.

“Stability. The assurance that if I do my job well, I will never have to worry about going back.” She shook her head. “I just need to prove I’m worth the chance they took on me.”

I looked closely at her. She was fighting hard not to fidget, her thumbnail piercing into the paper coffee cup in her hand. I wanted to dig more, I wanted to understand what she was so afraid of.

I settled on, “You’re brilliant. You could never disappoint people.” I believed the words but they still came out flat.

“Thanks,” she said but wouldn’t lift her gaze.

There was an awkward silence. I needed to get my shit together but I was cranky and stubborn.

She cleared her throat. “I brought doughnuts. From Daisy’s Nut House. You’ll never have anything better,” she said.

“We have doughnuts in Denver. Crazy. I know.”

“Lord, you are a salty bastard this morning.” She covered her mouth as soon as she said it. “Sorry. That was not professional—”

It was like all at once my tension melted away. I loved when she just said what she thought without filtering it. It was like the first night we met. God, all the times I wished to go back to that first night. The more time I spent with professional Roxy, the further I felt from her.

I nudged her again, and her smile grew. “I am a cranky shit today.” I pushed her chair until she looked at me. “I’m sorry. Give me some coffee?” I pointed to the cup she’d brought