two of us.”
“Okay.” Dina didn’t look away.
“I’m aware that the staff is gossiping. For what it’s worth, I believe the complaint about my work has more to do with the social differences between us. Although on the surface the two aren’t connected.”
“Just someone lashing out,” Dina agreed.
Cindy leaned forward in her eagerness to dispel any lingering doubts. “It’s just talk. I told him to back off, so that should be the end of it.”
“Don’t be too sure.” The other woman looked skeptical.
“If not, I can deal with this. I have to,” she added. “I need this job. Looking for another one isn’t an option because of the medical insurance. Pregnancy would be a pre-existing condition and excluded from another employee plan. I’m just barely scraping by now. I couldn’t handle it if medical bills were added to everything else—”
Dina held up her hands. “Don’t borrow trouble. Not yet anyway.”
Cindy got the subtext. “Yeah. When the baby starts to show, I won’t have to do anything but waddle down the hall to stir up trouble and start talk.”
“Okay, let’s hope this is the end of it. Probably whoever called the hotline is just an anonymous whiner,” Dina said. “If there’s anything else I can do for you, let me know.”
“Thanks.” Gratitude for her friend’s understanding and support brought a lump to her throat and Cindy swallowed hard before saying, “You’ve already done it.”
Dina shook her head, an indication that boss-mode was gone for now. “Wow. A baby. How do you feel?”
“Not too bad.”
“Have you seen the doctor?”
“Rebecca Hamilton,” Cindy said.
“Excellent choice. That’s who I would have recommended.”
What a relief that someone besides Nathan knew and she could talk about what she was going through. For another few minutes Cindy shared the changes already starting in her body, the emotions so close to the surface, the fears for the future. Dina talked about her own experiences and the joys of being a mom.
When Cindy left the office, she was relieved about her job status but not much else. The last time she’d been involved with a man, he’d taken her confidence along with her money. Yet again her life had been complicated by a man and she had the nagging feeling that Nathan Steele could take more than her bank account.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
Just talking to him could cause trouble and cost her what little she had left. To keep peace in the workplace, she needed to become as invisible as she’d been before that darn dinner where she’d caught Dr. Charming’s attention.
Somehow she had to rewind and delete.
Cindy was in the kitchen looking in the nearly empty refrigerator for dinner inspiration when she heard someone at the door. It was rare for her doorbell to ring, especially in the evening like this. Uneasiness crept over her. After peeking out the window to see who was there, her uneasy feeling was validated.
“Nathan,” she whispered.
For a nanosecond, she debated whether to answer, but her car was in the driveway. He knew she was there.
After a deep, bracing breath, she opened the door. “What part of ‘back off’ did you not get?”
Resting his hands on lean hips he answered, “And what part of ‘that doesn’t work for me’ did you not get?” One dark eyebrow lifted as he looked down at her. “Do you always answer the door like that? Hello to you, too.”
“Hi. Why are you here?”
“We need to talk.”
Cindy folded her arms over her chest and wished her hair didn’t look like rats had nested there and her cotton shorts weren’t quite so short. And quite so cotton. They were practically see-through.
“I have nothing to say.”
“Then you can just listen.”
She wished he didn’t look quite so yummy and tempting in his worn jeans and white cotton shirt. The long sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing wide wrists and strong forearms. Since when had cotton become the sexiest fabric on the planet? In his case, if it was just a little more see-through she might catch a glimpse of his broad chest, and that would be really nice.
Pulling herself together with an effort, she said, “I don’t want to listen. Go away. I’m looking for something to eat.”
She started to shut the door, but his hand shot out and he flattened his palm against it.
“Let me take you out,” he offered.
She glanced down at her no-one-should-see-this-in-public attire. “Do I look like I’m ready to go out?”
Something hot and primitive flashed through his eyes as his gaze lazily drifted over her. “Then we can stay here.”
“I’m not prepared to feed company.” Did her voice sound as breathless and needy to him as it did to her?
“That’s code for you’re broke, right?”
“It’s the week before payday.” Her whole life felt like the week before she got paid.
“So we’ll order pizza. I’ll buy,” he added.
That was a really bad idea. The last time he’d been in her house they’d had sex and now she was pregnant. She wasn’t sure if something worse could happen, but she wasn’t willing to take the risk.
Before she could figure out a way to turn him down, he said, “I can see the wheels in your head turning and before you use up any more mental energy, you should know that I’m not taking no for an answer. Just look at it as a meal you don’t have to pick up the tab for. My treat.”
He was a treat, all right. That’s what worried her the most. But it didn’t look like he was going away without getting what he wanted. She wasn’t sure if his persistence was endearing or annoying, but at least she’d get a free meal out of it.
“Okay. I’ll change my clothes and we’ll go out.”
“While you’re at it, how about changing your attitude?” he called after her.
She heard the humor in his voice and couldn’t help smiling. He wasn’t giving her much of a choice, so she might as well make the best of it. The prospect of not sitting home all by herself and fretting about how she was going to make this baby thing work did lift her spirits.
Besides,
