be a problem. You’ve got your job and I’ve got mine.”
“Mind sticking around after hours so the team can meet you?” Chase asked.
Laura pretended to mull over the request. Let’s see. She had to go to the grocery store, head home and whip up her one-person meal, then catch the latest reality show. Boring. “Sure.”
“Great. Let’s head back. I’ll take you over to your area.” He looked at his watch. “Folks should be heading out to lunch in a few minutes. Maybe we can catch a few of them. It’ll be a good bonding time for you.”
They walked back to the building, down the long corridors where students milled. The various halls and offices had a honeycomb effect. She envisioned several instances where she’d be wandering the halls looking for the correct office.
Chase stopped in front of an open door. “Since we’re now at my office, I want to give you something.”
They walked in large area room where the receptionist desk stood as the gateway to various offices on either side. The block of offices and rooms housed the department of the entire coaching staff. One wall held the various bulletin boards all covered with colored papers announcing the meets, university information and other official news.
Laura stopped near the receptionist desk. She could see into Chase’s office, which wasn’t more than a closet.
“I’ll get it,” he said before entering his office.
Chase wanted to re-think the birthday gift. His imagination had failed him, making him believe that giving a gift to an ex-girlfriend who happened to be working for him was normal. As he approached Laura and saw the suspicion cloud her face, he felt ridiculous. All he could do was act as if this was no big deal.
“I know that I’m a day late, but I think it still counts. Happy Birthday.” He handed the box to her. Although shock registered, he noted the smile that tugged at her mouth.
“I don’t know what to say.” She shook her head. Her eyes lifted from the box to his face. “Why?” She shook her head again before accepting the box. “Thank you.”
Chase didn’t mind her bewilderment. He anticipated that his thoughtfulness would be unexpected. What he hoped against was her rejection of the gift. Not that it would deter him. He’d simply have to move to Plan B, whatever that happened to be.
“Should I open it now?” She held the box on her outstretched palm.
“Sure. It won’t blow up.” He attempted to lighten the moment. Thank goodness Sandy had left for lunch. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of his secretary.
He watched her pull off the ribbon around the box. Then she took a deep breath and removed the lid.
“Lots of shredded stuff,” she remarked.
“Kinda grabbed it out of the shredded paper in the back.”
She handed the wad of paper to him. “Well, I guess you’d better get the secrets back before you’re prosecuted for espionage.”
Their fingers grazed each other. Yet he wanted to repeat the motion again. He wanted to feel her long fingers, warm and soft, sliding over his hand.
“Chase! You shouldn’t have.”
He looked at her face closely to see if, despite her words, she did like it. Her flat statement telling him that he shouldn’t have, matched her unwavering gaze, as in he really shouldn’t have. Of all the responses, this was not in the top list.
A delicate gold charm bracelet with three charms dangled from her fingers where it lightly rested. Gold tiny loops formed the bracelet. He’d initially seen the piece at a Costa Rican jewelry shop while on vacation six months ago. When he’d stopped to admire it Laura came to mind because of her slight obsession with charms.
“I do think it’s absolutely beautiful.” Laura sighed. “But…this is a bit much. First, seeing you. Working for you so unexpectedly. Now this.” She bit her lip, frowning deeply at the jewelry. She laid the bracelet on her palm and turned each charm flat against her palm.
“I remembered how much you liked unicorns.” He saw the small nod when he mentioned the first charm. “And you wanted to go to Trinidad for their Carnival.” Her finger traced the distinctive shape of the small Caribbean island. “Do you recognize the third?”
She stared down at the last charm. Her finger hovered above the tiny shape. Voices approached from down the hall. Classes had been dismissed and the halls filled with students and teachers. He didn’t have much time left.
The third charm was a treasure chest. He looked at her face willing her to say something, anything. Could their childhood adventures with pirates, kidnapping and all out war resonate with her as it did with him? Or maybe it was the kiss that she demanded from him as ransom for his GI Joe action figure during one summer afternoon. She had shoved her girlish tendencies aside when she and Chase had played. When they were young, she had always declared herself to be the pirate.
“I recognize it.”
“Don’t give it back. It would mean a lot to me if you’d keep it.” He placed his hand under her open palm and gently closed her fingers over the bracelet.
“I know that you’ve put a lot of thought into this. I also think that you knew I would be here. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have given it to me. I’m not sure where you are in your life or what problems may be plaguing you. But you can’t expect me to fill in the hole,” she remarked, her voice hardening.
“I’m not trying to buy your affection. Friends wouldn’t do that to each other.”
“Take it back.” Her voice shook slightly, but her eyes were clear of any tears. She pulled her hand from his and dropped the bracelet in his shirt pocket. “When I took a job here, it was because this was my goal after I got my physical therapist certificate. I’m here to work. I want nothing more from this. You’re now my boss, and I want nothing but an employee-boss relationship. Anything more or anything less and I’ll have to find another job.”
After Laura had long disappeared down the hall and around the corner, Chase only had her lingering, gentle scent and the memory of touching her hand to keep him company.
Chapter 2
Laura didn’t go out of her way to avoid contact with Chase. She didn’t have to. She had full days of completing therapeutic massages and daily reports for each athlete. Three weeks after her start, she continued to feel that her decision to pursue physical therapy was the right move—even if she was working for Chase. Any free time or breaks were spent with her coworkers, getting to know them.
Occasionally, she did catch a glimpse of Chase as he coached the track team on her way home. The main street narrowly snaked through the campus, linking several side roads into a network of roads. Laura had no problem driving at the posted low speed limit because it allowed her to see him at work unnoticed. She figured watching him was safer.
From all the signs, Chase seemed to be honoring her wishes and leaving her alone. She still wanted to know how he knew that she’d be working there. What man walked around with a birthday gift for an ex-girlfriend
