a certain graceful way of moving. She looked heavenward. If his complete lack of interest was all a devious plan to get her into bed, it was working. Two more months of restraint would make her a basket case by opening day.
She sighed and took her sandwich and soda out of the cooler she brought from Marjorie’s every day. The sandwich she would have happily traded for a slice of hot pizza shared with a hot slice of male. She plopped into the chair at her desk and picked up the phone.
“Hi, Amanda, it’s Zoe. Do you have plans for tonight? Cause I think I’m going to need to go for a drink after work.” She examined her nicked, work-abused fingers. Hardly the hands of a femme-fatale. Her long-sleeved T-shirt and ragged jeans were a far cry from couture.
“Yeah,” she responded to Amanda’s declaration of freedom, “let’s head over to the marina and indulge ourselves in a couple of margaritas. Great. Seven-thirty, then? I’ll meet you there.”
That would give her enough time to clean up and change into clothes that would make her feel like a woman instead of a workman.
Two could play the ‘I’m not interested’ game.
Chapter 6
By the time Zoe arrived at the marina bar, Amanda had already snagged them a booth overlooking the bay. The last rays of daylight were turning the sky electric blue along the horizon and a few of the brighter stars pricked the evening sky.
She slipped her jacket off and slid onto the seat opposite her friend. “Thanks for joining me. I hate to drink alone.” She smiled up at the waitress, “I’ll have a margarita, please. Rocks. Salt. Patron.”
“And you, Miss?”
“A glass of pinot grigio, please,” Amanda replied, keeping her gaze on Zoe. “So. What’s up?” she asked as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. “You sounded . . . annoyed when you called this afternoon. Is anything wrong?”
“Other than me fantasizing about the hunk I hired to do the renovations?” She looked heavenward, then shrugged. “How stupid is that? The first time I spoke to him I thought he was a cocky, smart-aleck asshat, too confident in his animal magnetism for his own good.” She sat back as their drinks were delivered then picked hers up and took a healthy swallow. “Now I see why he’s so confident. I might as well be made out of iron, because all I want to do is get as close to that magnetism as possible. Preferably without any clothing cluttering things up.” She took another swallow.
“Well, I guess . . . There’s nothing innately wrong with those feelings. We all have them.” Amanda stared down into her drink. She blinked a few times and squared her shoulders. “Is it just that you don’t want to have a relationship with the hired help?”
“Well, yeah. I spent a lot of effort setting boundaries the first couple of days we worked together.” She toyed with her almost-empty glass. “Now I’m the one who wants to jump his bones and he’s the one keeping me behind that line I drew.” She raised her glass at the passing waitress and who responded with an affirmative nod. “I’m a mess. If there is one thing that pissed me off when I was an employee, it was fighting off my boss’ advances. Especially since I had to do it without getting him mad enough to fire me. I do not want to turn into my old boss,” she finished emphatically.
“Then I guess you’ll just have to wait until the renovation is done before you jump his bones.” Amanda sounded amused but her humor seemed forced.
Zoe sipped her second drink. “I guess that’s the only solution.” She let out a sigh. “So, tell me, do you have a boyfriend around here? Or a secret lover?” She raised her eyebrows, anticipating a few details about Amanda’s love life.
“No. No . . . boyfriend.” Amanda swirled the wine in her glass. “My fiancé was killed in Iraq this past April.” She took a sip of wine and avoided Zoe’s gaze.
“Oh damn! I’m so sorry, honey.” Zoe reached across the table
She sighed and took her sandwich and soda out of the cooler she brought from Marjorie’s every day. The sandwich she would have happily traded for a slice of hot pizza shared with a hot slice of male. She plopped into the chair at her desk and picked up the phone.
“Hi, Amanda, it’s Zoe. Do you have plans for tonight? Cause I think I’m going to need to go for a drink after work.” She examined her nicked, work-abused fingers. Hardly the hands of a femme-fatale. Her long-sleeved T-shirt and ragged jeans were a far cry from couture.
“Yeah,” she responded to Amanda’s declaration of freedom, “let’s head over to the marina and indulge ourselves in a couple of margaritas. Great. Seven-thirty, then? I’ll meet you there.”
That would give her enough time to clean up and change into clothes that would make her feel like a woman instead of a workman.
Two could play the ‘I’m not interested’ game.
Chapter 6
By the time Zoe arrived at the marina bar, Amanda had already snagged them a booth overlooking the bay. The last rays of daylight were turning the sky electric blue along the horizon and a few of the brighter stars pricked the evening sky.
She slipped her jacket off and slid onto the seat opposite her friend. “Thanks for joining me. I hate to drink alone.” She smiled up at the waitress, “I’ll have a margarita, please. Rocks. Salt. Patron.”
“And you, Miss?”
“A glass of pinot grigio, please,” Amanda replied, keeping her gaze on Zoe. “So. What’s up?” she asked as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. “You sounded . . . annoyed when you called this afternoon. Is anything wrong?”
“Other than me fantasizing about the hunk I hired to do the renovations?” She looked heavenward, then shrugged. “How stupid is that? The first time I spoke to him I thought he was a cocky, smart-aleck asshat, too confident in his animal magnetism for his own good.” She sat back as their drinks were delivered then picked hers up and took a healthy swallow. “Now I see why he’s so confident. I might as well be made out of iron, because all I want to do is get as close to that magnetism as possible. Preferably without any clothing cluttering things up.” She took another swallow.
“Well, I guess . . . There’s nothing innately wrong with those feelings. We all have them.” Amanda stared down into her drink. She blinked a few times and squared her shoulders. “Is it just that you don’t want to have a relationship with the hired help?”
“Well, yeah. I spent a lot of effort setting boundaries the first couple of days we worked together.” She toyed with her almost-empty glass. “Now I’m the one who wants to jump his bones and he’s the one keeping me behind that line I drew.” She raised her glass at the passing waitress and who responded with an affirmative nod. “I’m a mess. If there is one thing that pissed me off when I was an employee, it was fighting off my boss’ advances. Especially since I had to do it without getting him mad enough to fire me. I do not want to turn into my old boss,” she finished emphatically.
“Then I guess you’ll just have to wait until the renovation is done before you jump his bones.” Amanda sounded amused but her humor seemed forced.
Zoe sipped her second drink. “I guess that’s the only solution.” She let out a sigh. “So, tell me, do you have a boyfriend around here? Or a secret lover?” She raised her eyebrows, anticipating a few details about Amanda’s love life.
“No. No . . . boyfriend.” Amanda swirled the wine in her glass. “My fiancé was killed in Iraq this past April.” She took a sip of wine and avoided Zoe’s gaze.
“Oh damn! I’m so sorry, honey.” Zoe reached across the table
Similar Books
