You know him, which is odd, because you’ve not mentioned meeting a hot guy, and I’m pretty sure as the office administrator, not to mention your best friend, you’re required to tell me these things.” Steph was eying her curiously.
“He’s complicated, and I wouldn’t say I know him. I mentioned his daughter to you. Remember the new girl at school that Harper was—”
“Oh, yeah! That’s the new gal’s dad?”
Joss nodded.
“You failed to mention he’s hot as hell. You did notice that, right?”
Joss sighed. She’d noticed all right. “We have a hard time getting along. Today was no different.”
“Huh.” Steph was watching her curiously if not a bit confused. “Really thought there might be some sparks there when he came into your office.”
“Yeah, sparks of rage.” Joss’s tone was all sarcasm. “Alright, maybe sparks of attraction. He said he was attracted to me.”
Joss watched as Steph’s eyes bulged for a second, and then a sly little smile took over her mouth. “That’s a start.”
“No, I think that’s the end. He followed up that bit of information by saying he didn’t want to be attracted to me.”
Steph looked about as confused as Joss felt. “What the f-bomb does that mean?”
“I don’t know. I suppose because he resents the hell out of me because of what happened between Harper and his daughter. Honestly, I don’t know. Does it really matter? It’s not like I’m in the market for a man.”
“You’re still human, Joss. It’s okay to be attracted to a man.” Steph was looking at her sadly.
“My sort of baggage isn’t the kind of baggage you share. It really doesn’t matter. Our daughters have obviously gotten off to a rocky start, and since my daughter is apparently a bully—”
“Harper is a good kid. I would know.” Steph would know. Steph was Harper’s one and only babysitter from the time Harper was two and Steph was a junior in high school. Joss was only twenty-one when Harper was born, so while Steph may have been in high school when they first met and she became Harper’s babysitter, their age difference meant little now that Joss was thirty-six and Steph was nearly thirty. Steph was also the closest thing Joss had to family in this place.
“Yeah, well, there will be no hatchet burying for us apparently.”
Steph just looked at her sadly for a moment before standing to leave.
Chapter Six
When Isaiah entered the gymnasium a few nights later, he started scanning the risers for Joss. He’d almost called her a couple times since making an ass of himself and hurting her feelings in the process. He was guessing, at any rate, that it hurt her feelings to hear him say he was attracted to her but didn’t want to be. What asshole says such idiotic things? It was true. He didn’t want to be attracted to her. But there was certainly more to it than that. In addition to not wanting to be attracted to her, he really, really wanted to be attracted to her.
She was sitting alone about half-way up the risers. The girls were warming up on the court, and as he glanced to Nat, she waved quickly. She was standing across from another student, and they were setting back and forth to one another. Harper was nearby too, doing the same warm-up with another student.
When he returned to his path, a woman suddenly popped up in front of him, smiling broadly. She had big hair and a loud voice, and as she batted her eyes at him, he just gaped at her, waiting for her to get out of his way.
“Well, hi there. You’re Isaiah Henry, right? Heard about a new man…err…family in town.” She was gratuitously flirtatious as she reached for his forearm. When he shrugged away from her touch, she didn’t take the hint. “Come sit down. We can chat.”
“No, thank you. I have a seat already.” He brushed past her. Did he really have a seat? Hell no, he didn’t. He wanted the seat next to Joss, but he wasn’t entirely sure she’d welcome him. In fact, he certainly
“He’s complicated, and I wouldn’t say I know him. I mentioned his daughter to you. Remember the new girl at school that Harper was—”
“Oh, yeah! That’s the new gal’s dad?”
Joss nodded.
“You failed to mention he’s hot as hell. You did notice that, right?”
Joss sighed. She’d noticed all right. “We have a hard time getting along. Today was no different.”
“Huh.” Steph was watching her curiously if not a bit confused. “Really thought there might be some sparks there when he came into your office.”
“Yeah, sparks of rage.” Joss’s tone was all sarcasm. “Alright, maybe sparks of attraction. He said he was attracted to me.”
Joss watched as Steph’s eyes bulged for a second, and then a sly little smile took over her mouth. “That’s a start.”
“No, I think that’s the end. He followed up that bit of information by saying he didn’t want to be attracted to me.”
Steph looked about as confused as Joss felt. “What the f-bomb does that mean?”
“I don’t know. I suppose because he resents the hell out of me because of what happened between Harper and his daughter. Honestly, I don’t know. Does it really matter? It’s not like I’m in the market for a man.”
“You’re still human, Joss. It’s okay to be attracted to a man.” Steph was looking at her sadly.
“My sort of baggage isn’t the kind of baggage you share. It really doesn’t matter. Our daughters have obviously gotten off to a rocky start, and since my daughter is apparently a bully—”
“Harper is a good kid. I would know.” Steph would know. Steph was Harper’s one and only babysitter from the time Harper was two and Steph was a junior in high school. Joss was only twenty-one when Harper was born, so while Steph may have been in high school when they first met and she became Harper’s babysitter, their age difference meant little now that Joss was thirty-six and Steph was nearly thirty. Steph was also the closest thing Joss had to family in this place.
“Yeah, well, there will be no hatchet burying for us apparently.”
Steph just looked at her sadly for a moment before standing to leave.
Chapter Six
When Isaiah entered the gymnasium a few nights later, he started scanning the risers for Joss. He’d almost called her a couple times since making an ass of himself and hurting her feelings in the process. He was guessing, at any rate, that it hurt her feelings to hear him say he was attracted to her but didn’t want to be. What asshole says such idiotic things? It was true. He didn’t want to be attracted to her. But there was certainly more to it than that. In addition to not wanting to be attracted to her, he really, really wanted to be attracted to her.
She was sitting alone about half-way up the risers. The girls were warming up on the court, and as he glanced to Nat, she waved quickly. She was standing across from another student, and they were setting back and forth to one another. Harper was nearby too, doing the same warm-up with another student.
When he returned to his path, a woman suddenly popped up in front of him, smiling broadly. She had big hair and a loud voice, and as she batted her eyes at him, he just gaped at her, waiting for her to get out of his way.
“Well, hi there. You’re Isaiah Henry, right? Heard about a new man…err…family in town.” She was gratuitously flirtatious as she reached for his forearm. When he shrugged away from her touch, she didn’t take the hint. “Come sit down. We can chat.”
“No, thank you. I have a seat already.” He brushed past her. Did he really have a seat? Hell no, he didn’t. He wanted the seat next to Joss, but he wasn’t entirely sure she’d welcome him. In fact, he certainly
Similar Books
