direction gave her a cautious look and a wide berth as they passed her.
“Great. Now I’m the crazy lady who talks to her dog. Oh and now I’m doing it again.” Jenny clamped her unruly mouth shut to stop her rambling and followed Rosie.
After anguishing about whether to walk by his house or not, it was anticlimactic when she drew closer and closer to the purple house and there was still no sign of him. She slowed her steps, to Rosie’s dismay, and peered at the back of his house, still hoping that he would appear and walk up to her. She wanted to talk with him again—she had been practicing, damn it! Kicking at the light layer of new snow, she allowed Rosie to tow her past the purple house.
“Fine,” she muttered sulkily. “I didn’t want to see you anyway, Mr. I’m-So-Hot!” Jenny had to laugh—she sounded like a cranky five-year-old. She knew that yesterday’s encounter had been nothing, had told herself over and over not to blow it out of proportion, but the excitement had crept in uninvited.
“Oh well,” she sighed, glancing back for one last look at William’s house before they moved around the bend and it was lost to sight. “It was good for a few daydreams.”
She would be walking by his house right now.
Will heard a rumbling noise and realized that it was coming from him. He was actually growling in frustration.
“Mr.—ah, William—did you say something?” Even though Josh was his boss, he always stumbled over Will’s name, as if he’d be more comfortable calling him Mr. Jackson.
“No,” Will bit off, irritated at Josh’s condescending tone. Great. Everyone sitting around the conference table was staring at him now.
“Are you sure?”
Will tapped his pen on the table and debated telling Josh what was really on his mind—that he could be talking to the woman of his literal dreams right now, except that a pompous asshole wanted to flaunt his tiny bit of power by calling an unnecessary meeting and insisting that Will attend.
The thought of actually saying the words out loud made Will smile grimly. Better not. He actually liked his job—most of the time. “Positive.”
Giving Will a suspicious look, Josh finally nodded. “As I was saying…”
Blocking out the drone of the other man’s words, Will slouched in his chair, stifling a bored sigh. He noticed that Natasha, who had been inching her chair closer to him for the past hour, was now almost in his lap. With an annoyed grunt, he shifted to his left, regaining a fraction of his personal space.
He didn’t care for Natasha. She had a predatory gleam in her eye, as if she would tear off his head and eat it for dinner if he let her get too close. Despite his best efforts to avoid her, she always found a way to sit next to him in meetings, subtly elbowing her coworkers aside to snag the chair next to his.
Glancing up, Will saw one of the other programmers, Charlie, grimacing in what Will assumed to be sympathy, either for the length of the meeting or Natasha’s stalking, he wasn’t sure. Will squeezed his eyes closed, as if he were in agony, and opened them to see Charlie smothering a laugh with his palm. An odd warmth sparked in Will’s chest at the exchange. It had been almost…friendly.
While he had been distracted by Charlie, Natasha had closed the gap between their chairs again. Rolling his eyes, Will scooted a few inches farther away. With a little space between him and Natasha’s ever-advancing chair, he could tune out Josh and think about her again. He felt his mouth turn up at the corners.
Jenny…
The next afternoon, Jenny didn’t let herself slow down by the purple house. Enough of this silliness. She was not going to find a gorgeous blond man by the side of the path. She marched on, eyes resolutely forward.
No looking , she commanded herself sternly. No look—
“Jenny.”
Yes! Okay, so maybe she was going to find a gorgeous blond man by the side of the path. Jenny, with enormous self-control,
“Great. Now I’m the crazy lady who talks to her dog. Oh and now I’m doing it again.” Jenny clamped her unruly mouth shut to stop her rambling and followed Rosie.
After anguishing about whether to walk by his house or not, it was anticlimactic when she drew closer and closer to the purple house and there was still no sign of him. She slowed her steps, to Rosie’s dismay, and peered at the back of his house, still hoping that he would appear and walk up to her. She wanted to talk with him again—she had been practicing, damn it! Kicking at the light layer of new snow, she allowed Rosie to tow her past the purple house.
“Fine,” she muttered sulkily. “I didn’t want to see you anyway, Mr. I’m-So-Hot!” Jenny had to laugh—she sounded like a cranky five-year-old. She knew that yesterday’s encounter had been nothing, had told herself over and over not to blow it out of proportion, but the excitement had crept in uninvited.
“Oh well,” she sighed, glancing back for one last look at William’s house before they moved around the bend and it was lost to sight. “It was good for a few daydreams.”
She would be walking by his house right now.
Will heard a rumbling noise and realized that it was coming from him. He was actually growling in frustration.
“Mr.—ah, William—did you say something?” Even though Josh was his boss, he always stumbled over Will’s name, as if he’d be more comfortable calling him Mr. Jackson.
“No,” Will bit off, irritated at Josh’s condescending tone. Great. Everyone sitting around the conference table was staring at him now.
“Are you sure?”
Will tapped his pen on the table and debated telling Josh what was really on his mind—that he could be talking to the woman of his literal dreams right now, except that a pompous asshole wanted to flaunt his tiny bit of power by calling an unnecessary meeting and insisting that Will attend.
The thought of actually saying the words out loud made Will smile grimly. Better not. He actually liked his job—most of the time. “Positive.”
Giving Will a suspicious look, Josh finally nodded. “As I was saying…”
Blocking out the drone of the other man’s words, Will slouched in his chair, stifling a bored sigh. He noticed that Natasha, who had been inching her chair closer to him for the past hour, was now almost in his lap. With an annoyed grunt, he shifted to his left, regaining a fraction of his personal space.
He didn’t care for Natasha. She had a predatory gleam in her eye, as if she would tear off his head and eat it for dinner if he let her get too close. Despite his best efforts to avoid her, she always found a way to sit next to him in meetings, subtly elbowing her coworkers aside to snag the chair next to his.
Glancing up, Will saw one of the other programmers, Charlie, grimacing in what Will assumed to be sympathy, either for the length of the meeting or Natasha’s stalking, he wasn’t sure. Will squeezed his eyes closed, as if he were in agony, and opened them to see Charlie smothering a laugh with his palm. An odd warmth sparked in Will’s chest at the exchange. It had been almost…friendly.
While he had been distracted by Charlie, Natasha had closed the gap between their chairs again. Rolling his eyes, Will scooted a few inches farther away. With a little space between him and Natasha’s ever-advancing chair, he could tune out Josh and think about her again. He felt his mouth turn up at the corners.
Jenny…
The next afternoon, Jenny didn’t let herself slow down by the purple house. Enough of this silliness. She was not going to find a gorgeous blond man by the side of the path. She marched on, eyes resolutely forward.
No looking , she commanded herself sternly. No look—
“Jenny.”
Yes! Okay, so maybe she was going to find a gorgeous blond man by the side of the path. Jenny, with enormous self-control,
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