Curvaceous & Captivating E-Book

Mary E. Thompson

• Herausgeber: BluEyed Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Laundry, kids, work, friends, dishes, trash… My to-do list was longer than any one person should ever have, but that’s life as a single mom.

The last thing I needed was an stubborn, irritating, alpha male who thought hitting on his assistant in front of me would impress me. Ethan Norwood was not my kind of guy. He had bad news written all over him from the dangerous glint in his eyes to the tattoos that cover his body to the power he holds as the biggest sponsor for the town Easter egg hunt.

Staying away from him should be easy. I didn’t have time, and I definitely didn’t need the jerk in my life. Too bad I can’t seem to be able to say no to him. If working together wasn’t bad enough, him showing up at my house sealed the deal. But I was the one who let him in, and let him meet my kids, and let him kiss me and touch me and make me forget all about everything else I was supposed to be doing. Because he was much more fun.

Leseprobe

CURVACEOUS & CAPTIVATING

A SMALL TOWN CURVY GIRL ROMANCE

BIG & BEAUTIFUL

BOOK ELEVEN

MARY E THOMPSON

Curvaceous & Captivating

Big & Beautiful, book eleven

Copyright © 2017 Mary E Thompson

Cover Copyright © 2019 Mary E Thompson

Cover Photo (woman) from DepositPhotos, Copyright © boomeart

Cover Photo (cupcake) from DepositPhotos, Copyright © vesivus

Published by BluEyed Press, All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-944090-22-7

Print ISBN: 978-1-944090-27-2

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-953879-89-9

Created with Vellum

BIG & BEAUTIFUL

It’s good to have you here for another plus size romance story! The women are curvy, and the men can’t resist them. We have cupcakes and friendships and all the dirty romance you can ask for. Enjoy!

BIG & BEAUTIFUL

Chubby & Charming

Lush & Lovely

Shapely & Stunning

Bulky & Beauteous

Fat & Fine

Plump & Pretty

Husky & Hot

Fluffy & Fabulous

Puffy & Precious

Round & Ravishing

Curvaceous & Captivating

Stocky & Sumptuous

Amply & Alluring

Big & Beautiful Ever After (newsletter exclusive)

SUBSCRIBE NOW AT MARYETHOMPSON.COM

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Epilogue

About the Author

To all the single moms out there. Thank you.

CHAPTER1

I was rushing. I hated rushing. It was like fingers creeping up my spine and yanking my hair, reminding me I didn’t have my world as carefully balanced as I let most people believe it was.

I felt like The Cat In The Hat most days. All those things precariously perched on top of one another. One little bump and it would all go flying.

I couldn’t afford a bump.

The best part of the day was that it was nice out. Of course, if I’d realized that earlier, it would have stopped the argument I had with my kids about wearing boots, hats, gloves, and scarves to school. I might have been on time if I’d known how gorgeous it was.

But nope, I had no idea. Because I didn’t watch the news. I didn’t check my phone when I got up. I didn’t even look outside before walking out the door most days. And in Winterville, New York, there was no way to trust that it was nice just because the sun was shining, no matter how many times my six year old, Becca, told me it was.

Which I heard about on the drive to school. Because, of course, we missed the bus.

Again.

I ran across the parking lot and yanked the door open, praying I’d make it to my desk before I got into trouble. Thankfully, my boss, Mayor Wyatt Ramsey, was pretty awesome, but even he had his limits.

I fell into my chair and breathed a sigh of relief. My heart raced, reminding me that I was far too curvy to be running.

“Good morning, Olivia,” a male voice said from behind me.

I swallowed the deep breath my lungs were burning for and grinned at my boss as he walked around to the front of my desk. Wyatt was definitely an attractive man. Tall and lean with a fit body. His short dark hair and matching brown eyes made him look young, although I honestly didn’t know how old my boss was. I knew he was older than me, but I was almost thirty, so it wasn’t hard for the Mayor of Winterville to pass that.

“Hey, Wyatt.”

“Everything okay?” he asked with a lifted pair of eyebrows and a hip against the edge of my desk.

I knew he was getting sick of my news about the kids, mostly because it was never exciting, but he always asked if things were okay.

“I’m sorry. We missed the bus again this morning.”

His lips tilted up at the corners. “Becca arguing?”

I sighed, feeling like I was talking to a friend instead of my boss. “Always. I’m sorry I’m late though.”

He shook his head. “Olivia, this is why I made you a salaried employee. You don’t need to watch the clock anymore. Yes, if there’s something I need you to do, I’ll expect you to be here, but on a day-to-day basis, I’m not overly concerned. You always get everything done.”

“Thank you, Wyatt. I still feel bad when I’m running late.”

“I know. Try not to stress. I’m going to grab a cup of coffee. Do you want one?”

I nodded. “If you don’t mind.”

He shook his head and grinned. “I wouldn’t have asked. Two creams, six sugars, right?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m your assistant. I’m supposed to be the one who knows how you take your coffee.”

He chuckled. “Lucky for you I need to stretch my legs around the same time you get in most days. It works out well for both of us.”

I smiled as Wyatt turned and went to retrieve our coffees. Damn, he had a cute butt. I just wish I felt an ounce of attraction to him. Sure, he was cute, and I could accept that, but it was sort of like accepting your brother was cute. You could be objective long enough to agree that he’s good looking, but not long enough to be attracted to him.

With a sigh, I turned on my computer. Six weeks until the Winterville Easter Egg Hunt. Ever since Wyatt became the mayor, he’s worked to bring the community together. First, it was the Memorial Day picnic. This year he added the Easter Egg Hunt and wants to do a Christmas Event. I warned him if he added too many more festivals, I would need an assistant.

He just smiled.

I clicked through to my email and waited as the new messages loaded. There was one marked Easter Egg Hunt sponsor, which I clicked on first.

Before I even finished the first paragraph, Wyatt set coffee on my desk. I looked up at him and asked, “Did you see this sponsorship email?”

“What sponsorship email?”

He leaned over my shoulder and read along with me. When he finished he stood and whistled.

“Damn. Really? Timeless Timber Toys. I’ve never heard of them.”

“They have a facility near Winter Ridge. My kids love their stuff. It’s expensive but really well made. I don’t know much about them.”

Wyatt scrubbed his jaw and studied a spot on the wall. “I’ve got a meeting shortly. Look into the company and this…” He looked at my screen again. “Ethan Norwood guy. If it sounds legit, I’ll set up a meeting with him.”

I nodded, turning back to my computer as Wyatt went back to his office. He left again a minute later, but I was already looking into the toys and wishing I could afford some for my kids.

* * *

Two hours later, I was pretty sure I could give Wyatt a full run down on Ethan Norwood, including birth date (December 17), favorite color (black), and the history of every company he’s ever owned. Which was an extensive list. What I couldn’t dig up was a picture of the man or anything about his family. He appeared to enjoy staying out of the spotlight.

Wyatt came back from his meeting looking frustrated. He went straight past me into the office, leaving me to dig a little deeper. I was fairly certain there wasn’t anything else to find and shut down my browser just as Wyatt walked out of his office.

“Did you find anything?”

I nodded and spun to face him. “Timeless Timber Toys is definitely legit. There was an article online about Ethan Norwood buying the company a few months ago. The company is pretty impressive. I think they’d be a great sponsor for us, too. A kids’ company that makes handmade, natural toys. Not the cheap crap that floods the stores, but stuff like we had when we were kids. I have a lot of respect for the company. From what I know, they have a lot of respect in the community. It can’t hurt us.”

Wyatt ran a hand over his jaw. “Okay, I’ll call them. See if I can get a meeting with the guy. Sooner is better than later, right?”

I nodded. “Yes, definitely. I’m already putting together promotional stuff. If he really wants to be a lead sponsor, or the lead sponsor, we need to get it nailed down now. Like today or tomorrow. I’m supposed to have final proofs to the printer tomorrow close of business.”

“Okay, I’ll see if I can get through to him right away. I have a lot going on the next two days. If I can’t see him, are you free to go?”

I nodded eagerly, glancing at my calendar to confirm it was indeed empty. I was more than a little curious about the man. “We need to get this done, so yeah. Let me know.”

Wyatt went into his office, and I pulled up the logo I’d been working on. I shifted the words “Easter Egg Hunt” slightly closer to the top, just below “Winterville’s First Annual.” I added “Sponsored by Timeless Timber Toys” below that. The Easter eggs scattered in the background allowed the black words to pop, but it didn’t feel right. It was missing something. And that was always the problem I had. Something was missing.

Story of my damn life.

I shook away the thoughts that wouldn’t do me any good and turned back to my computer. I changed the colors on the words, moved the eggs around, and tried everything I could think of. It never looked quite right.

I pushed away from my desk in a huff. I knew I’d regret it, but I went to get another cup of coffee anyway. When I got back, Wyatt was standing over my computer.

“Did you try to change the sizes of the words? Or make the letters darker versions of the pastels?”

I shook my head and sat back down. I made the changes Wyatt suggested, and it finally looked right. “Thank you. I’ve been staring at this for days, and I knew it didn’t look right, but I couldn’t figure it out. Of course, I’ll have to change things around if they don’t sponsor the hunt.”

Wyatt sucked in a breath and gave me a look that said I wasn’t going to like what he had to tell me.

“Out with it. What’s going on?”

“He has meetings the rest of today. His only availability is tomorrow morning. Nine am.”

“And you have the monthly budget meeting.”

Wyatt nodded. “Yeah. Which means I need you to go to the meeting.”

I took a deep breath. “I’ve met with sponsors before, Wyatt.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Ones we’ve known for years or in a neutral location. He wants you to come to his office.”

“I’ll be fine, Wyatt. You know where I’ll be. And there’s no reason to worry.”

“You can take someone with you, if you want.”

“Wyatt,” I said sternly. “I’ll be fine. Relax.”

He backed away with his hands up, palms facing me. “Okay. Your call.”

The rest of the day passed quickly. I made sure I knew exactly where the place was and shut down my computer. I said goodbye to Wyatt and reminded him I’d be in late the next day so I could make it to the meeting, then left to get the kids from after school care.

* * *

“Kevin, will you please sit down?”

He huffed. I was not looking forward to teenage years. At almost ten years old, the moodiness was already starting. God help me when he had his first girlfriend.

“Becca, you need to finish that worksheet before you can go play.”

Becca opened her mouth to argue, but I just pointed.

I turned back to the stove when she sat down again. I stirred the macaroni and checked on the chicken. It was almost done, so I put the green beans and carrots into the microwave. Yes, I fed my kids vegetables out of a can, not fresh. Don’t judge me.

I heard someone get up again and spun with the spoon in my hand.

“What in the world is going on? Kevin. Why are you up again?”

He held up his pencil. “I need to sharpen it.”

I looked at the stubby end of the pencil and sighed. “Fine. Then sit down and finish your math homework. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Kevin sharpened his pencil and went back to his seat. A few minutes later, I drained the macaroni then added milk, butter, and the powdered cheese sauce. When that was stirred, I grabbed the pan with the baked chicken and set it on the stovetop. Becca ran past the kitchen, probably trying to avoid getting yelled at.

“Where are you going?” I called after her.

She paused and turned back to look at me. “I need to potty.”

I nodded, and she ran down the hall across from the kitchen toward the half bath. I stretched my neck and daydreamed about the bath I was hoping to take when the kids were in bed.

As Becca ran back through the kitchen, I pulled the green beans and carrots from the microwave. Three plates of food. Three drinks. Forks, spoons. Shoot. I forgot to cut up their chicken. I ran a knife through the pieces of chicken on their plates then added a healthy dollop of ketchup, because my kids didn’t eat anything without it, then carried everything to the table.

On my second trip, Kevin went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. “What are you looking for?”

“Ketchup.”

“It’s already on your plate.”

Becca was next. “I need a drink.”

“I already have your water poured. I’m working on it.”

She reached for the cup with the princesses on it and sipped it on her way back to the table. I finally sat down with the first scrapes of forks against the plates.

“How was school today?”

Kevin’s milk chocolate eyes, identical to my own, peered at me over the paper towel holder in the center of the table. Homework took up the seat next to him at the head of the table. He didn’t answer, but I could see something in those eyes. Something he didn’t want me to know.

“Fine,” he muttered.

Nice try.

“Did you have fun in music class?”

A shrug.

“How about gym?”

A slight wince before the shrug came. Interesting.

“What were you playing in gym today?”

“Bowling.”

Huh?

“That sounds fun. How does that work?”

Another shrug.

“Should I call your teacher and find out what you did and how it works?”

Frozen stare. Busted!

A sigh. “I was playing around with my friend and accidentally hit someone. I didn’t mean to.”

“Did you get in trouble?”

He nodded. “Mr. McIntyre said we needed to be more careful.”

“Did you have to go to the principal?”

A head shake.

“Are you going to do that again?”

Another head shake.

“I hope not.”

He ducked his head and dug into his dinner. Guess he was done talking.

“How about you, Becca? How was your day?”

“Good. I was the helper in art class today.”

“Cool. What did you get to help with?”

“I handed out the paint brushes, and Mrs. Hunt showed everyone my painting at the end of class because it was the best one.”

I pursed my lips together. If only I had her confidence. My little girl was a bundle of energy and thought she could do anything. I wished I could feel that way, even for just a minute.

“That’s great. How was the rest of your day?”

“Good. Except Mrs. Carr wants to meet with you. There’s a note in my folder.”

Dread settled in my gut. I hated parent-teacher conferences. They went one of two ways. Either the kid was having trouble and the teacher needed to talk to the parent about it, or the kid was doing really well. Usually, in my experience, it wasn’t the second one.

“I’ll look at it and send her an email. Is there anything I should know about before I meet with her?”

Becca shook her head, blonde curls spilling over her shoulders and nearly ending up in her dinner. I reached over and tucked her hair behind her ears. As always, the move made me think about the way Bill’s eyes had filled with tears when he’d met our little blonde girl. After Kevin was born looking so similar to me, Bill was excited to have a kid who looked like him.

Too bad he wasn’t excited about a life with us.

I shook thoughts of my ex out of my head and focused on my kids. Kevin stood and put his plate in the dishwasher, then came back to finish his homework. Becca and I kept eating.

“I have a meeting in the morning, so we need to make sure we make the bus tomorrow. Can we set out clothes tonight?”

Both kids agreed.

Ninety minutes later, both kids were tucked in, clothes were on beds, and I was ready for a glass of wine and that bath I’d been dreaming of. I cleaned the kitchen, picked up the living room, and checked that homework was packed for the morning. Then I poured myself an overly full glass and sipped it on my way to the bathroom. When we found the house, I was anxious about being so far away from the kids at night, but Bill convinced me having them upstairs and us downstairs wasn’t a big deal. It was harder on me than him, but with them getting older, I had an easier time with it.

Especially on nights when I ran the water to fill the tub. Being farther away meant it didn’t wake them up.

The bath was half-full when I heard the sniffles. I spun and found Becca leaning against the door, hair tangled and eyes red-rimmed with sleep and tears.

“What happened?”

“I had a bad dream.”

I glanced back at the tub, then let the water out with a sigh. Guess my bath would wait for another night.

CHAPTER2

I found Timeless Timber Toys with little effort. The building had a great view of the back side of Winter Ridge, the closest thing we had to a mountain in Winterville. My friend, Addi, lived there with her husband, Joey. I’d been there many times over the winter to take the kids for ski lessons, but I hadn’t been to the back before.

Snowfall Street climbed the base of Winter Ridge, giving it a height advantage over the town. The rolling hills were one of the many things I loved about where I’d grown up. When it came time to settle down, I knew I wanted to raise my kids there.

Inside the massive building, which looked like an old barn, I found a modern reception area with a display of toys the company had made over the years. They hadn’t changed much about the way they made toys, or the toys they made, but they’d definitely gotten more detailed as time went by.

“Can I help you?” a woman asked from behind a desk.

“Yes. I’m Olivia Humphrey. I have an appointment with Mr. Norwood.”

The woman glanced at her computer, then picked up a phone. “Ms. Humphrey is here.” After a second, she hung up the phone and smiled up at me. “Mr. Norwood’s assistant will bring you back.”

Before I could answer, a door to my right opened. A woman in a low cut green button down top walked toward me. I could see the edge of her black lace bra and practically count her ribs it was so tight. I tugged down my own oversized green tunic, immediately feeling inadequate next to a woman who was about half my size. Her short black skirt flounced in the air as she moved my direction, aided by the stilted way she walked in heels that never would have supported me. They looked deadly with the spike that masqueraded as a heel.

“Ms. Humphrey?” she asked with a quick scan of my figure. A smirk slid onto her dark red lips as she extended her hand to me.

This woman worked for a children’s toy company? I would have believed an adult toy company without a thought, but children’s? I couldn’t help but question what kind of person her boss was if he hired someone who looked like a walking wet dream.

I shook her hand a smiled. “Please, call me Olivia.”

She nodded. “I’m Harley. Ethan’s personal assistant.”

Um, why did she emphasize personal? Like I cared what he did. As long as the man wasn’t screwing her at the Easter egg hunt, I couldn’t have cared less.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Mmm hmm,” she said as she led me back through the door she’d walked out of. We walked down a long hallway, me following behind her tiny skirt and praying it didn’t show off anything more than I’d already seen, and hoping she had panties on if it did. Her long blonde hair had that bottle-blonde appearance. Her long nails clicked against the door as she opened it, sending a shiver down my spine. I followed her into the room and gasped when I saw the workshop through floor to ceiling windows to my left.

“Wow.”

She smirked again. “It’s impressive, right?”

I nodded and she moved to the door.

“Ethan will be here shortly.”

I stared out at the workshop floor and ignored the room around me until I heard the click of the knob turning.

The moment I saw him, I knew I’d made a mistake. Wyatt asked if I wanted to bring someone else with me to the meeting, but I told him it wasn’t necessary.

I shouldn’t have been so silly.

Wyatt said his name was Ethan Norwood. It sounded normal enough. An average guy. Maybe a little boring with a name like Ethan. Holy spitballs, I was wrong in every sense.

Dark hair outlined his jaw and covered his top lip, cut close enough to appreciate the man beneath, but clearly intentional. It blended seamlessly into the close cut hair on top of his head, at least as much of it as I could see. He wore a black button down shirt, unbuttoned at the top with the sleeves rolled up. A tattoo teased me at his neck and more wrapped around his forearms. Black ink. Not a speck of color. To add to his darkness, black pants encased powerful legs and led to black dress shoes, the brightest thing about the man.

My gaze trailed back up over him and paused at the hand reaching toward me.

Oh, sweet Jesus, I wouldn’t survive if he touched me. My dry spell had a dry spell. I wasn’t sure I even remembered how to have sex.

Although a man like him would be a hell of a teacher.

My body swayed, leaning toward him. My eyes focused on that delicious patch of skin at his throat. I wanted to know what that tattoo was. Maybe he’d show me before he claimed my body.

“Ms. Humphrey? Are you alright?” a voice asked. It was so far away. Who knew my name there?

I looked up into his eyes. Dark eyebrows, neatly plucked or natural? I didn’t care. Why were they drawn together? Wait, that voice again. It was talking to me. My gaze dropped to his lips. They were moving.

“Ms. Humphrey? Can you hear me?”

Sugar bits! He was talking to me!

And he thought I was completely losing it.

“I apologize. I, um.” I stopped. I had no excuse. I was ogling the sex-god before me.

A slow, sexy smirk turned his lips up as he realized what just happened. And damn if he wasn’t even hotter when he grinned.

Jerk-face.

“Mr. Norwood, I assume,” I forced out, extending my hand to meet his.

His palm cupped mine, and he brought his other hand up to close my small hand inside his two large ones. My nipples stood up and my panties dampened from just shaking his hand.

What in the world was going on with me?

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Humphrey,” he said, his voice as smooth as butter.

“You as well, Mr. Norwood. Mayor Ramsey said you’re interested in being the lead sponsor for the Easter Egg Hunt we have planned next month.”

He gestured to the table and we both sat, him opposite me with a view of the door, my back to it. At least I could get out in a hurry, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t ever want to leave the man across from me.

“I am. As I’m sure you know, I just recently bought this company. I want to get Timeless Timber Toys more involved in the community. We should be working together, not existing on opposite sides of the same small town.”

I nodded in agreement, hoping I didn’t look like a bobblehead. “I agree. Your sponsorship would be a huge asset to the event. The additional money we could donate to the children’s center will significant to them, but we could make the event bigger and better also.”

“What did you have in mind, Ms. Humphrey?”

I wanted to tell him to call me Olivia, but only because I ached to hear the way my name rolled off his tongue. Ms. Humphrey was more professional, though. And would make it easier for me to survive the meeting without getting scorched.

“With the additional funding, we will set up a second egg hunt, for the smaller kids. Our original intention was to have eggs hidden for the older kids, up to age twelve, throughout town square. The concern we had was that the younger kids, the ones who won’t be able to see the eggs in trees or think to look under bushes, will end up left out. We were hoping to do a second hunt for the younger kids in a location just a little bit away and have a helicopter drop the eggs from the sky. It would give the little kids a thrill but not make it too difficult for them.”

Ethan, I meant Mr. Norwood, scrubbed a hand over his jaw. The scrape of his fingers over his stubble nearly had me groaning. Who the hell was I? I didn’t go all gaga over some random guy. Especially one who could have any woman he wanted and an assistant who made it perfectly clear she was already sleeping with him.

“I think it would be a great idea. A helicopter can be expensive, though. I’d like to personally match my company’s donation to increase the funds available to donate to the children’s center. And I’d like to donate a collection of toys from Timeless Timber Toys to them as well.”

I was stunned. That was huge. Not only the money that he was willing to put into the event, but an added donation to the children’s center.

“Do you think it would be possible for me to get a tour of the children’s center at some point?”

I nodded. “I’m sure they’d be more than happy to give you a tour. They welcome visitors. I haven’t been in a while, but it’s a wonderful place.”

“Let me know when you arrange it, and I’ll make sure I’m free.”

“Excuse me?” I choked. “I don’t work for you.”

He smirked. “Maybe not, but I’d like you to take care of it. If you’ve been there, I’m guessing you have a relationship with the people there.”

It sounded logical. Or was he just trying to find a way to see me again?

He lifted a phone and spoke into it. “Please bring in the paperwork.”

Before I could ask who he was talking to, the door opened, and Harley walked back in. She only had eyes for Mr. Norwood this time, giving him a leering grin that left me rolling my eyes in disgust. Nothing like reminding me what kind of women he liked to drag my head back in line. He wasn’t flirting with me. He wouldn’t look twice at a woman like me. I was simply someone he had to kiss up to because I worked for the mayor.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he said to her, dragging out his speech. She winked at him then headed for the door. His eyes followed her ass until the door closed behind her.

I almost threw up in my mouth.

“I’ve already filled out the paperwork, Ms. Humphrey. And I’m including my check for the sponsorship as well as my personal check for the matching donation.” He slid everything across the table toward me.

I flipped through the pages and saw everything was in line. “Mayor Ramsey has to approve everything before I say yes, but I’m sure he’ll agree. I’ll be in touch this afternoon.” I tried to rein in the distaste in my voice, but it was clear I’d done a poor job when his eyebrows lifted. I refused to back down and make him feel like flaunting his personal assistant in my face was appropriate for any business meeting. I wasn’t a buddy of his who would drool over the woman he kept on hand when his hand wouldn’t do. I was a business associate. And I didn’t need to know about his personal tastes.

He rose to his feet, towering over for me before I had a chance to stand. I looked up and up and up, enjoying the view one last time. Hey, just because he was a jerk who was sleeping with his assistant didn’t mean I couldn’t look.

“I look forward to hearing from you, Ms. Humphrey,” he said with an equal measure of ice in his tone. “I’ll be sure to tell Harley you enjoyed meeting her.”

“I’m sure you will,” I muttered, low enough that I hoped he didn’t understand.

“Excuse me?”

I forced a grin. “Thank you. Please do that.”

He nodded once, as though he knew I was lying but wasn’t willing to call me on it.

I left the factory and drove back to my office stewing. It figured a wealthy, attractive man would have an assistant who looked like that. I was such an idiot for thinking any man wouldn’t be a dog. I had a whole group of close friends with uber sweet men. So sweet that I’d forgotten how most men worked.

Ethan Norwood was a heck of a reminder.

When I got to my desk, an email was waiting for me from Ethan Norwood. I clicked on it and read it.

Ms. Humphrey,

It was a pleasure meeting you today. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to come out to Timeless Timber Toys and see me. I do hope you and Mayor Ramsey find everything in order and decide to take me on as a partner in this event. I believe we can make a difference together. I eagerly anticipate speaking to you later today. Harley said it was nice to meet you as well.

Regards,

Ethan Norwood

Jerk. Face. Right up until the last sentence I thought it was sweet that he sent me an email. But he had to throw his assistant into it. To rub it in that she was his type and I wasn’t good enough. I knew he was aware I was staring at him, practically drooling over him, when he walked into the room. So why say anything about Harley if he wasn’t trying to reinforce that he wasn’t interested?

Jerk.

“Hey. How was the meeting?” Wyatt said, coming out of his office. “I didn’t realize you were back.”

“I was just checking my email to make sure I hadn’t missed anything too big. Then I was going to come in and talk to you.”

Wyatt nodded. “So, what do you think? Is he a good fit?”

I sighed. “Yeah, I’m sure he is. The company is great.”

“But?”

“I didn’t say but. Why do you think there’s a but?”

He gave me a look that said he wasn’t buying my stuff and I huffed.

“Fine. There’s a but. He has this assistant who looks like she should be working for a sex toy shop instead of a children’s toy place. Tight shirt, cut so low I could see her bra. Tiny little skirt that I worried would show off whatever was underneath. And heels that belonged on a stripper pole. It was borderline obscene, Wyatt.”

He took a breath and hitched his hip onto the side of my desk. “First, I should have taken the meeting.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I knew he was joking because Wyatt was the one person I knew who dated even less than me. Which was saying something because I hadn’t had a date in almost two years.

“Second, why do you care what she wears?”

I opened my mouth to explain, but he held up a third finger.

“And third, we’re working with the owner, not the assistant. What does she have to do with anything?”

I waited until he lifted his eyebrows at me then said, “Can I speak now?”

He waved his hand for me to continue.

“First, it was inappropriate for any work place. I shouldn’t be able to see her underwear. Second, the owner leered at her when she came in. And that was after she made it very clear they were sleeping together. And third, if she’s his assistant, she’ll likely be at the event. Do we really want someone who looks like that running around a bunch of kids?”

Wyatt sighed. “We can’t control how other people dress. You know, as well as I do, that there will be moms dressed like that, or other women. There always are at any event. If he’s okay with her dressing like that, and he owns the company, I’m not going to argue. What was your impression of him?”

“He’s a pig,” I blurted without thinking.

Wyatt paused for a second then burst out laughing. “Now we’re getting somewhere. It sounds to me like you were a little jealous.”