But now talking to Ri was bringing it all back. The embarrassment and then the abject fear that she’d screwed up the best, the only, job she’d been able to find. Plus, it was frustrating to admit to Ri that she’d already screwed up by hitting on her boss.
She immediately thought back to the warm weight of Bennett’s hand on her shoulder and how gorgeous and shapely his lips were. It had been a long time since she’d been on the receiving end of such intense concentration from a man. Even when she and Don had been dating, he’d never made her feel like she was the only thing on his mind. He’d always been slightly distracted, like there were so many more important things he had to get back to.
Bennett had made her feel like, despite all the important things he had going on, he hadn’t wanted to be anywhere but there with her.
Matthew tugged on her sleeve so she balanced the phone between her ear and her shoulder so she could lean down to hear him.
“Mommy, can I have a popsicle?”
She nodded and pointed at the freezer drawer. He skipped off happily.
“Sorry, Ri. You know Matthew and his sweet tooth.”
“I don’t blame him. Popsicles were a lifesaver when I had morning sickness.”
“How is Jackson doing?”
Ridley was quiet for a moment. “Ok, what’s going on? The first day you dodged my questions saying it was too early to tell. Now you’re just changing the subject. I guess that means you don’t like working for Bennett.”
Now Katie felt bad. Ri was a meddler but she always had genuinely good intentions. It wasn’t her fault that Katie was a perv who was having dirty fantasies about her boss.
“Oh well, it was probably a long shot anyway. I know he’s a little eccentric.”
Katie frowned. She hadn’t thought Ri would be one of the people who made Bennett feel like an outsider. It was easier now to see what he’d meant. She’d never noticed before how quick people were to label you if you didn’t conform to society’s social norms.
“He’s not eccentric. He’s brilliant and watching him work is fascinating. It’s just a little intimidating.”
“So you like it? That’s great. I’m sure Bennett will teach you anything he needs you to know. He’s such a sweetie so that’s why I was hoping that you guys could help each other out.”
Katie gave up on keeping her cool and let out a sigh as she gave up on cleaning and just leaned against the counter.
“He showed me how he tests his fertilizer and soil. I had no idea what a lot of it meant but he didn’t mind explaining things again when I had questions. He didn’t even get mad when I dropped his earthworm.”
“Wait, his what? Is that a euphemism? Because being as tall as he is I’d expect it to be bigger than that.”
Katie sputtered. “Ridley Alexander, I’m surprised at you!”
“No, you’re not.”
“Okay, no I’m not. But I’m talking about the earthworms he uses in the soil samples. He wasn’t angry that I was a little squeamish about them. He even offered to do that part himself. That was really nice of him.”
“Sounds like you like him.”
“I—I almost kissed him today.”
“Whaaaat? When did this happen? Tell me everything!”
Katie laughed at Ri’s excited squeal. It reminded her of when she was in high school and would stay up late whispering on the phone with her girlfriends after their parents had gone to bed.
“It was a total mistake. He looked horrified and made an excuse about needing to change.”
Katie cringed, remembering how quickly he’d run off. She wasn’t even sure how that had happened. They’d been talking and then suddenly she’d found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss him. She’d probably scared the poor man with her intensity.
“I’m sure he wasn’t horrified,” Ridley protested. “Maybe just a little surprised. Bennett has always been shy.”
Right. He was shy and she’d almost climbed him like a tree right in the middle of a workday. Katie sighed.
“He’s just really handsome. I’ve always thought so.”