No, he wasn’t mad at her. He was furious with his friend. Shane didn’t say as much, but deep down, James knew that he was aware that feelings were developing between them. And he’d asked Constance out anyway.
James kept his focus trained in front of him. One look at her would only bring him more trouble. “Does it matter?”
“Yes. I value your opinion. If you think I shouldn’t—”
He huffed. “I’m your boss—your mentor. The only thing that should matter is how I feel about your work ethic.” James sighed and faced her. “What you do on your personal time is your business, not mine. Now if you wouldn’t mind, I have a few more stops to make before I can head home.”
Her brows creased and she opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She almost looked hurt. Good. The last thing he needed was to be tempted to do something stupid. Even now, his focus dipped to the frown that marred her face and all he could think about was pulling her close and stealing a quick kiss.
Just that thought alone was enough to prove to himself that he wasn’t in a good head space. For all he knew, this infatuation for her that he was feeling would be short-lived. They might not even be compatible. He was attracted to her personality and her beauty, but if there wasn’t any chemistry, then they’d end up at a dead end.
He forced a smile and nodded toward her house, hoping that his expression was one that demonstrated a degree of goodwill. “How about you take tomorrow off and use that time to study. I’ll still swing by to run Clio through some exercises.”
“But I want—”
“You’ll have a date to get ready for, right? I’d hate for you to not have enough time to get to the country club without your father noticing.” He leaned over her seat and pushed the door open. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
Every part of him crawled with remorse. He probably shouldn’t have said any of that. He was supposed to remain professional. And right now, he was letting his personal feelings get in the way of that.
He could feel Constance’s gaze on him as she sat unmoving in her seat, but he refused to meet it. If he had to spend even one minute longer with her, he might lose what little control he had left. James straightened in his seat and placed his hands on the steering wheel, waiting. He almost thought she wouldn’t take the hint, but then she finally left the truck. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t slam the door like he expected her to.
His gaze followed her toward the house until she disappeared inside, then he slammed his truck into gear and drove away.
The remorse mingled with a hint of regret but for a different reason. A part of him wanted to take Shane’s advice and go against everything logical. But deep down he knew he had made the right decision.
Lies and secrets always ended in pain.
* * *
James shoveda file into the cabinet and slammed the drawer shut, then yanked open another one. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Chloe glancing up from her place at the reception desk for the third time.
“Is there something I can help you find?”
His fingers rustled through the edges of the pages and the thick file folders, and he shook his head. “No. I’m fine.”
“Really? Because you’ve been looking for something for the last hour and we’re technically closed. You could just go home—”
“I’mfine, Chloe.”
“Is this about the Callahan girl?”
His fingers froze mid-air, muscles ridged. A coldness hit his core as he forced himself not to look in her direction. How could Chloe know about Constance? He’d been training her, but every time he was with her, they had been nothing but professional.
Slowly, he turned his head and stared at his assistant. “What are you talking about?”
Chloe sighed, putting her paperwork on the desk. “Seriously? You can’t believe that the whole school didn’t see you and Brielle whenever you two snuck off to be alone.”
The tension in his muscles eased somewhat. He continued to stare at her, waiting for her to make the point she obviously wanted to make. His thoughts tumbled and snowballed in his mind. How many people knew about Brielle? And if there were a lot, then how had Constance been left in the dark? Chloe had been in his grade. But Constance was a grade or two behind.
It was difficult to dig up the memories of his relationship with Brielle. At the time he’d only had eyes for her. He wouldn’t have known much about her younger sister.
Chloe let out an exaggerated sigh. “It is, isn’t it? You’re back on the Callahan’s ranch and now you’re reminiscing over your past relationship. What did she do? Tell you that she didn’t want to reconnect?”
His brows pulled together as he met her gaze. “No. Well, yes. But that’s not what I’m upset about.”
“So, you are upset.”
He glowered and spun back to the filing cabinet. “I’m fine.”