“Sure.” She shrugs. “Don’t you?”
I guess I do, but not to that extent. “I suppose.”
“How’s Sam?” She’s changing the subject.
My turn to shrug. “No idea.”
“But you saw him yesterday.”
I blow some air out of my lungs because she knows. She knows I saw him, which tells me everything I need to know since Clive was the only other person there. “He’s doing okay.” At first, they wouldn’t let me into the room since I’m not family. But I sent a text message to Sam telling him I was in the waiting room. My visit was short, maybe ten minutes. While I did that, Clive hung out in the waiting area.
I add, “Concussion. He’ll be back at it in a week or so.”
“Oh, that’s great news,” she mutters, but it didn’t sound like she’s all that happy with him returning to work. No, if I had to describe her tone, I’d say it sounded a lot like sarcasm.
I might as well stoke this fire a little bit. “I agree. Sam isn’t perfect, but he’s a good boss.” I’m not sure I believe that anymore myself, but Lindsay doesn’t know that.
“Sure. Of course he is.” She turns to leave. “Are we meeting this afternoon?”
“It’s on my calendar. See you at two.”
“Yep.”
Then she’s gone, and I’ve got an overwhelming urge to talk to Alison. She needs to hear about this.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Alison
The minute I step foot off the elevator on Monday morning, my feet, which should take a right, take a left instead. I do my best to rationalize why that is, but the fact is I want to see him. And Sky. I hope he was able to get her into his office without anyone noticing. We talked about how he should go about smuggling her in when we took her out to do her business on Friday. When he told me his plan to take the stairs again, it made me giggle. I told him to pack a bottle of water and sustenance.
When he heard me say that, he scowled at first, then laughed. “You’re right. I should prepare like a mountain climber.”
Once again, my mind goes back to the evening with Ben. It’s pretty much all I’ve thought about since I left his place. While I know I did the right thing for all the right reasons, it still saddens me. There’s just something about Ben that fits with me. It’s easy, the two of us. I’ve never felt as comfortable around a man as I do with Ben Schilling. The fact that he’s gorgeous is a factor too. Good-looking guys have always intimidated me. Maybe it’s because those were the guys all the girls wanted, but they were also the ones who liked to comment on my size. In high school, I had several nicknames, all related to my thighs and butt. Back then, having a big bottom wasn’t popular like it is now. Alison “Thunder Thighs” Kirby can testify to that.
But Ben seems to like my thighs—and the rest of me too. I blush remembering what he felt like pressed against my center. “God,” I say, releasing a breath. It’s been so long since I’ve had a man in my bed. I miss it. The thought of having Ben there makes it even worse. I can only imagine how good it would be—how good we’d be together.
“Alison.” I hear his voice, and it startles me out of my sexy thoughts.
Get it together, Ali.
“Oh, hey. Just the man I wanted to see.”
“Yeah?” He sounds surprised.
“Of course. Can we step into your office for a sec?”
“I was coming to look for you too. There’s something I need to tell you.”
Crap. What’s he got to say? That he never wants to speak to me again? Why does that notion make me feel so bad?
I follow him as he opens the door to his office, and I step through first. As I pass him, he whispers. “You look beautiful today.”
I woke up early and took extra time getting ready. Choosing my outfit was the hard part. I wanted to look professional and a little sexy librarian, so I went with a navy pencil skirt and a navy floral blouse. It’s one of my favorite outfits. The best part? The shoes. They’re a deep red color and spiky. My hair is in a loose bun at the nape of my neck, and my makeup is natural-looking with a pop of red lipstick. When I looked in the mirror this morning, I knew I’d accomplished my goal, and that gave me the confidence I needed for this particular moment with Ben.
“Thank you,” I say in response. I move to the only other chair besides his and sit, placing my briefcase onto the floor.
“Can I get you anything?”
I look around his space, wondering what he’s talking about. “No, but thank you.” When I hear a soft yip come from somewhere behind his desk, I stand up. “You got her in?”
“I did.” He smiles down and to his right.
“Stairs?” I ask with an arched brow.
“Yep. We got here an hour early. I felt like a cat burglar sneaking her in here.”
It makes me chuckle. “A cat burglar sneaking in a dog.”
When Ben laughs, it’s the most amazing sound. It’s deep and rich, and it comes from deep in his chest. I love it.
“Look.” I hesitate. “About what I said the other night—”
He holds up his hand and shakes his head simultaneously. “You’re right. You’ve got a job to do.”
“Oh.” I slump a little back into the chair.
“I propose we revisit”—he waves a hand between the two of us, back and forth—“whatever this is after you’ve finished up here at MFH.”
He said propose. Sure, I know the way he used it didn’t mean he wanted to marry me, but still…. The smile that comes over me is so big, it’s probably crazy-looking. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“Yeah?” Ben leans over his desk, and I lean closer at the same time.
“Yes. Definitely.”
“Right.” He smiles, and I swear he’s blushing. “Well, I plan to help you as much as I can to expedite this situation. With that in mind, I’ve got some information for you.”
“Okay. What’ve you got?” I lean back in my chair and cross my legs. Ben’s eyes move down and he freezes. “Ben?”
“Oh.” He shakes his head. “I had an interesting conversation with Lindsay this morning.”
“Lindsay?”
“She said…”
I listen to his story about Lindsay and her link to Clive. “But we determined that Clive didn’t write the file.”
“But I think she may have. I also think she may be the one who turned him against me.”
“Why would she do that?”
He shakes his head slowly. “We started here around the same time. We’re on the same management level. She always seemed easygoing. I’ve enjoyed working with her. She’s got great ideas. Her social media plans are always spot-on.”
Reaching down, I pull out my laptop. I’ve scanned all the documents from the green folder onto my computer into spreadsheets, so now all I have to do is search for the information I need. “I told you the three main issues.” I look up at him. “I know who the lunch thief is.”
“Sam,” he says softly.