Free Lydia And Her Alien Boss by Jessica Coulter Smith Page A

and left them with menus.
    Everything looked delicious and Lydia had a hard time deciding what she wanted. She finally settled on a pot roast sandwich with mashed potatoes. It had been ages since she’d had one, not since her grandmother was alive.
    While they waited for their food, Gryf talked about her new job a little more.
    What his expectations were, how soon he’d like to have the new campaign launched.
    He essentially wanted her to hit the ground running, and she was fine with that. Lydia was excited about her new job and couldn’t wait to get started, but if they were going to pack all day tomorrow, she wouldn’t get a chance to make those phone calls like she wanted. She mentioned as much to Gryf, but he said Monday would be soon enough.
    Lydia had hoped to have an interview scheduled for next week, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.
    Lydia moaned in delight as she took a bite of her dinner and smiled
    appreciatively at the waitress when she brought a refill for her. She wasn’t sure how she could have lived in this town her entire life and had never heard of this diner before now. It was a treasure and she would definitely eat here again. Soon, if she had it her way.
    “I know I’ve essentially asked you to live with me,” Gryf said, “but I don’t want you to think I expect anything from you other than work. I know we’ve been on two dates now, and I’m hoping there will be more, but your job isn’t contingent on us hitting it off.”
    “I never thought it was.”
    “What brought you to Espress Yourself? You said you were having trouble
    making the drinks, so why get a job as a barista?” Gryf asked.
    “I was desperate for a job and Scott was kind enough to hire me. My parents
    threw me out when I told them about the baby and my living arrangements weren’t all that great. Wylen gave me a place to stay at his motel until I could get my apartment and Scott let me start work the day after I was hired.”
    His expression darkened. “They threw you out? Knowing that you carried their
    grandchild?”
    “They didn’t care. Their reputation was more important to them.”
    “Then it sounds like you’re better off without them. I’m glad you made your way to my coffee shop and that Scott hired you. But I have to ask, if you have so much going on in your life right now, why sign up with the dating agency? Are you just looking for a father for your baby?”
    “No! It’s not…I mean, yes, a father for my baby would be nice, but I wanted
    someone to share my life with, someone who would be there to support me and stand by me no matter how difficult things got.” She chewed on her lower lip. “It was actually Carrie’s idea to go to the agency. She showed me a catalog of sorts that she’d picked up and I…”
    “You just flushed as red as a tomato. What were you thinking?”
    “I saw your picture. You’re actually the one I wanted to be paired with when I went there that day. I had wanted to take the catalog with me and point you out to whoever I talked to, but that seemed tacky.”
    Gryf smiled. “You wanted to go on a date with me?”
    “There was something about you, even on a flat surface, that made me want to
    get to know you better.” Her gaze skirted down his shirt. “And it wasn’t just your body.”
    He snorted. “Yeah, but that part didn’t hurt, right?”
    Her cheeks burned again.
    “You’re cute when you do that.” His grin broadened. “It makes me wonder just
    how far that blush goes.”
    If he didn’t stop, she’d be as red as a fire truck. It had been a while since a man had spoken to her with sexual innuendo. Actually, she’d always dated boys so she supposed a man had never talked to her that way. She couldn’t imagine what he saw in her. He couldn’t be sexually attracted to a woman with a baby bump, could he? If the smoldering look he cast her way was any indication, then yes, he was. It made Lydia tingle in all that right places as she thought