Free Following Love by Celeste O. Norfleet

Somehow I think you had something to do with me getting this job.”
    â€œNot at all,” he said truthfully. “We needed an experienced administrative assistant with ample knowledge in tax law and tax codes on board, especially for this contract. You applied, Willamina did the hiring. Believe me, I had nothing to do with it.”
    She smiled, not really believing him. “Well, thanks anyway, and thanks again for the ride home last Friday.”
    â€œDon’t mention it. How’s it going so far?”
    The businesslike demeanor put her off at first; she hadn’t anticipated the drastic change. “There’s a lot of information and the previous records are pretty scattered and some of the computer files are incomplete.”
    â€œUnfortunately just before Mattie broke her ankle, Willamina went out on bed rest for a few weeks. With both of them out, we hired a few temps to fill in.”
    â€œNo offense, but they didn’t do a very good job.”
    â€œWhich is why they’re no longer employed here. Needless to say Willamina was furious with us when she came back. That’s when she suggested we hire someone more suited for the position.”
    â€œWell, I’m no CPA but I’m catching on quickly. I do have a few questions about the contract and several of the subcontractors you hired. My predecessor left quite a few things open. Maybe in the next couple of days, if you have the time, you could sit down with me for a little bit and brief me on some of the particulars. Your brothers told me that you were the point man on this job.”
    â€œSure, of course,” he said, and took a seat.
    â€œNow?” she said, surprised by his prompt attention and immediate response.
    â€œYes, I’m all yours. What can I do for you?”
    Oh, Lord, don’t ask that. Dena’s thoughts veered quickly away from the stack of files on her desk and traveled along a straight line into her bedroom. She literally had to snap her wandering mind back to reality.
    â€œGreat,” she muttered, nearly breathless as she opened her notebook and checked the questions she’d written down earlier. She handed him a file and asked him for an update, then prayed she could get through the next few minutes without making a complete and total fool of herself.
    She did, barely. For the next half hour they discussed the particulars of the contract, the bid and the job. There were several points of contention that they both agreed could be worked out later. At one point she referred to some figures on the monitor. Julian stood and walked over to stand over her.
    He leaned one hand on the desk and the other on the back of her chair. The close proximity was maddening. At one point she turned to say something not realizing just how close they were. Their faces were just inches apart. Suddenly she remembered him hovering over her when she was drenched with lemonade and then again in her dream. She lost her concentration three times and actually needed him to repeat himself. It was embarrassing, yes. Mortifying, definitely. But having him that close was also heaven.
    As a distraction she shuffled the papers on her desk in the guise of looking for a particular invoice. She found it and handed it to him. Much to her relief he leaned up and walked back to the seat across from her, sat and studied the paper.
    Then midway through another one of their discussions his cell phone rang. He excused himself and answered. Dena glanced away, recognizing a personal conversation when she heard one. There was obviously a woman on the other end and as per his end of the conversation, he wasn’t too happy to hear from her.
    When he hung up, he apologized and prepared to get back to work when his phone rang again. A shadow of frustration darkened his face as he answered, obviously expecting a repeat of the previous conversation. But apparently it was someone different. He agreed several times, apologized then