Free Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary Romance by Delaney Cameron

getting so upset over nothing?”
    “Because you’re my boss, and I don’t want any complications.”
    His smile faded and his hands dropped from her waist. “There won’t be any.”
    This calm and sensible answer should have pleased her. Instead, it had the opposite effect. Aubrey picked up Horace and returned to her own room. Depositing the kitten on the bed, she went to peer into the mirror. Her fingers came up to touch her lips and then fell back slowly to her side.
    She’d been kissed by two men in the last twenty-four hours, neither of whom cared anything about her. It was a lowering thought. While she knew the motivation behind Richard’s behavior, there was no explanation for Corbin’s.
     

Chapter Four
    No more was said about Horace, and Aubrey tried to keep the kitten with her as much as possible. This proved to be a challenging task. Despite receiving no encouragement, Horace gravitated to wherever Corbin happened to be in the house. Aubrey didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused by his obvious preference for the enemy’s company.
    On the day Paul was to return, Corbin received a phone call while they were eating breakfast. Whoever it was hadn’t imparted good news if his heavy frown was anything to go by. Aubrey knew better than to ask; she would find out soon enough. She disappeared into the office to finish editing an article Corbin was submitting to the local newspaper. She hadn’t been working long before he joined her.
    “Paul won’t be returning today or any day in the foreseeable future.”
    Aubrey threw him a teasing glance. “You don’t seem to have much luck with your male employees.”
    “Paul’s been with me for five years. That’s a decent track record. Anyway, his brother needs help opening a new restaurant, and he’s ideal for that type of work. There’s nothing he can’t do.”
    “That won’t take too long. He’ll be back.”
    Corbin smiled faintly, remembering Paul’s observation that Aubrey was more than capable of running the house in his absence. The man must be out of his mind. “What do we do in the meantime?”
    “Call an agency. There must be a few in Savannah.”
    He started pacing the floor, pausing only long enough to send her an irritated glance. “This isn’t just a business; it’s my home. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone you can trust to have in your house? Someone who won’t invade your privacy or worse, gossip about you to everyone in the neighborhood? It took me months to find Paul.”
    “Then you’ll have to make do with me.”
    “You’ll be stretching yourself very thin.”
    “I’m willing to give it a try. Just don’t expect gourmet meals.”
    “Prepare yourself for the worst. Once word gets out that Paul’s gone, no one will believe we’re not involved.”
    Aubrey surprised him by laughing. “Don’t worry; once they see us together, they’ll know there’s nothing going on.”
    “The people who are prone to talk about such things don’t care what the true nature of our relationship is. They only see an opportunity to turn it into a good story.”
    “Well, they’ll have to do a lot of inventing because we won’t be giving them much to go on.”
    A reluctant grin twitched the corners of his mouth. “As long as you know what you’re up against. I have an appointment in town this afternoon. Would you be interested in riding along? I can drop you along the riverfront and you can shop or sightsee.”
    “I’d love to come. I’ve been dying to get back over to Savannah.”
* * * *
    Aubrey found the view of the busy harbor enchanting. She could have sat for hours watching the fishing fleet dock, unloading their fresh catch to the eager interest of the tourists making their way along the riverfront. Just behind her a chili contest was in progress, and a band was playing jazz to the delight of the growing crowd.
    Corbin arranged to meet her for an early dinner at one of the restaurants located in the historic