“I don’t know, and I don’t want to scare her.”
“She’s got some baggage, Ben. Serious baggage. A woman doesn’t walk away from what Katherine’s been through without some emotional scars. And emotional scars are the hardest to heal. Are you sure you’re ready to handle all that?” she asked in a serious tone.
He took a deep breath. “I don’t know honestly.”
“You need to think long and hard about it. If she falls for you and you aren’t ready, you could really hurt her. I know you would never mean to, and it would kill you if you did,” she lectured.
“You’re right. I do think I’m falling for her,” he admitted.
“I think you are, too.”
“What do I do?” he asked.
“Take is slow, really slow. Let her set the pace and I wish I could protect you from any kind of heartache that might arise from this, but you have to give it a chance. I don’t want you to walk away from her because you think I’m telling you to. I’m not. I’m not saying that at all, but please be careful.”
“I will. I’m going to give her some time and let her set the pace. I’m afraid to move too fast. She’s skittish,” he joked.
“Do you blame her?”
“Not at all.”
“Okay, if your little interrogation is over, I better get to work. One of us has to,” she said, getting to her feet.
“Hey, are you going to see Will again?”
She blushed. “Friday.”
“You can thank me later. Maybe I should charge for my services.”
“Uh, what services? Are you supplementing your income with something I don’t want to know about?”
“Matchmaking. Get your mind out of the gutter,” he scolded.
All he heard as she walked out the door was her laughter.
He shook his head and moved to his desk. He’d been excited to hear how things had gone and was thrilled to find out they had hit it off. He sipped his coffee, fired up the computer and turned to gaze out the window, thoughts of Katherine again dominating his mind.
She was probably at the bakery, making coffee and chatting with customers. He pictured her in a pair of jeans and one of those t-shirts she always wore. He loved how sexy she could look in something so basic. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to focus on work.
“Line one,” Rachel’s voice floated through the office via the intercom.
He trusted her to only send through calls that were important. He picked up the phone and that was the way the morning went. It was call after call—meetings, emails and reports that had to be reviewed. It was tedious work, but he liked it. He enjoyed reading the reports. It kept him apprised of what was happening in the company. He wasn’t one to take anyone’s word for anything. While he trusted his employees and department heads, he liked to see and understand the numbers for himself.
He worked right through lunch, which was normal for Mondays. When he finished with the last phone call, he looked at his watch. Katherine would be getting off work soon. He wanted to see her. There was nothing pressing on his schedule and he was starving.
“Rach, I’m going out for a bit,” he said, pushing the button on the intercom.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she appeared in his office door. “You’re going out? What does that mean?”
He smiled. “I’m feeling that afternoon lull. I need coffee.”
Rachel smiled. “I think you need something else.”
“Coffee and a donut,” he said coyly.
“And a little Katherine.”
He chuckled, standing up and buttoning his suit jacket before grabbing his phone. “Can I bring you something back?”