“You don't want to know. I'm just flirting with the boss man. Seems like a smart thing to do, seeing that I'm going to be late.” She lifted her eyebrow at him as she sat her phone down. “What's your plan for getting out of trouble?”
“Well, I'm not flirting with him, if that's what you're asking.” Mark handed her a cup of coffee and walked to the breakfast bar, taking a seat. “We can grab something at the diner near the office if you want. There's no need to make you cook. I'll never hear the end of it.”
“I don't mind.” She walked to the fridge and pulled out everything for a quick omelet. “You want toast with this stuff?”
“Anything you're fixing, I'm eating.” He lifted his coffee cup to his lips. “You feeling better? Quite a scare you gave us.”
“Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry about that. I just wanted to change the damn light. It really didn't seem like that big of a deal, but obviously it was. I should have just left Jake in the house and everything would have been fine. He kept bumping the ladder.” She worked on chopping up veggies as they chatted.
“I've never seen Alex so terrified. Not even back in the day when they hauled him off to Juvie. I swear he w
as close to tears. Scared the shit out of me.” Mark ran his hand through his short dark hair.
“Close to tears the day they took him to Juvie?” She tossed everything in a pan and picked up a spatula before turning back to Mark.
“Hell, no. He would have sooner been thrown off the Grand Canyon than cry as a kid. I mean the other day when we found you in the garage.” He shuddered. “Alright. Next subject. I'm over this one.”
She rolled her eyes and turned back to the stove. “Why are you running late this morning? You're usually in the office by now.”
“I know. I'm just not feeling it.” He let out a long sigh. “Alex and I have been kicking around ideas for how to help me feel more invigorated about working at the firm with you guys, but I'm just not sure it's my type of gig. He needs help, and I'm staying until he finds it, but after that... I don't know. I think it might be time to pack up and try something new. I know we've talked about this before.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him, not liking the way his shoulders slumped forward. The lack of joy in his job was physically affecting him, and after all he'd been through during his divorce he deserved a happy ending. “I think that's a good idea then. We find some new people to step up, and you start living your dreams.” She cracked a few eggs into the pan. “And what are your dreams?”
“To get married and have kids.” His voice was soft. “I know I have to have a career, and I'm good with working hard, but my dream is to have kids with a woman I can't live without. Seems like a farfetched idea, seeing that I have no prospects right now. Though I am trying.” He grinned ruefully and Jamie had no idea what he meant. She could just imagine.
“You're still young, silly. What are you, mid-twenties?”
“Yeah.” He smirked and got up, grabbing a loaf of bread from the pantry and making toast for both of them. “I'm just ready to start dating again. Kristen was a great girl, but I'm thinking I might need someone older. I'm too damn mature for my age.”
“I'll agree with that, though I'm not sure it's a detriment.” Her stomach growled loudly. “I didn't have dinner last night. Sorry, I just realized.”
“You gotta take care of you and that baby, silly girl.” He stopped beside her and took the spatula. “You butter the toast and I'll finish this. I always tear the bread when I do it.”
“Brute.” She laughed and got the butter out of the fridge.
He made some funny masculine sound and bounced his shoulders as she walked toward the counter. Mark needed a good woman. One who would love him the way he deserved to be loved. Jamie just hoped he could find her before he settled. Guys with their eyes on the prize of forever usually wanted forever to start now.
Finding the right girl would take time, and that required patience, something that Mark didn't seem to have an ounce of.
“This is taking forever,” he grumbled as she laughed. “What?”
“Nothing.” Jamie shook her head and let her thoughts fade. He would find someone, and she planned on trying to help if he’d let her. Now to make some friends worthy of Mark's time.
One more thing to do.
Chapter 5
Jamie couldn't help but mull through her conversation with Mark over breakfast as she drove to the office. He wanted simplicity in his life, and yet he was just as brilliant as Alex, but in a different way. The desire to help him find someone was almost overwhelming, but she tucked it away to worry about later. Mark was a big boy. He could figure things out himself. At least for now.
She only knew one woman who might be of any interest to him, and there was no way she was mentioning her sister to him. Where Christine was definitely a looker, she was a drama queen with enough issues to get her own daytime talk show. Nope. She couldn’t put Mark through that.
And she's still married. Jamie parked the car and walked in, and found Paul walking around the cafeteria area aimlessly. She walked up beside him and repositioned her bag. “Hey.”
“Oh, hey, Jamie. How are you?” He glanced over and gave her a sleepy smile, trying to unsuccessfully stifle a yawn.
“Good. You look like you've been up all night. Partying too much?” She lifted her eyebrow and grabbed an apple from the fruit cart in front of them.
“I wish. I'm studying for another investment dealer exam. They get old after a while, but if you want to sell certain products... you take their damn tests.” He yawned again. “I wish my reason was partying or even being here working, but it's not.”