As quickly as it had risen, though, it vanished. And Wyatt threw back the rest of his wine before setting it back onto the table.
“You know, I usually don’t drink during the week,” Wyatt said.
I watched him reach for his water as our waiter came out with our food. I turned that little tidbit of information over in my head as dish after dish kept coming out. Why was he drinking now if he didn’t drink during the week? Was I that hard on him?
Back off, Bella. You’re coming on too strong.
“Why don’t you drink during the week?” I asked.
He picked up his fork. “Just not something I usually do. I have a tendency to slip whenever I’m around my brothers, seeing as ‘beer o’clock’ apparently means ‘anytime they want to get drunk.’ I like to uphold a more professional demeanor, however, due to the nature of our company.”
“So, why are you drinking now?”
He grinned. “I can get away with a bit more up here. That’s why I like it.”
“Because it’s secluded and no one can find you?”
His eyes locked with mine. “Precisely.”
I felt a shiver of warmth ricochet down my body until it found its home between my legs. My cheeks flushed a bright red that I felt aching my skin, so I looked down at my food. There was so much on my plate that I knew I’d end up taking at least half of it home, if not more. But, that didn’t stop me from picking up my fork and eating as much as I could.
While we ate, things were pretty silent. But, once we both got to-go boxes to take our leftovers with us, Wyatt’s voice hit my ears.
“If I made you feel bad for having wine, that isn’t what I meant to do.”
And for the second time that day, I saw a compassionate and empathetic side to this hardened man that I hadn’t expected to witness.
“No, no. It’s okay. As weird as it sounds, I drink before my food gets here. When I’m actually eating, I don’t like the taste of drinks impeding on the taste of the food.”
He smirked. “A woman after my own heart.”
My gut clenched. My heart stopped in my chest. The way he was staring at me made me feel vulnerable and beautiful. I enjoyed the way he looked at me. Dare I say, I even loved it.
Holy shit, I’m in so much trouble.
I drew in a short breath of air through my nose. “So, what do you do when you’re not working?”
He leaned back. “I don’t have many moments in my life when I’m not. But, on the off chance when they do happen, I enjoy being outside. Camping. Riding horses.”
“Do you compete like your family?”
His eyes grew dark. “No.”
All right, staying away from that subject. “I think that’s great. After what happened to my father, I can’t bring myself to get interested in rodeos any longer. They’re so dangerous, and people just sit there and cheer it on like it’s nothing.”
I expected him to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he kept staring at me, like there was something on my face. I picked up my napkin and, as lovingly as I could, dabbed and wiped at my lips and my cheeks. Maybe I did have something on my face. Perhaps I had missed a crumb or a dribble of something. Or, he could be staring at me for a different reason altogether.
“Tell me something about you that I don’t know,” Wyatt said.
I put my napkin back in my lap. “Well, I went to college for—”
He waved his hand in the air. “Tell me something I can’t find in your employee records.”
I blinked. “I’m not sure I’m following.”
He leaned forward. “I want to know a secret. Something that you rarely entrust to people.”
I furrowed my brow. “Why?”
He leaned back again, looking as collected as a wolf in waiting. “Because I don’t readily tell many people I come across that I’m not into the rodeo scene like the rest of my family. It’s only fair that you level the playing field, yes?”
I mean, I could tell him…
I fought myself on it for a while and decided against it. I mean, why the hell did I even consider telling the man I was a virgin? After all, it would only put him off me. Men like Wyatt wanted a woman who knew what she wanted. Who knew what she enjoyed. Who knew what she was good at. No one wanted a twenty-five-year-old who hadn’t even had sex yet. That was preposterous!
So, I buried that particular secret and decided on another one.
“All right then,” I said as I reached for my water, “a secret for a secret.”
Wyatt patiently waited as I sipped my water, turning over how to phrase it in my mind. Then, my eyes rose to his.
“My father has been an alcoholic for so long that, even after pursuing my dreams in college, I’d have to come home and take care of my parents. And some days, like today, I know I could look my father in his eyes and tell him that I hate him.”
Nothing like a good, vengeful hate to crush whatever it is that’s brewing between my boss and me.
It was probably for the best, anyway. Especially considering the fact that I needed this job.
8
Wyatt
I kept my cool on the outside, but on the inside, I was fuming. I wanted nothing more than to slap some sense into her father and tell him to wake the fuck up. Everyone went through tragedy. Everyone went through something significant in their lives. And it didn’t give Bella’s father the right to do what he was doing to her. I saw the sincerity in her eyes but also the guilt. And I had nothing but sympathy for her. All I wanted was to take her into my arms, hold her close, and let her know that things would be all right.
But, I settled for my words instead. “I’ll say it as many times as necessary. Your job won’t disappear because of your father’s antics.”
Bella nodded softly. “I appreciate it.”
I shrugged. “No need. It wouldn’t be fair for you to lose your job over the actions of your father. You shouldn’t have to pay some high price for a grown man’s problems.”
And when she smiled, I felt hope blossom in my chest.
I enjoyed how I felt with Bella, even if I wasn’t used to it. She made me feel… important. As if I hadn’t been glossed over in life. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed coming from a large family. But sometimes, I got drowned out in the hustle and bustle of drinking and joking around when we needed to buckle down and get shit done. I was the butt of most family jokes, especially around the holidays. They always teased me about constantly working and not being able to let loose.
But what they didn’t know was that I worked to get away from their teasing in the first place.
I felt like a person with Bella, not just a worker. I actually felt seen with her, not just looked at. I felt as if I were heard, not simply listened to. And I enjoyed that immensely. However, I knew it wasn’t the kind of feeling that was conducive to a professional relationship. So, despite finagling things to get her out here with me, I figured it was time for reality to creep back into the situation, which made me stand to my feet.
Time to go home before things get worse. “Ready to head out?”
Bella stood in kind. “Ready whenever you are.”