Page 48 of Maid For Each Other
Apparently permission was all Roman needed, because a minute later, when the three of us returned to the crowded showroom, he waved a hand before turning away from us and joining the shoppers.
“Let’s say goodbye to Warren,” Declan said, and as we approached the old guy to say our farewells, I actually felt guilty lying because I liked him so much. He seemed like a genuinely good human, which was a little confusing when he was a billionaire.
There was no way for me to make that work in my head.
“We’re going to take off,” Declan said. “Abi’s got to let the dog out before he rips up the place.”
Oh right, my dog.
Did he have a name? I couldn’t remember.
“Have a great night, Abi,” Warren said, giving my arm a little pat. “And that necklace looks beautiful on you; Dex did good.”
“Thank you,” I said, looking down at it. “He really did.”
I was surprised when Warren went in for a hug.
I was equally surprised that I didn’t hate it.
As soon as he let go of me he said, “You’re running in the 5K tomorrow morning, right?”
Declan had explained to me that the Shareholder 5K was a big family event that Hathaway employees really turned out for. There were a lot of runners who registered because they liked racing, but there were just as many attendees who walked with kids and strollers.
He’d told me the last part as if he thought I couldn’t run, which had prompted me to trash-talk about how I could actually run circles around his ass.
Even though I couldn’t.
“Of course I am,” I said, uneasy at the thought of it. Still, I said, “Any opportunity to embarrass Dex in public by beating him is my favorite thing in the world.”
“She can’t beat me,” Declan corrected, shaking his head like I was adorable. “She wishes.”
“We shall see,” I said, feeling lightheaded when he shot me a teasing smile.
With that mouth that I now knew was incredibly skilled.
The odds of me beating him were slim. I ran every day, but I’d seen Declan with no shirt anddear Lord, the man must spend every waking hour that he wasn’t in the office at the gym. When I’d seen him in those low-hanging pants with the buckle not fastened, I’d nearly fainted dead away.
That being said, it sounded like a fun, wholesome activity, and I was a pretty good runner so I knew I could hold my own.
We said our good nights and were approaching Declan’s car in the parking lot when Roman reappeared, jogging toward us.
“Hey, Dex,” he said as he ran up. “Hold up.”
“Yeah?” Declan turned toward his friend, and I couldn’t stop myself from stealing a glance at his profile.
Had that man really just kissed me?
I just couldn’t get over it.
“Sorry, Abi—quick work question.”
I shrugged. “No worries.”
“I’m going to forward something that just came in like an hour ago,” Roman said, looking more serious than he had since I’d met him. “But I don’t want to wait. Take a look at it as soon as you get home and let me know ASAP if it’s got your approval.”
“I didn’t know you worked for Hathaway, too,” I said. It was a little impressive that they’d been friends for so longandworked together. “I thought you were just a personal guest.”
“I don’t and I am,” he said. “We just have some investments together.”
