His eyes widened slightly. “I didn’t realize. I apologize. I hope you blamed the cancellation on me and my schedule.”
“Oh, I did. He wasn’t exactly understanding.” Okay, that was more information than she’d planned on sharing, even if it was true. Her cheeks warmed, and she covered the reaction by retrieving her shoulder bag. “I’m sure a meeting that ran this late couldn’t have been much fun.” She wasn’t sure why she said that last bit. Small talk wasn’t their thing. Usually, she relayed the day’s events to him, he reminded her of any changes in the coming week or two, and she took her leave.
If Jace thought much of her question, he didn’t show it. “It proved to be even more unpleasant—and surprising—than I anticipated.” He covered a yawn.
“Well, I hope you get some time to relax tonight. You and Gunner have a good weekend.” She meant that. “I’ll see you on Monday.” She raised a hand in farewell and walked past him to the door.
“Bonnie?”
She stopped and turned, unaware that he’d followed her and how closely he was standing now. She had to take a step back so she could look up at him. Instantly, the subtle scent of something woodsy surrounded her. It was a scent that often lingered after he left for work, and one she’d always liked. Just because of the scent itself, of course, not because of the man who wore it. No guy should smell that good after working all day.
Bonnie assumed Jace wanted an update on how the rest of their evening had gone. “Oh! Yes, I did finish Gunner’s laundry. I put everything on top of the dresser, I didn’t want to risk waking him up by putting it away. I can do that Monday if you don’t get to it over the weekend.”
Jace held up a hand to stop her. “I only wanted to say thank you, and that I hope you have a good weekend as well.”
“I appreciate it.” Bonnie hurried out before her cheeks got any pinker. The door closed securely behind her.
Her employer’s unusual chattiness—at least for him—had Bonnie wondering what might have happened at the meeting. Not for the first time, Bonnie wished she knew more about him outside of what she had to know as his employee.
She was finally off work. As usual on Friday evenings, Bonnie walked to her car looking forward to the weekend off but knowing full well that she’d be missing Gunner—and his dad—by the middle of Saturday.
* * *
Jace stoodat the window and watched Bonnie until she was safely in her car and pulling away from his house. He’d regretted asking her to work late. Of course she had other things to do, but he’d never considered she might be seeing someone.
And why shouldn’t she? Truthfully, Jace often marveled that she wasn’t already married. Not only was she amazing with kids—his in particular—but she was kind and incredibly patient. She had to be to put up with his crazy work schedule. Oh, she definitely let him know when she didn’t appreciate his late evenings. In fact, her candor was something he appreciated, even if it did mean they butted heads on a semi-regular basis.
Bonnie was also drop-dead gorgeous. He reminded himself that last observation was one any sane man would make. He’d worried on more than one occasion about what he would do should she ever decide to quit working for him. It was always one of those hypothetical worries until now.
She was dating someone. There was a man out there somewhere who was lucky enough to call himself Bonnie’s boyfriend. The guy would be crazy if he didn’t eventually put a ring on the woman’s finger before she got away.
Which meant his concern that Bonnie might one day move on suddenly became very real.
Jace frowned.
If he were ever in a position to fight for her to continue working for him, getting home this late and causing her to cancel her date wouldn’t help his case. How many other things had she canceled because of his schedule?
He’d half expected her to snap at him tonight—it wouldn’t be the first time. She’d apparently thought about it, too, but the annoyance on her face hadn’t lasted long. At one point, those pretty dark brown eyes of hers had shed their frustration and taken on a sheen of concern resulting in a spark of warmth that radiated throughout his chest.
Every time he looked into her eyes, they threatened to pull him in. And her smile… It would be so easy to care about her more than he should.
There were times he wondered what it would be like if he got to know her better. Even allow a friendship to develop. Being friends with her would never be dull.
A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.
No.
He needed a nanny for his son. Preferably someone stable who would be with them until Gunner was at least in kindergarten. That meant lines needed to be drawn and strictly adhered to.
It was better this way.
He needed something else to focus his thoughts on, and the ranch issues were just the ticket. He pulled his phone out and dialed Noel’s number.
She answered in moments. “Hey, Jace. Long time, no talk.”
Jace chuckled. “Right?” His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten a thing since lunch. He headed for the kitchen. “You make it home okay?” He grabbed a pocket sandwich out of the freezer, placed it on a plate, and popped it into the microwave.
“I did. I’m glad I followed your advice and turned the ringer off on my phone. While I waited for you, Mom and Dad called me three times.” Her voice betrayed her exhaustion. “How’s Gunner?”
