Page 13 of Rags's Awakening
Mom? What the hell is going on?Casey pushed up from the desk chair and then it hit her.Clara’s last name is Kendrick. I never put that together.
Clara glanced over at Casey and gave her a small smile. “My car barely made it into the parking lot.” She turned toward him. “This is my brother, Ra—uh… Chase, and”—she glanced over at Casey—“this is my boss, Casey Reese.”
The damn smirk was back, dancing on his lips as he looked over at Casey. “We’ve already met, Clara.”
“It’s nice to meet you,Mr. Kendrick.”
“Same here,Ms. Reese.”
Again with that infuriating smugness. I’d like to slap it off his face.She waved her arm across her desk. “As you can see, I have a mountain of work to do. Go ahead and see if your brother can help you with your car.” She nodded to the folder in Clara’s hand. “Are those the budget sheets?”
“Yes. I was going to go over them with you because they aren’t balancing out.”
“Leave them on my desk. I’ll go through them and figure it out. I have to speak with Jacob about something. Please close the door when you leave.” Casey could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to look or give him any more attention. She hurried out of the office without a backward glance.
Stepping into the cool hallway, she leaned against the wall and breathed deeply several times. She couldn’t believe thathewas Clara’s brother. Clara was sweet, eager, respectful, and not remotely anything like her infuriating, impossible, and too damn sexy for his own good brother.I never should’ve filled in for Owen. I’ve been living here for over a year and never bumped into that jerk, and now….Her thoughts trailed away. She sighed.I’ll have to make sure I keep my distance from him.
“Hey, Casey. Everything going all right? You look flustered or something.”
Casey smiled at Jacob. “I’m fine, just overworked and trying to get all the budgets balanced before I start working on the proposal for the grant from the Fuller Creative Arts Foundation.”
“You got too much going on. Turn around.” Jacob placed his hands on her shoulders and lightly massaged them. “You’re so damn stiff. Relax. You take on too much.”
“Story of my life,” she murmured as she closed her eyes. The magic of Jacob’s fingers made the tension she’d felt ever since Chase entered the room slowly slip away. “You’re always there for me,” she said.
“You deserve a real break in your life, Case.” He applied a bit more pressure. “Just relax.”
Casey met Jacob when she was doing an internship at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. He was a smart, patient, and knowledgeable mentor. After she got the job as the project-manager for one of the smaller theatres in the complex, she was thrilled and threw all her energy into it. Jacob was there for herwhenever she had questions or doubts about whether she could do the job. After a few years, he was pushing her to apply for a prime position at the Boise Contemporary Theatre in Idaho. She was comfortable where she was, but Jacob told her that at the theatre in Boise she would be a big fish in a small pond. With Jacob’s encouragement and pep talks, she took the plunge, packed up her meager belongings, and set out for Idaho.
And now she was in Pinewood Springs, another job Jacob had secured for her. When she left the messy situation with her ex, she knew she wanted to come back to Colorado, but not at a big complex where she’d worked before in Denver. She needed time for her heart to heal and her confidence to be restored. She knew Jacob had relocated to Pinewood Springs, so she reached out to him, and he got her the job. He’d always been there saving the day.
“Is this how you take your breaks? I hope Clara isn’t doing this shit.” Chase’s gruff voice crashed through her memories.
Casey’s eyes snapped open. Chase stood in front of her, stone-faced, his strong arms crossed in front of his chest. “Didn’t you leave already?” Vexation tinged her voice.
“If I’m standing here then the answer is obvious.”
“Sir, may I help you?” Jacob asked, his hands now dropped to his sides.
“No, you fuckin’ may not.”
“Casey, do I need to get Toque and Pete?”
“Who the fuck are they? And don’t fuckin’ talk like I’m not here.” Chase took two steps toward Jacob, his hands clenched in fists.
“Stop it! This is ridiculous,” Casey said, moving in front of him to block his pathway to Jacob. She looked over her shoulder. “It’s fine, Jacob. This is Clara’s brother.”
“Clara’s brother?” Surprise laced his voice.
“Yeah, Clara’s brother. You got a problem with that? And by the way, you better not be giving her shoulder rubs while your dick gets hard ’cause I’m not gonna like it one fuckin’ bit. And when I don’t like something, it’s not going to turn out real good, you know?”
“Jacob, go. I’ll stop by your office later.” Casey put her hands on Chase’s chest to stop him. “Andyouget your ass in my office.”
“You sure you’re okay?” Jacob asked, as he stood at a distance.
“I’m fine.” Casey pointed toward the office. “Go!” she said to Chase.
He turned without a word and started down the hallway toward her office. His walk was pure swagger: shoulders rolling, boots striking the linoleum floor with deliberate weight, the tight stretch of his jeans drawing her unwilling gaze. She followed him from a slight distance, furious at herself for noticing the muscles in his back shift beneath his T-shirt as he pushed open the office door like he owned the damn place.
