Page 43 of Help Wanted

“Did you just meet us today?” Paul frowned and shook his head while Josh laughed.

“It won’t matter what you decide,” Josh said. “When you get her alone on the ocean you won’t be able to help yourself.”

Right. The magic. He decided he didn’t want to leave things up to magic. He liked Kenley, and he was definitely getting signals that she liked him too.

Instead of tiptoeing around the issue and hoping for the best, he thought it might be better to address it straight out.

He had a plan when he walked into the office Wednesday morning. It was a big step, but one he felt he was ready to take. He took a deep breath, gathering his courage as he walked down the hall to see her.

Hearing her voice slowed his steps. He didn’t want to bust in there if she had a visitor.

“…none of your business. It was great and of course I’d like to go out with him, but if things don’t work out I’ll end up depressed and eating way too many cookies, like the last time. No, I definitely need to take things slow.” He heard her say. When he didn’t hear a response, he realized she was on the phone.

She was dating someone? And she wanted to take it slow with them? Zane looked down at the silly flowers in his hand. What had he been thinking? His stupid plan was to walk in there, hand over the flowers, tell her he had feelings for her and kiss her until she felt the same way. Get everything out in the open and hope it wouldn’t end up wrecking his business. Instead, he left, throwing the flowers in the dumpster as he went to his truck and backed out.

It was for the best. Nothing good could come from him dating his employee. If something went wrong, she might quit and then were would he be? Yes, this was better.

Not having anywhere else to go, he went to visit his sister. That was a testimony to how desperate he was to stay out of the office.

“I’m glad you stopped by for breakfast, and now lunch, but don’t you have a company to run?” Sidney asked as she put the dishes in the sink and came to sit next to him. She put her feet up as her doctor-husband had ordered.

“I own the company, so I can spend the day with my sister whenever I want to.”

“Please.” She flipped her hand at him, not buying it for a second. “What’s going on?”

He hung his head, knowing if he told her the truth one of two things would happen. She would either give him some wise advice that would help, or she would make fun of him. The more he thought about it, the more likely it was that she would do both things. Making fun of him was a definite either way.

“Kenley is dating someone.”

She was silent for a very long time. So long that he had to look up to see her expression. She was biting the inside of her cheek and looking at the ceiling.

Contemplation. Good. She hadn’t gone right for making fun of him at least.

“I’m going to assume when you say she’s dating someone, you don’t mean she’s dating you since you haven’t grown a set of balls and asked her out.”

Right for the jugular.

“She’s my employee. It would be unprofessional to ask her out.”

“Yes, because hiding out at your sister’s house to avoid her is the epitome of professionalism.”

“What should I do?” He decided to put it out there in the hopes she would cut to the chase.

“Grow some balls and ask her out.”

“Other than that?”

“Let me ask you this: What is the worst possible scenario if you were to ask her out? Like your deepest, darkest nightmare?” She leaned closer, giving his answer her full attention.

“My deepest, darkest nightmare would be if her skin shed off and underneath she was really that clown from It with the teeth.” He mock shivered.

“Okay, so the chances of that happening are slim. What’s the next level?”

“Skin shedding off and she’s Jabba the Hutt?”

“Let’s say her skin stays on and she’s not going to morph into something from an old movie. What are you truly afraid of?”

He took a deep breath.