Page 10 of Chasing the Dream

Realizing how long he’d been in the bathroom, he quickly shut off the water and dried off, but then he remembered that he’d answered the door to Morgan before he’d brought in a change of clothes. He hated the idea of putting his sweaty gym shorts back on, so he wrapped the towel around his waist and secured it as best he could.

He heard sounds coming from the living room, but he could tell it was the TV and not his family since they were much louder. He should have gone directly to his bedroom, which was at the opposite end of the house from the living room, but he couldn’t resist. Call it arrogance, lust, curiosity, or a combination thereof, but he wanted to confirm that Morgan had reacted to him as a man and not just as her friend’s brother.

He stepped out of the bathroom, and when he was confident that she was still alone, he padded down the hall and into the living room. Morgan was sitting on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her, munching on pretzels and watching TV.

Her head immediately swung around, and her eyes went wide when she saw him in a towel, but she didn’t look away.

“Just checking to see if you were okay.” It was a lame excuse, and she probably knew it, but at that moment, he didn’t care.

She nodded, seemingly at a loss for words. Inwardly he gave himself a high five.

“Good. I’ll go get dressed, then.” With that, he gave her his best smile, the one that had earned him the “prettiest smile” award in the mock elections at school. Then he turned around and sauntered back down the hall, confident she was watching him.

His family returned as he was getting dressed, and he felt a twinge of guilt even though, technically, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Maria would probably berate him if she found out he’d been prancing around half-naked in front of her friend, even though he’d done it numerous times before. This time was different, though, and that was what prompted his guilt. He vowed then and there not to let it happen again.

A few weeks later, Morgan and Maria were sunbathing in the backyard, and his promise flew out the window, literally. He stood at his bedroom window, watching Morgan slather on sunscreen while she and Maria talked about some guy Maria was crushing on. As Morgan was rubbing sunscreen on her chest, she inadvertently gave him a peek down her top. All he saw were the rounded tops of her breasts and her tan lines, but it was enough to keep him standing at the window, hoping for more. Later, when he felt guilty again, he reminded himself that he was a teenager on the cusp of manhood with a healthy libido and an active imagination. He might have had the same reaction to any of Maria’s friends, though oddly, he never had.

Now, nine years later, he was having a similar reaction to Morgan, but it was even worse because he could no longer blame it on being young and horny.

When Maria had first suggested Morgan work for him, he’d been enthusiastic about the prospect, but mostly for business reasons. He’d needed someone to cover Dana’s position, and Morgan was a good choice.

Now that he’d seen her and spent time with her, he was no longer thinking of her only as a good business decision, and that worried him. Why? Because he’d have to work with her five days a week for the next three months. Plus, his sister had already mentioned several places they had to take Morgan while she was in Arizona. He’d probably end up socializing with her too because it would be rude not to, and Maria might get suspicious if he declined.

If that wasn’t worrisome enough, he’d volunteered to drive her to and from the office every day! How stupid could he be?

He pulled up in front of Maria’s condo, where Morgan was staying, at exactly seven o’clock. He put the car in park and debated whether to wait there or go up to the door and collect her.

Then the front door opened, and she stepped outside.

Oh, no! She was wearing a body-hugging skirt and a short-sleeved top tucked into it that showed off her trim waistline. She was looking down at the ground and watching her step since she was also wearing high heels, so thankfully, she hadn’t noticed his very thorough perusal.

He couldn’t have this. Skirts and dresses were not required. It said so right in the employee manual. The dress code was business casual, which meant slacks and flat shoes were acceptable, and in her case, preferred. Most of the women who worked for him had seemed relieved they didn’t have to “dress up” for work. If they occasionally wore skirts or dresses, he’d hardly noticed. On Morgan, it was impossible not to.

How was he supposed to get any work done today? Even if he avoided her at the office, he’d have to drive her home after work. He was doomed.

Chapter 5

Gabe looked a little disgruntled when she slid into the passenger seat, but as she recalled, he wasn’t a morning person. After they’d exchanged the perfunctory greetings, they rode in silence for a few minutes while she looked out the window at the passing scenery.

“Thanks for picking me up,” she ventured.

“No problem.”

“Where do you live in relation to Maria?”

“A few miles northwest.”

“House, condo, apartment?”

“House.”

“It’s beautiful here.”

“Um-hmm.”

“Maria wants to take me to Flagstaff to visit your parents, and she said I have to see Sedona.”

“I agree. Hey, did you get a chance to review the employee manual?”