Page 3 of Chasing the Dream

Sure, they’d shared some past experiences, but he had his life, and she had hers, and they were only intersecting temporarily. Thinking of him as anything other than Maria’s brother and her new boss would just be asking for trouble.

He smiled again as he opened the door to the human resources department and motioned her inside. Approaching a woman at the front desk, he said, “Renee, this is Morgan Delaney, an old family friend. Morgan’s going to fill in for Dana while she’s on maternity leave. Can you get her started on the new employee paperwork?”

“Sure thing,” Renee said with a polite smile.

“Come back up to my office when you’re done,” he said to Morgan.

“I will. Thanks.”

After he’d left, she sat at a table, filling out employment forms, and thought about him calling her “an old family friend.” If she hadn’t been sure of her place before, she certainly was now.

You can do this. You did it for years. Just suck it up and pretend that’s all he is—an old family friend.

Chapter 2

Damn, she looked good! Similar yet different, and all grown up. Back when they were kids, he hadn’t paid her much attention. He’d been too busy with sports, friends, and girls, lots and lots of girls. He was only two years older than her, but in teenage years, that was a big gap. Plus, she was his sister’s best friend, and that made her strictly off-limits. He still recalled the pact he and Maria had made when they were in high school—absolutely no dating each other’s friends!

Even though they hadn’t discussed it in years, and it might no longer apply, he intended to stick to the pact; otherwise, things could get messy. Plus, he was Morgan’s boss now, and there was no way he was going to cavort with one of his employees. It was best for him to think of her like he always had, as Maria’s best friend and nothing more.

He sat down at his desk and opened his email app, but he couldn’t seem to concentrate. Had her hair always been that blonde and curly? Had her eyes always been that mesmerizing shade of pale blue? She’d always been a pretty girl, if a bit skinny and flat-chested, but now she had curves in all the right places and a million-dollar smile to match.

He might have imagined it, but she’d seemed nervous at first, and he was a bit surprised by that. After all, they’d known each other for years. But then he realized they hadn’t spent much time alone together, so maybe he didn’t know her as well as he thought. He’d only half-listened when his sister had updated the family on what had been going on with Morgan. He’d known which college she’d attended and what her degree was only because that had interested him, but he hadn’t paid attention to much else.

He tried to recall if Maria had said Morgan was dating someone, and the name Lucas came to mind, but he couldn’t be sure. Finally, he slammed down the lid of his laptop and cursed aloud. He was being ridiculous! None of this mattered, because he wasn’t going to go near her unless it was work-related.

Half an hour later, he was reviewing a print ad that one of his employees had drafted when Morgan came into his office. He forced himself to focus on her face and not the sway of her hips or the sliver of skin showing at the top of her blouse. “All set?”

She nodded and sat down. “I guess this makes me an official employee of Matthews Graphic Design.”

“That, it does.”

“I’m anxious to get to work.”

“Great. I’ve already talked to one of my employees about training you. Let me call him in here.”

He picked up his desk phone and dialed while Morgan glanced around his office. She seemed a bit more relaxed now, and he was glad. If she was going to be here for the next three months, he wanted her to feel comfortable, just not too comfortable.

A few minutes later, Stefan entered his office, and when he saw Morgan sitting there, he broke out with a wide grin.

Gabe instantly regretted his decision, but it was too late now.

“Hey. Stefan Wilkins at your service,” he said, extending his hand to Morgan.

Morgan smiled and shook his hand. “Morgan Delaney. Nice to meet you.”

Gabe watched the exchange closely, admiring her poise and her reserve. She appeared to be sizing Stefan up, and she was smart enough to draw the same conclusion he had. Stefan’s expression said it all—he found her attractive, and he hadn’t bothered trying to hide it.

Gabe wondered if the attraction went both ways. Stefan wore large, black-framed glasses, messy hair, and a shaggy beard. He was a self-proclaimed computer nerd, but he seemed popular with the ladies. Gabe hadn’t forbidden his employees from dating each other, because, whenever men and women worked together, it seemed inevitable, but he didn’t encourage it either. He’d been aware of a few affairs and flirtations, but if everyone had behaved professionally, he hadn’t minded. For some reason, though, it bothered him to think of Stefan hitting on Morgan.

“Have a seat,” he said a bit more harshly than he’d intended.

Stefan seemed too enamored with Morgan to notice, and he eagerly sat beside her and awaited his assignment.

“Since you worked closely with Dana on some of the web projects, I’d like you to bring Morgan up to speed. We need to roll out the website for the new yogurt shop soon, so concentrate on that one first.”

“Yes, sir,” Stefan replied teasingly.

Gabe didn’t smile. “Show her around the office and get her settled at Dana’s desk. Oh, and be nice to her. She’s my sister’s best friend.” He hoped Stefan got the hidden message in his warning.