Her Texas Family. Jill Lynn
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Название: Her Texas Family
Автор: Jill Lynn
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
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He faced her again. “I need to help Hunter.” Plus, he needed to finish this appointment in time to grab Mattie from school so she didn’t have to ride the bus. He knew she didn’t like it, though she rarely complained. His daughter seemed to think it was her job to take care of him instead of his job to protect her.
“But I—” Lucy had finally found her voice. “I wasn’t—”
“We’ll talk about this later.”
Without letting her finish, Graham turned and walked down the hall. Exasperation snaked under his collar, mixed with a faint touch of guilt for being so short with Lucy. He paused outside the door to exam room two, loosening the knot of his tie. Somehow, he needed to get his mind out of the fog that had descended on him this morning.
For being a Tuesday, today definitely felt like a Monday.
Nothing was going according to plan. First, he’d wanted a qualified person to fill in for Hollie. Instead, he’d got Lucy. He’d known after their conversation Sunday night that Lucy didn’t have any experience working in a medical office. Her résumé sounded like an audition for a Broadway show. Yet he’d been desperate. And he knew she was, too. That, coupled with the pressure from Olivia, had prompted him to give working with Lucy a shot.
No pun intended.
The morning had been crazy busy, and Graham hadn’t really had time to observe Lucy. Except for the time he’d found her dancing in her chair, their close encounter by the charts...and then finding her and Hunter behind the desk together.
The unprofessional nature of what he’d seen grated. Graham had the niggling sense that he was missing some piece of the puzzle with Lucy. When he’d questioned her about previous employment on Sunday night, Lucy had been vague. She’d mentioned working at a dance school back in Colorado. Until...what? She hadn’t really said why she’d left. Only something about a “difference of opinion” with the owners of the studio. Now he wondered if there was more to the story. Had she been unprofessional there? What had gone on between them?
It was obviously something he needed to figure out. Along with whether he’d made a bad choice in hiring her. Did he need to let her go already?
The thought came with an underlying sense of relief.
Why?
Graham didn’t want to go anywhere near the answer to that question, because if he did, he’d have to analyze the fact that Lucy Grayson flustered him. She was...young. Flighty. And entirely too beautiful for her own good.
If Brooke were still alive, she’d never be okay with someone like Lucy working in his front office. Graham wouldn’t be, either. But Brooke was gone. And Graham should be able to have a receptionist without thinking of her as anything but that.
Only, seeing Lucy in Hunter’s arms...something had sparked in Graham that he hadn’t expected. A sense of jealousy. Where had it come from? He didn’t know. Nor did he want to explore it.
Lucy might be a good fill-in for Hollie on maternity leave, or she might not. The jury on that was still out. But as for any attraction Graham felt for the young woman?
That, he knew his answer to. He’d already had the love of his life. Dating, marriage, love...those things weren’t for him. Which meant attraction to his off-limits receptionist wasn’t an option.
Lucy pushed out the doors of the medical office and screamed up at the mocking bright blue sky. Oh, my. Her heartbeats settled from outraged racing to annoyed drumming. That scream had felt good. She’d like to indulge in one more—this time in Graham’s presence. But he was still dealing with Hunter.
After Graham had headed down the hall, Lucy stayed until it was time to turn the phones over to the answering service. Then she’d waved goodbye to Danielle—who probably thought she was just ducking out to grab something for lunch—and headed outside.
She didn’t want to leave the only real job option she had in this town, but Lucy knew better than to let someone treat her the way Graham just had. His accusations had stolen the air from her lungs and the words from her mouth.
She and Hunter had been totally innocent in that situation, yet Graham assumed the worst.
Lucy didn’t like thinking a person was one thing and then finding out they were something completely different. At least with Graham she’d found out right away.
Unlike before.
Words spoken about her years earlier tumbled back. She could still hear Nate talking to his best friend, still picture his arrogant behavior.
After that, she’s all yours.
Indignation flared at the memory. Lucy had vowed never to let someone treat her with such disrespect again. Her independent, take-care-of-herself streak had started growing the day she’d overheard Nate, and it hadn’t slowed since.
Which meant she couldn’t stay working for Graham. Not if that was what he thought of her. Not if that was how he planned to treat her.
She should feel relieved leaving. Instead, pinpricks of disappointment riddled her skin.
She needed this job. Too bad Graham had reacted the way he had. Lucy could see now he’d never really given her a chance. He’d thrown her into the position with hardly any training and then he’d jumped to conclusions.
It wasn’t as though working as a receptionist in a medical office would end up on her Pinterest board for dream work. If Lucy let herself travel down that road, she’d wish her way into owning a dance school she could run under her own philosophy. But that option wasn’t on the horizon.
Lucy paused near her car as a school bus pulled up to the parking lot. The door opened and Mattie got off, clutching some things to her chest.
Hadn’t Graham said he was going to pick her up?
The bus pulled away, and Mattie dropped the items she’d been holding on to the grass between the sidewalk and the parking lot.
Lucy approached. “Hi, Mattie Grace.”
The little girl glanced up, shoving her glasses to the bridge of her nose. “Hi, Lucy.” One shoe was untied, but the rest of her looked perfectly put together. A bright, white shirt without a mark on it—something Lucy could rarely boast of accomplishing—a jean skirt, light-up tennis shoes and a pink fleece sweatshirt. The sight made Lucy realize she’d forgotten her jacket inside.
Double drat. Maybe she could live without it. After all, the weather in Texas was warmer than Colorado.
“What’s going on with your lunch?” Mattie’s pink-and-purple lunch box was open, leftover contents and containers spread on the ground. Lucy knelt, helping her put the items back inside.
“One of the boys kicked my lunch box on the bus and everything fell out.”
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