Lost and Found (Growing Pains #1)(40)

It took Sean a minute to understand her words, but as soon as he did, he took an immediate step back. The haze that had settled on his mind cleared instantly. He had been worried about getting her to trust him, and then he leans into her space like a goon. It wasn’t like him, especially not when business was on the line. This lack of self-control was a foreign thing. He didn’t usually have to try so hard to keep a level head.

He physically backpedaled even as he verbally did. “I’m sorry. Please, I’m so sorry about that.”

“No, it’s fine. Seriously, it’s not that big a deal, but—“

“No, Krista…” Sean’s back bumped the wall opposite her cube. He couldn’t get any farther away and still see her. “Look, that was unprofessional just then. That was my fault. That’s not how things would run. Please. I need you on the team. You were a conscious choice based off of performance. Solely performance. Please don’t assume—please give me one more chance.”

Krista hesitated. She was fighting with something, he could see it. He pushed his advantage.

“If we land this account, Krista, it would look great on your résumé . They are a giant company. They are well-known. You won’t get another chance like this where you are. Please, I can be an ass—I know this about myself—but I’ll try harder. I’ll steer clear of you in everything that isn’t strictly work related. Please. I need you for this account.”

~*~*~*~*~

Krista took stock of the situation. She thought about what he’d said. About her own issues. She still wanted to say no, but it was solely because of Sean. The rest of the job sounded pretty good. It sounded like there would be a challenge. It also gave her the chance to work in a real team.

But she would have to fight the desire with Sean constantly.

She laughed to ease the tension, still undecided, and deflected: “That’s where Mr. Montgomery always stands when he talks to me.”

Sean looked around him, then back at her. He was still as serious as a heart attack.

Krista sighed in thought. “Okay,” she looked back up at Sean, so serious, hands at his sides, palms pushed against the walls along with his back, flattening himself to be farther away. He meant it—he wanted her in a work capacity. For this, at least. “You get one more chance.”

Relief flooded his expression.

She threw her pointer finger at him. “But you are on probation.”

Sean sighed hugely, “I am sorry about that, Krista. I—there’s no excuse.”

“You’ll probably get a Thump-Bird if you keep going with the sighing. Anyway, I need to eat.”

“Of course. Shut down your computer and we’ll go.”

“It’s only 3:30. We’ll be back, right?”

“Why bother? Shut it down. You’re on my schedule now,” he said it softly, careful to stay near the far wall.

On one hand, was the second chance a good idea? On the other hand, she got to get out early.

Early it was.

She shifted gears quickly and emailed in her report. The deadline was five, so if she wasn’t coming back, she had to send it before she left. Hopefully Fatty isn’t pissed I’m sending it a couple hours early.

Just in case, she put in a note explaining, in so many words, that it was all Sean’s fault. If she could have electronically sent an eye roll, she would have. It would have helped her cause.

There were no messages on her phone, so she shut everything down and grabbed her handbag and jacket. She turned back to Sean, who had a puzzled expression on his face. The expression immediately cleared as he stepped further away to let her by.

When they were in the elevator, with a man who said ”Hi,” to Sean briefly, then looked at Krista in interest, Sean said, “Sorry to intrude, but why are you worried about sending in your report early?”

“What?” How did he know that? She didn’t write that in the email—or did she? Did he read the bit about it totally being his fault?

As if in answer to her mental freaking out, he continued with, “Sorry, but I couldn’t help but hear you muttering. Do you not like turning things in early?”

“Oh, uh, no.” What else did I mutter?? “Mr. Montgomery doesn’t like things before deadline. He’s afraid he’ll lose them.”

Sean was quiet for a minute as the guy hit his desired floor and exited. Another couple of people got in, said ”Hi,” to Sean, ignored her, and then started talking about their work for the Dell account.

Sean said, “Why doesn’t James just turn it in instead of hold onto it?”

Krista shrugged. “Million-dollar question. If I wasn’t afraid of that scowl of his, I’d ask.”

“So you finish your work right on time to keep him happy?”

“No, I finish really early because the deadlines are too long, and then hold on to it until the last minute. That report was due by the end of the day. Ordinarily I would wait until 4:50 or so. Hopefully he won’t be too mad. But I am fully prepared to blame you if he is.” There. She admitted it.

Sean laughed as they reached the lobby. “Understood.”

Once out of the building, Krista let Sean lead. He had a lunch spot in mind, and since she needed suggestions on good places to eat, she didn’t say anything.

He didn’t say much, either, as they walked, probably thinking about their episode earlier. She couldn’t help but notice his walk, though. He walked with purposeful, powerful strides, eating up the ground easily with each step. He held back for her, because though she was normally a fast walker, her four-inch heels weren’t conducive to sprinting. His body moved with the symmetry of an athlete. Nothing was out of place when he moved.