Folk Around and Find Out (Good Folk: Modern Folktales #2)(82)

Chin held high and shoulders squared, I opened the door to his office and braced myself for the sight of him. Hank glanced up, a frown of concentration hanging on his handsome features. He then did a quick double take, the frown immediately falling away.

“Charlotte.”

“Hank.”

The side of his mouth hooked up. “Is this a business or personal call?”

“A little of both.”

Now both sides of his mouth hooked upward. “Please. Do come in.”

Despite my nerves and the questionable wisdom of being alone with him, I forced my feet to carry me into his office and I shut the door behind me, not wanting this conversation to be overheard. I’d planned to sit in the second chair in his office while I made my case, but I couldn’t get my legs to move. Instead, I stood with my back to the door, my hand on the handle, ready to bolt should he make any attempt at seduction.

“You want to sit?”

“No. I’ll stand. Thank you.” Unable to hold his dancing eyes, I glanced at my shoes. “I finished going over a few things with Hannah. She’s a fast learner and she already used a similar program during her college courses. Teaching her FastFinance shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, I’ll probably have her come to the house from now on and go through things there—assuming that’s okay with you.”

He was silent, so I peeked at him. His stare had grown intensely scrutinizing. “You’re planning to train her at your house? Instead of coming back here?”

“That’s right.”

Straightening in his seat, he paused a moment before standing. “Does this mean today is your last day here, on site at The Pony?”

I nodded.

A dark cloud dimmed his eyes. “Do I have a reason to apologize? Did I do something wrong?”

I took an automatic step toward him. “No. Not at all. This is my last weekend before starting work at the school, and it would be easier for me to train her at my home after the kids go to bed. My mother . . . I love her, she’s so great, and I’m so grateful for her help, but she’s not getting things ready, preparing for the start of the school year.”

“I see.” The wary cloud behind his expression didn’t diminish. “Was that the business thing you wanted to tell me? You’ll be working from home for your last few days?”

I nodded, glancing down to realize I was twisting my fingers in my skirt. “Yes. That was the business thing. Also that Hannah is going to do a fine job. You’ll need to train her for the other part, the non-finance part. My old duties won’t take her long to learn or execute. My advice is, give her more to do, not less. She’s incredibly capable. Give her the chance to rise to the occasion. And then, of course, give her a raise when she does.”

“So noted,” he said quietly. “Thank you.”

I inhaled a breath for courage, then lifted my eyes to his. He hadn’t moved. In fact, he held very still, his gaze watchful and wary. A new calculating gleam had entered his stare and alarm shot through my brain.

I stiffened, rushing to speak before he could make any of his irresistible moves. “Now, listen.” I held up a hand. “This next part is the personal part. No interrupting. You can’t do that sexy wizardry thing you do.”

“Sexy wizardry?” He cracked a grin.

I pointed at him. “I mean it. Don’t start. I need to say this, and if you start, then I’ll never finish.”

Hank lifted an arrogant-looking eyebrow. “Oh now, angel. With me, I guarantee you’ll always finish.”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head. “No, no. Stop this instant. I mean it, or I’m leaving.”

The sound of his chuckle—a velvety, delighted rumble—had me grabbing for the door handle behind me.

Before I could turn it, he said on a rush, “Okay, okay. Don’t leave. I’ll holster my magic wand until you finish. Cross my heart, wizard’s honor.”

Opening one eye, I glared at his barely concealed grin, but accepted his promise. Even so, I kept my hand on the doorknob as I gathered another deep breath, unable to remember the last time I’d been so nervous. I wasn’t the nervous sort. This was relatively new territory for me.

Clearing my throat, I began, “I’ve been thinking about your offer, the offer you made in the truck. The one where you said you’d, uh, see to my needs whenever I wanted.”

Hank crossed his arms and braced his feet apart, seeming to waver between expectant and amused.

“The thing is, as tempting as that is, I can’t accept.”

The muscle at his jaw ticked, his eyelids lowering as amusement leached from his features. “At the risk of being pushy here, why not?”

“For several reasons, not the least of which is that you deserve better. If you’re truly interested in someone, then you deserve to be a priority for that person in all ways. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

There was no misinterpreting his disappointment. He looked like he wanted to yell at me. Instead, he said calmly, “With you, I wouldn’t feel used. I’d feel like I was being of service, helping. And Charlotte—” He paused here, gazing deeply into my eyes. “I want to be in your life. I want to see you. It would be torture knowing you’re so close and I’m sitting on my hands, unable to do anything. If this is all you can offer right now, I accept it. I will be happy with that.”