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  Okay, I also want to tell them about Doug, she thought. But they’ll probably pressure me into flirting with him, even though he apparently has a wife? Or something?

  She knew she was going to need to ask him about that, but she didn’t know how. Perhaps her friends would be able to offer her some advice. June spoke of Doug’s wife in the past tense, so Paige wondered what had become of her… She knew it would be a tricky conversation to initiate.

  Since her friends had agreed to meet with her at the popular pizza place, Paige drove there and went inside, staking out a nice booth for them to sit in and gossip. She didn’t bother getting into line and ordering a pizza because it would be better to line up with her friends and chat while they waited. Truth be told, Paige always hated standing alone in lines. They made her feel awkward and lonely, which was weird considering a line meant she wasn’t alone. She supposed she just didn’t like being surrounded by strangers who didn’t have anything to talk about with her to pass the time.

  Fortunately, Paige didn’t have to wait long in the booth before her friends arrived and placed their purses down in the seats they wished to claim. She was more than happy to hop up from her seat and give them each a hug as soon as she saw them. Her stomach growled audibly, which they all just laughed about. It had been a long day for all of them, and they all loved pizza.

  They stood in line together and each ordered some slices of pizza for themselves, sitting back down at the table once the food and drinks were in hand for all of them. “Now,” Kat said. “Tell us more about this new job!”

  Paige laughed at the urgency. She was a bit surprised her friends were so interested in what she was doing, but then again they’d spent so much time with her, trying to help her find a job. Now she’d finally landed her dream job, so of course they were curious about it.

  “There’s not too much to tell so far,” she lied with a smile. She took a bite of her pizza and groaned with satisfaction. And least she was finally eating after being hungry for the past few hours. She needed to pack bigger, more substantial lunches. “The work is what I’ve been wanting to do my whole life, except right now I’m sort of the assistant to a grumpy old lady who hates me.”

  Her friends raised their eyebrows at her. “Is that true?” Emily asked.

  Paige nodded. “Okay, maybe she doesn’t hate me, but she definitely doesn’t like me. But I made a friend today who works as the assistant to the grumpy lady’s sister. It’s a complicated family business.”

  “It sounds complicated,” Iris agreed. “Hopefully it will be less so as you get used to things there.”

  “Yeah, I’m doing my best to stay positive,” Paige said. “It’s not a bad place to work at all. It’s just… stressful. But the owner is a really sweet guy. I don’t get to see him much because he is kind of a behind-the-scenes person, but he’s handsome and caring and he lectures his mom when she’s mean to me.” She laughed a little. “It sounds like I’m back in elementary school.”

  Her friends smiled at her at the sound of there being a handsome man in charge. “Tell us more about him,” Kat urged her.

  Paige giggled a bit. “There’s a lot more that I need to learn about him, but what June told me is he at least had a wife. It sounds like he doesn’t anymore. And he took over the place and turned it into an events venue after his father died. He’s basically been trying to keep his mom from dying the same way – from working too hard – ever since.”

  “Awww,” her friends said with sympathy in their voices.

  “You should definitely try to get to know him better,” Emily suggested. “Offer to help him. It’s probably not an easy task. It sounds like his mom is a real harpy.”

  Paige shook her head. “She’s not really a harpy; she’s just a very controlling person. And she’s been in charge for years now, so she doesn’t take kindly to someone coming in and taking over for her. She treats me like I’m her minion instead of her replacement, and it certainly feels that way. I didn’t take the job to be replacing anybody anyway.”

  For a while, she and her friends just sat there enjoying their slices of pizza, thinking about what she’d said. They chatted about what her friends were up to as well. They all were doing great. Paige always used to feel like she was missing out on being in some exciting Employed Women club or something, but now she had a fancy new job of her own and she realized she hadn’t been left out of anything. The conversations were still largely the same. She’d just been so focused on her own predicament. In fact, she was still focused on her own issues at work, but at least now she could empathize more with the others and swap tales as if they were all gathered around the watercooler.

  When she returned home later, Paige gave herself a new mission for work the following day. Instead of primarily focusing on avoiding Helen’s ire, she was going to do her best to spend time with Doug and get to know him better. She had a difficult time of it when they went out to dinner because everyone had been there. She did better with one-on-one meetings when it came to getting to know a person.

  I don’t know how I’m going to approach it, though, she thought as she lay in bed that night, blankets up to her chin even though she wasn’t actually chilled. Being nervous made her feel chilly, and she’d been feeling nervous ever since she got hired. She thought it would go away by now, but there were plenty of reasons for her to still feel a bit uneasy in her situation. I can’t just go up to him and demand that he hangs out with me. And I can’t ignore his mom when she needs me to help her. We’ve got a family reunion to plan tomorrow. They’re going to expect a lot of blankets and lights for the photos. She didn’t look forward to being sent on an errand to run and fetch those supplies, but this was the job she’d apparently signed up for.

  As she drifted off to sleep, she decided the best way to speak with Doug was just to randomly run into him. She’d done that plenty of times so far; either he or she had. It was easy to find each other when there weren’t a whole lot of people working on the ranch, especially outside of the kitchen. There hadn’t been many days where they hadn’t at least seen each other across a room, even if they hadn’t been able to converse. He was always nearby. She felt like he was doing that on purpose.

  I also might be able to tell him I’ve got a question, she thought as she drifted off to sleep. I’ve just got to make sure to have an actual question to then ask him. And make sure it’s not about his wife.

  Chapter Nine

  Doug was glad he wasn’t working in any real capacity with Paige, because he thought she was so pretty and he wanted to date her. If he was working more closely with her, it could have been seen as a problem down the line… His family already ran everything, though, so it might not have been too bad. These were the sorts of things he thought about when he was sitting at his desk and he was supposed to be working.

  I wonder what she would say if I asked her out, he thought. Would it be too forward or awkward? I’d make sure she knew she could say no…

  He hadn’t dated anyone since his wife passed away. He wasn’t sure he was really ready for a serious relationship, but it meant something that he was this interested in someone again. He didn’t think it would be a good idea to ignore it.

  One afternoon, as if on cue, Paige showed up outside of his office. She rapped lightly on the wooden door.

  He smiled at her and waved her in with a hand. “Come in,” he told her. “What’s up?”

  She smiled back at him, turning the cute pink shade again. Instead of sitting in one of the chairs on the opposite side of his desk, she just sort of lingered between them. “I wanted to ask you more about the history of this ranch,” he said. “I finished up my work for today and I thought, I really ought to know this stuff in case it ever comes up when I’m helping one of our clients. Your mom isn’t exactly forthcoming with information…”

  Doug chuckled, shaking his head a bit. “She’s not really forthcoming with a lot of stuff,” he agreed, gesturing a hand for her to sit.

  Paige sl
ightly awkwardly let herself slip into one of the brown leather chairs. She crossed her feet at the ankles and held her purse in her lap, looking almost as if she was riding public transit or something. He wondered why she seemed so nervous and ill at ease with him now.

  “What did you want to know about the ranch?” he asked her. “Who in their right mind thought this was a good idea?” He laughed softly.

  “Oh, no,” she protested, leaning forward in her chair a bit. “I just wanted to know basic things such as what was this ranch before it became a dude ranch?”

  Doug looked at her thoughtfully. He didn’t quite know how to answer her question, at least not in an interesting way. She was probably hoping for something cool, but really it hadn’t been all that much of a ranch. It wasn’t noteworthy until he made it noteworthy. “It was just a regular cattle ranch,” he told her with a shrug. “My dad started it in the nineteen-seventies. It got pretty popular in San Antonio over time, but nowhere near as popular as it is now, if I may say so myself.”

  She nodded her head, still smiling at him. Unless he was imagining it, her smile had grown with the thrill of knowing this new information. “Did you make all of the changes yourself?” she asked next. “I mean, obviously your mom and your aunt have helped, but it was ultimately your idea and passion project. Right?”

  He genuinely hadn’t expected Paige to take such an interest in all of this. He thought she’d mainly be focused on the event planning, like his mom was. But it was clear she found all of it fascinating. City slickers are like this, I guess, he thought, feeling some more true affection for her. He didn’t actually know if she was a city slicker, but the way she was so mystified by his ranch made him think she hadn’t been on many in her life.

  The question also brought up some truths he didn’t normally get to talk about. “I started the project with my wife, actually,” he replied. “My late wife. Roxanne. She was a champion of the idea because we got married here on this ranch, back before everyone else realized how much of a nice idea it was. She thought we ought to share it with others, especially because it was a whole lot of land we weren’t otherwise using.”

  It was impossible for Doug to know how Paige was feeling about the answer. He didn’t shy away from talking about Roxanne, even though a lot of people made it seem like he should. He was sad about losing her, of course, but he also knew she would want him to be happy and living his life as if nothing had happened as much as possible.

  “I’m so sorry to hear about your wife,” Paige said with real sympathy in her voice. She frowned a bit as she was looking at him, too. It nearly broke his heart to see her frowning. He much preferred her smiles and her blushes. “June in catering told me you had a wife in past tense and I wondered about it, but I wasn’t going to ask…”

  He laughed a little. “It’s okay. Actually, I prefer being able to talk about her. Everyone seems to want to skirt around the topic, but I feel better being open about what happened to her. It’s a better way to honor her memory than just hiding her away and hoping everyone forgets about her. You know?”

  Paige continued to look sad and he really wished she wouldn’t. He appreciated it was a sad topic, but he knew Roxanne wouldn’t want everyone to be so sad, especially not after five years. “I’m glad talking about her can be cathartic for you. I don’t know if I’d be able to talk about my late spouse, if I had one.”

  He definitely didn’t want to think about her having a late spouse.

  “I think she’d like it,” he said. “She wouldn’t want us to never speak of her again. Also, it’d be difficult to really do so, because of my son.”

  Paige’s pretty blue eyes widened in her shock.

  Oh, I guess we haven’t introduced her to Devon yet. Doug felt bad for always keeping his son away from things at work, but he also knew the little boy would get bored with everything, or get in Helen’s way and cause all kinds of drama with it.

  “I didn’t know you had a son,” Paige said. “I guess there’s a lot I really should ask and learn about here. It’s not all just organizing supplies and scheduling tours.”

  He chuckled slightly. “Yeah… Sorry about that. Devon usually keeps to himself in his playroom. He’s got a nanny who does her very best to keep him out of everyone’s way, but it doesn’t mean we don’t want our employees to know him.”

  Doug looked at the clock on his desk. “Actually, since it’s coming up on the end of the day now, would you like to stay and meet him?”

  She nodded her head, acting less nervous now. He wondered if she’d mainly been shy about asking him things that edged towards the topic of his wife. He didn’t want anyone to act like they were walking on eggshells around him. “I’d love to meet him,” she earnestly said.

  Doug stood up from his desk chair and gestured for her to follow him out of the room. She swiftly stood up, placing her purse back over her shoulder, and followed him out of the office. He led her up the staircase and then down a hallway.

  The doorway to the nursery was open, and inside a little boy with the same light brown hair as Doug was playing with some Legos. There was no denying he was Doug’s son. He beamed proudly at the boy. “Devon,” he said, getting the child’s attention. “I wanted you to meet someone.”

  The little boy turned his head and smiled politely at Paige. “Hello,” he said. “I’m Devon.”

  Paige crouched down so she could talk to him on his level. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Paige.” She smiled at him. “I used to love Legos when I was little. I wasn’t very good at putting them together like on the box, though.”

  “They’re easier to put together when they’re for kids his age,” Doug told her with a wink. “But someday him and I are going to build a Death Star. Isn’t that right, pal?”

  “Right!” Devon agreed excitedly.

  Doug wasn’t sure if he remembered what a Death Star was. He’d only seen The Empire Strikes Back once, and he didn’t retain information from movies very often, unless they were for kids, which made sense.

  “I’d love to see that,” Paige said with a laugh, standing back up at her full height. “Thank you for introducing me to your son. I’m glad I know about him now. I can’t help but feel like I’m trespassing around your home, half the time. Especially because your mom tells me so many areas are off limits.”

  Doug frowned at this. Why did it not surprise him his mom was being like that still? She’d told him she would do better, and yet… “Is she still giving you a hard time?”

  “It’s gotten a little better, but it’s still pretty frosty,” Paige informed him.

  He grimaced. “Sorry about her. She doesn’t know how to play nice, even when she’s been told a hundred times.”

  “It’s okay. I’m slowly getting used to her,” she said. “I’ve noticed she’s been a little more forgiving.”

  He wasn’t sure how long that would last, though. His mother could be a real pain sometimes, and he already knew she didn’t take kindly to being told how to behave. “She’ll probably never say so, but you’ve been a big help for her already. I’m sure she likes you. She’s just… Yeah. But she likes having you around. Otherwise you definitely would know about it.”

  Paige laughed a slightly awkward laugh. “Yeah, I don’t doubt it. Anyway, I should probably get going now. Thanks for hanging out with me. It’s nice to get to know you better.” She smiled a shy smile at him. “I prefer knowing people I’m around all of the time.”

  “Thank you for coming to see me and ask questions about stuff you wanted to know about,” Doug replied. “Let me know if you ever have another question and I’ll do my best to answer. And keep me posted about my mom’s treatment of you. I care about it because I can’t have her scaring you away. I like you too much.”

  Bingo! Paige blushed again, which made him grin. He wished he could ask her out right then and there, but he didn’t think it was appropriate timing. It also didn’t help matters, with Devon being right there to witness his dad flirting with a n
ice lady. Doug wondered if his son even knew what flirting was. Probably not, but I don’t want to risk it. I know he wants to see me happy, but he might get confused too.

  He decided if it was really meant to be, he would find a way to ask her out on a date which didn’t make either of them awkward or create a strange situation between him and Devon. He didn’t know what the way was yet, but he figured he could take his time to sort it out.

  Paige excused herself and left the house. He was sad to see her go, but he couldn’t force her to stay after work for no reason. Wanting to see her for longer wasn’t really a reason. Also, the longer she stayed the more likely it was his mom would see them together in a non working capacity, and he didn’t want to give his mom another reason to dislike Paige.

  Now, the house went back to its usual, quiet state. His mother went into her room to get some rest after a long day of work while the cooks arrived to take over in the kitchen. Bea would still bark and boss them around, but she was off-duty now and Doug’s cooks knew what they were doing, too. He stayed in the room with Devon for a while, playing with some action figures and plastic planes that lit up and made realistic noises.

  What had happened to his enjoyment of such peaceful times? Doug felt restless, eager for a change and he wasn’t thinking about the ranch. He was thinking about his personal life. His friends Ashton and Craig had recently found themselves some loving young ladies. He was tired of feeling lonely and then feeling guilty for thinking about moving on.

  Next time I see her, I’ve got to ask her out, he thought. Who am I to think it might be awkward? It’s me we’re talking about. Of course it will be awkward. And I keep assuming she’s going to say yes. She could say no, and then all of this dilly-dallying and worrying won’t matter anyway.