Who's the Boss? & Her Perfect Stranger: Who's The Boss? / Her Perfect Stranger

“Really?” He didn’t look convinced; he looked worried. “I should congratulate you. You made it past the dreaded two-hour mark without quitting.”

She thought of her late car payments. Of her rent, which was late, as well. She tried not to think of the stack of bills she’d filed away under her kitchen sink so she wouldn’t have to look at them. “Oh, I’m not going to quit,” she said with certainty.

“Well, that’s a relief. You’re like a ray of sunshine around here.”

Caitlin glanced quickly at him, trying to decide if that had been a come-on. She’d become a pro at spotting them since she’d gotten curves at the tender age of twelve. But Vince simply smiled kindly. With that shock of deep red hair and Clark Kent–type glasses slipping down his nose, he was really kind of cute.

But Caitlin had decided long ago, the cute ones were rarely harmless. “That’s me, just a ray of sunshine. I’m so bright you need sunglasses to look at me.”

Vince laughed, but didn’t make a move to come closer. Unbearably relieved to find someone genuinely nice, Caitlin relaxed. “Is it always so…uptight around here?” She graduated back to the sponge and wiped down the table that had an inch of grime on it.

“You mean Joe.” Vince shook his head and leaned back against the sink, watching her clean with fascination. “He’s just preoccupied. Ignore him. It’s the best way.” He frowned. “He didn’t hurt your feelings, I hope, because he would hate that. He just doesn’t have a wide focus. Work is pretty much all he concentrates on, and he really hates it when things get in the way of that.”

“Well, someone should mention that work isn’t everything in life.”

“You handled him well.”

“If that was well done, I’d hate to see him when he isn’t handled properly.”

“He’s a good guy, Caitlin. Really. He’s just under pressure right now. And he just lost Edmund—” He stopped, horrified. Color flooded his face. “I’m sorry. He was your father, so you know exactly how much Joe is hurting.”

Yes, she knew and the thought of Joe mourning her father disconcerted and warmed her at the same time.

Joseph’s grieving brought an image she hadn’t anticipated and didn’t know if she was ready to accept. “Which would explain how chipper he’s been.”

Vince let out a smile. “Well…truth is, he’s just about always that way.”

“But the rest of you—you and Tim and Andy—you’re all so nice and welcoming. How do you do it?”

“Tim and Andy are really great. We’ve all been friends since…well, forever.”

How wonderful those sort of ties must be. There was no one in her past with whom she kept in contact. “Tell me about all of you.”

Vince laughed without embarrassment. “We were the proverbial school geeks. You know, the ones girls wouldn’t even look at? Luckily, we’ll get the last laugh. At our five-year reunion, we realized most of our school buddies are struggling with jobs like bagging groceries. Nothing beats this. Plus we still have hair.”

She laughed. “And you’re fit. At my reunion, the cheerleaders had gotten fat.”

“See?” He grinned. “We’re not fat. And we’re doing what we love.”

They were, Caitlin realized with a spurt of envy. She’d never found her place. She’d never really been satisfied. Maybe that was because she’d never really challenged herself, never held a real job.

That could change, she thought with hope. She could find her place. Maybe even right here.

The phone rang. “Just a sec,” she said quickly, and then raced down the hall. “Good morning, CompuSoft—No, wait,” she managed to say, breathless from her dash down the hall. “It’s almost afternoon, now isn’t it?” Rambling. A very unattractive trait. “Oh, forget it. Just hello.”

She got a dial tone. “Well, hell.”

“Nice phone manners.”

Caitlin nearly leaped out of her skin at Joe’s low, husky voice coming from directly behind her. Careful to roll her eyes before she turned to face him, she planted a smile on her lips. “So. You’ve come out of your cage.”

“I smelled coffee—” He broke off abruptly when she suddenly shrugged out of her jacket.

Beneath the splashy red, she wore a sleeveless white silk blouse, pretty enough, and unremarkable but for the body beneath it. The soft material clung to her ripe curves in a way that made his pulse race. “What are you doing?” he demanded, backing up a step.

She laughed at the expression on his face. “Whatever you’re thinking, that’s not it.” She dropped the jacket carelessly into her chair, kicked off her pumps and put her hands on her hips. “For your information, I just cleaned your filthy kitchen and I’m hot. Hence the jacket removal.” She sent him a nasty look. “You guys are pigs.”

She swung her hand out for emphasis and hit the lamp on the credenza.

Joe grabbed for it—a split second after it crashed to the floor, where it shattered into millions of jagged shards.

“Dammit!” he roared, falling to his knees besides his brand-new, very expensive zip drive. “What’s this doing on the floor?”

“I was dusting. Do you have any idea how bad dust is for your computer?”

Strangling her was definitely wrong, he told himself. Carefully, he brushed away some of the lamp glass, but stabbed his thumb on a sharp, jagged piece. Swearing again, he pulled the sliver out of his skin and glared up at the woman who’d single-handedly brought chaos into his life.

Big mistake, looking up.

Kneeling at her feet, he found his face came to a very interesting level on her body. Interesting and erotic as hell. He forced his gaze past her tempting thighs, past the juncture between them, past the rest of her lovely curves and on to her unsettled, melting brown eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, wringing her hands. “It’s just that I’m—” Her stomach, inches from his face, growled noisily. “Hungry,” she finished lamely. “I’m…very hungry.”

Joe closed his eyes. “You’re hungry.”

“Yes.” She nodded emphatically, pressing her hands to her belly.

At that moment, Vince walked in, his gaze widening slightly at Joseph’s and Caitlin’s suggestive pose. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Just me about to get fired,” Caitlin said with a sigh.

Tim and Andy pushed their curious way into the front office, too.

“What’s wrong?” Andy asked, after taking note of Joseph’s fierce scowl.

“Everything,” Joe said, glaring at Caitlin.

“It’s really been nice knowing you guys,” said Caitlin, smiling shakily at the three techs.

“Wait,” Vince said quietly. He looked at Joe. “Wait a minute. Don’t do anything rash.”

“Yeah, Joe,” Tim piped up. “You can’t fire her. She made coffee. Great coffee.”

“And she cleaned,” Andy added. “Did you know the tile in the kitchen is white?”

Instead of detonating, as Caitlin fully expected, Joe just shook his head.

Then burst out laughing. A full, rich, very pleasant and contagious sound she’d never expected of him. While everyone stared at him, he laughed so hard, he doubled over, hands on his thighs.