Chapter 45. The Encroaching Guilt

"Jess, I'm just gonna check something in the garage."

"Yeah. Okay." Jessi put on a smile and glanced down at the meat sizzling on the pan. She stood alone in the middle of the kitchen while Jenson walked out the front door with a red toolbox.

Okay, then. She'd stay here in his nice and big kitchen. Cooking. Keeping busy. Pretending everything was fine.

Where the heck's Darren? It had been 20 minutes since his last "On my way" text. Even Jenson was no longer sure whether his friend would show up.

Using a spatula, she flipped the ribbed steak cuts while imagining her boss tinkering something in his truck. Sweaty. Greasy. And probably shirtless again. Oh dear. If she saw him half-naked one more time, he would catch her checking him out—and it wouldn't be the first time.

Sheesh. The risks definitely outweighed the benefits. Or he could be hiding out in his garage, making important phone calls she should not overhear. There had been quite a lot lately.