Page 27 of Surrendering His Heart (Buena Hills #4)

Christian struggled to stay focused at work on Monday. Even the simplest tasks led his mind to wander back to Hallie. Reclining in his uncomfortable swivel chair, he closed his eyes. Visions of her danced across his eyelids—at the park, in his kitchen, with Penelope—and he snapped them open again.

His willpower had failed to keep him from falling for her, so the situation now screamed for the initiation of Plan B: stone cold avoidance.

But how could he avoid her when she popped up everywhere? She was like some freaky magnet, attracting him to her energy. Not that she was freaky. No, Hallie was gorgeous. Kind. Thoughtful. Radiating sunshine?—

He groaned out a long sigh.

“Christian,” his boss barked from the opening to his cubicle.

Christian jerked upright, a natural reaction whenever the man came near.

Jim didn’t wait for a verbal response before launching into whatever order he’d come to deliver. “I scheduled a meeting with the Lawson Group for four-thirty today. We need to go over expectations for their website expansion. Make sure you’re there.” He left as swiftly as he’d entered.

Four-thirty? Christian groaned again. Pushing back his chair, he followed his boss. “Sir, I’m not available at four-thirty. I have to pick up my kids from school.”

Jim strode into his office. “Haven’t you figured out your nanny situation yet?” His eyes narrowed, and he pressed his mouth into a thin line. “It’s been weeks since the last one quit. ”

“I hope to have one lined up soon. Until then, you know I can’t attend meetings past three.”

Christian hesitated in the doorway. His boss hated when the employees presumed an invitation into his hallowed space. Sunlight, streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling window, reflected off Jim’s bald head. Downtown Los Angeles provided a canvas of concrete and glass outside the office.

“Your childcare arrangements aren’t my concern.” Jim leveled Christian with a serious look. “I need you in this meeting. The Lawson Group is our longest standing client. They have very specific requests, and as my best employee, you’re the only guy I trust to get it done.”

That was a rare comment from a man who never dished out complements.

“Thank you, sir,” Christian said, recovering from his momentary surprise. “I understand. And under normal circumstances, I would absolutely be there. But I’ve already worked it out with HR?—”

“No buts.” His boss held up a finger as he took a seat behind the mahogany desk. The chair groaned under the weight of his ample rear end. “You’ll be there. I don’t need to remind you that you’re already treading on thin ice with your recent infractions.”

Recent infractions? Did he mean the baseless ones he pulled from his own ears? Sure, Christian would own up to arriving late two weeks ago after staying up to work on Hallie’s website. But the rest?

Completely bogus.

He couldn’t argue with his boss though. And no matter what arrangements Christian had set up with HR, Jim had the ability to twist the knife any way he wished with those suck ups. They’d do anything to stay in his back pocket.

“Do I make myself clear?” Jim’s tone held no room for argument.

“Yes, sir,” Christian muttered, staring at the picture of Jim’s wife and kids sitting on the desk. Judging by the hours he spent in the office, those four people had to be leading completely separate lives from their workaholic patriarch .

Christian hoped he never became so obsessed with his job that it had a negative impact on his family. If the opportunity arose, he’d ditch this place so fast for something with more flexibility, and a much better home-work life balance.

The man jiggled his mouse to wake up his computer. “Good. You’re dismissed.”

What is this, the Army?

Christian returned to his cubicle. Collapsing into his chair, he bent forward and dropped his face onto the desk. Pamela was out for the day, leaving him free to groan to his heart’s content. He did a few times as he bounced his forehead on the faux wood surface.

What was he supposed to do? Isla wouldn’t be happy with the change of plans. Heck, he was furious about them. Perhaps it was finally time to start looking for another job. Of course, that wouldn’t help him today.

Feeling sorry for himself would get him nowhere, so he stopped his silent pity-party and reached for his phone.

“Hey, Dani,” he said when his sister answered on the second ring. “Can you pick the girls up from school today? I’m stuck at work.”

“You know I would if I could,” she wheezed into the phone, clearly out of breath. “But I have a biology test this afternoon. I’m on my way to a last-minute study session right now. I’m sorry.”

Christian puffed his cheeks before emptying them of air. Strike One. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure something out. Good luck on your test.”

“Thanks. Hey, I gotta run. I hope you find someone. Too bad Mom’s still on her cruise, huh?”

Yeah, too bad. While he was stuck at work, she was probably living up her middle-aged single life with new friends.

Christian caught himself before the bitter thought went any further.

Mom deserved to be happy. Just because he didn’t have the luxury of taking a vacation, didn’t give him the right to judge the woman who’d sacrificed so much to raise him.

He called Tyler next. Perhaps his buddy was working from home today. He’d picked up the girls a few times on those days, though never last minute like this.

His voicemail clicked on immediately, dashing the flicker of hope left in Christian’s mind.

Frantically, he scrolled to the top of his contact list. There had to be someone suitable to watch the girls for a few hours until he escaped the office. His breath caught at the first entry on the list.

Sabrina Abbott.

A piercing ache sliced through his heart. He’d worked hard to purge her from the rest of his life. Why hadn’t he deleted her contact from his phone?

For a moment, he allowed the lingering grief and anger over her abandonment to fester, using it as a reminder of what could happen if he let himself get carried away with the little crush he’d formed on Hallie. He’d learned his lesson once. He couldn’t surrender his heart to it again.

But as he lowered his finger to delete Sabrina’s number, the name right below hers forced another jolt through his heart.

Hallie Abernathy.

Was this some kind of sick joke? His former love’s contact directly above the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about?

Something urged him to tap on her name, but his phone buzzing in his hand stopped him. Christian opened the text.

Tyler: In a meeting. What’s up?

Christian: Stuck at work. Need someone to get the girls from school.

Tyler: Won’t be home in time. Gemma could possibly do it, but I don’t know what she has after school.

Gemma had never watched the girls by herself before. That might make things difficult with Isla.

Christian: That’s ok. I’ll find someone.

Christian went back to his contact list, his eyes landing on Hallie’s name again. No, he wouldn’t call her. There had to be someone else.

He scrolled through the list. Bill Carter from next door? Naw, Christian didn’t know him or his wife well enough to trust them with the girls.

Molly Denmark from across the street had filled in for him once when Annelise was sick. That had worked out fine. Maybe she’d be willing.

No, the Denmarks were out of town on an anniversary trip, leaving their seventeen-year-old son home alone.

The Halls couldn’t do it; all their kids had after-school sports. He hadn’t talked to Jack Lewis, his best friend from high school in years. And he wouldn’t call him even if he had. Not a chance. Christian doubted the guy’s ability to keep himself alive most days.

Carrie Pritchard. Absolutely not.

He briefly considered calling Josh Robinson. The two of them had hung out a lot back before Christian’s marriage was on the rocks. But he’d pulled away from him after the divorce due to the man’s relationship status with Sabrina’s best friend. Calling him now wouldn’t be helpful.

Dread lodged in his stomach as he reached the end of the list. He scrolled back to the top, his eyes snagging on Hallie’s name once more.

I can’t. Reaching out to her would be the worst thing he could do right now.

Not only for himself, but the girls too.

Penelope had already handed over her loyalty wrapped in shiny paper and a pretty bow.

Even Isla had warmed up to her in her reserved way.

He couldn’t give Hallie the opportunity to get even closer, only to break their hearts later.

But what other choice did he have?

Opening his messages again, his thumbs hovered over the screen before he typed out another text.

Christian: Do you think Hallie could do it?

Three dots appeared underneath his message, signaling Tyler’s impending response.

Tyler: Hallie?

Christian: Yeah. I don’t know who else to call. Would you trust her with your kid?

He stared at the screen, waiting for his friend’s reply as his stomach filled with dread. He was supposed to be avoiding her, not handing her an invitation to become even more ingrained in his family.

Tyler: Yes.

Tyler: You can trust her.

There was a brief pause before another text came through.

Tyler: Is there something between you two that I should know about?

Christian dropped his head onto his phone.

He knew his friend would be skeptical. Heck, he was skeptical too.

Especially by the way he couldn’t get her out of his head.

And how his heart pounded in both exhilaration and contentment every time she came near.

It wasn’t smart entertaining any sort of ideas involving her though.

Not with her obvious discomfort around the girls.

But that discomfort had become less each time she’d been with them. It was practically nonexistent at the park last Thursday. Still, he couldn’t leave the girls with anyone he hadn’t vetted first.

And he’d put his life in Tyler’s hands without hesitation at this point. He knew Christian’s situation, and how protective he was of the girls. If he trusted his sister enough to give her the green light, then Christian could too.

Christian: Only desperation on my part. Thanks, man.

Despite his buddy’s endorsement, Christian went back through his contacts for another option. Asking Hallie for this favor had the potential of sending them all into a tailspin of chaos.

Was he really prepared for that?