Things won’t always be this bad.

   “When I was in prison I lost someone really close to me, and I know how hard it is. I’m here for you if you need me,” she says, winking at me.

   “I appreciate that, Cam. So, you never told me what you went to prison for.”

   “You never asked.” She grins. “I was in there for stealing cars and motorcycles. Ironic, isn’t it?”

   She walks away, my mouth left open.

   I spend the next hour catching up on the admin work for the business, organizing the receipts and folders, which have all gone to hell in my absence.

   Crow appears around lunchtime with his hands full of food. “I brought you lunch.”

   “That’s cute. What did you bring?” I ask, peeking into the bag.

   “There’s this nice Italian place close by, so I went in to get something for you but ended up ordering a shitload of food,” he says as he sets it all out on my desk. “Take your pick.”

   “What a nice boss you are,” I say, choosing the carbonara. “Thank you. I’m actually starving. Seems my appetite has come back.”

   “Good,” he murmurs, then calls Cam. We all sit around my desk, like it’s the new hangout spot.

   “Are you going to bring Bronte lunch every day now? Can we put orders in?” Cam jokes, opening her mouth and dropping a strand of spaghetti in.

   “Maybe I’ll start taking her out for lunch and leaving you to handle the workload,” Crow teases her, throwing a plastic fork in her direction.

   She ducks and laughs. “Can’t be showing favorites now, boss.”

   Abbie drops in, sitting on my desk. “Looks like I arrived at just the right time.”

   “Do any of you work?” Temper asks as he follows behind her.

   “I’m at work,” I point out, twisting my fork into the pasta. “That’s something, right?”

   “More than we can say,” Abbie says, grinning. She pats the spot next to her. “Come on, chill with us.”

   “If I sit there I’m going to break that desk,” he murmurs, rubbing his hand over his head. “I actually came here to speak to you about something, Crow.”

   The two of them head out front to discuss whatever club matters, leaving the rest of us to finish our meal in peace.

   “So has it happened yet?” Abbie asks me, wiggling her eyebrows. “Have you kissed?”

   Cam’s head snaps up. “You two haven’t kissed yet? I’d have thought by how comfortable you both are with each other you’d already boned.”

   “Thanks for bringing this up at lunch, Abbie,” I say in a dry tone, rolling my eyes. “Now everyone knows my business. Oh look, they’re coming back, everyone shut up. Crow and his professional mouth will kiss me when they are ready.”

   Everyone starts losing it laughing, and then I have Crow asking what’s so funny, to which I have no answer.

   “I’m just really funny,” Cam states with a straight face.

   Crow looks at us all like we’re crazy. “Okay then. I have to head off now, but I’ll be back later this afternoon, all right?”

   “Okay,” I reply.

   He flashes me a warm smile and then leaves with Temper.

   “He didn’t even give you a hug,” Cam blurts out, wrinkling her nose. “Maybe he’s broken.”

   “Bronte and her Birks and socks broke him,” Abbie teases, laughing at her own joke.

   I nudge her with my foot. “I’m going to kill you.”

   We all head back to work, and I’m left pondering everything they’ve said. I know Crow is interested in me, but he obviously feels like now is not the time for anything to progress. And you know what? He’s right. I’m not in the best place right now, and maybe he’s looking at this whole thing from a more mature angle. My goal right now is to find my father’s killer, and that’s what I need my attention on.

   I don’t need any distractions.

   Still, I want him to want me, to be unable to stop himself from kissing me.

   It should trump all of his common sense.

   Maybe he’s thinking the same about me, though, and waiting for me to make the first move. It’s 2020 after all, and I’m the one who is all over the place right now. He’s probably just being a gentleman, and I’m completely overreacting. I have been known to do that, and I’m sure most people can relate.

   Crow and I will kiss when we’re ready.

* * *

   I’m on the phone when Crow and Temper return. It’s almost closing time, and I’m heading straight over to see Nadia after this.

   “Hey, babe,” Crow says, squeezing my shoulders from behind as I sit at my desk, and kisses my cheek.

   “Hey,” I reply, spinning around to face him. “I had a call today from a man wanting a bike as soon as possible, but I told him there’s a four-month wait. And he wasn’t happy. I wrote down his name and number.”

   Crow looks at the name and shrugs. “Unless he’s a Knight, he has to wait just like everyone else. Don’t worry about it, I’ll call him tomorrow. And if he or anyone else gives you a hard time again, tell me and I’ll handle it, all right?”

   “Okay. There’s also a reporter that wants an interview and to do a feature on you guys for their motorcycle magazine. You have to call them back, too. And I did the new parts order and sent that off, and I finished sorting all the receipts for the accountant,” I add.

   “How did we run this place without you?” he asks.

   “I have no idea,” I admit, and then blurt out, “Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”

   So much for being patient and waiting until it just happened.

   His eyes widen. “I was waiting for the right time.”

   “Oh.”

   “I had no idea you were waiting for it.” Crow chuckles, moving closer to me. After looking up at him through my lashes, I drop my gaze to his soft, very kissable lips.

   “I mean, I wouldn’t say no” is my eloquent reply, before he lowers himself to his knees, cups my face with his hands and presses his lips against mine. Cam and Abbie walk in and start cheering and catcalling, but the sound of them is just background noise. All my senses are on Crow, his scent, the taste of his lips. The sensation of his thumb rubbing across my cheek.

   When he pulls back, I feel dizzy, the butterflies in my stomach are out of this world, and I’m lost in those blue eyes.