His Glorified Maid

Ten

Michaela sat down at the table and made herself a sugary cereal breakfast that had Luke squinting his eyes in disapproval and resignation.

"Don't say it."

"I didn't say anything," Luke pointed out unhelpfully. "How was last night?"

Michaela lowered her eyes and shrugged. "It was fine."

"Sure, sure. Fine. I noticed Dan's car in the driveway this morning."

"He brought me home last night. He crashed in the spare room. He was supposed to get up early this morning to catch up with you, but it was a long night."

"What happened with your work date?"

His attentive stare held her, forcing her to consider her answer. Luke was worried for her, unnecessarily to her way of thinking, but out of love, nonetheless. So, she told him the truth that mattered the most. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

She'd made the mistake of falling in love with her best friend, and boss. That mistake left her without her best friend, her job, and crashing at her brother's home when their relationship imploded. It had been a humbling and humiliating experience for her, and she was not keen to repeat her failures.

If it weren't for Luke's support, she wasn't sure where she'd be right now. Unlike Paul though, she wouldn't be working alongside Carlos once the season began. This was a good thing too because Carlos' proximity wreaked havoc with her resolve. Her safety was guaranteed once the season started.

Luke walked around the table, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and told her to let Dan know that he'd catch up with him later.

Michaela was going to have to wake Dan up soon if he didn't get up on his own. It was almost 9 am, so they wouldn't be one of the first to arrive. But still, it was rude to be late, wasn't it?

She told herself there was no point in being anxious about seeing Carlos again. She only had to listen to the announcement about when their season would start. That was all that mattered, not some silly fantasy that would make her vulnerable again. She reminded herself how painful it had been to lose both her fiancée and her job at the same time. She'd use that pain to shield against Carlos' charm.

She heard a loud thud from Dan's room and went to investigate. She found him lying on the floor spreadeagled and unembarrassed about his near naked body entangled in blankets.

"You good?" she asked brightly.

He threw a pillow at her. "I'm good."

"It's after 9 am. You plan on coming back here afterward or should I take my own car."

He looked at her with a hard look. "I'll drive," he said pointedly.

She studied him for a moment and chose not to say anything. She walked back out to the kitchen and prepared a takeaway coffee for them both. She didn't often have coffee as it made her body want to move, need to move. She preferred that kind of caffeine hit from Coke, but not this early in the morning.

Dan stepped out of the room with his hair still wet. She had never understood how he was able to roll out of bed, shower, and be ready to go. She preferred a slow wake-up, time to stretch and turn and enjoy that moment of wakefulness. A chance to ponder her breakfast options and prepare herself for the day.

When he finally arrived, she carried their takeaway cups and headed out the door leaving him to follow. He kissed her head in a brotherly manner as thanks before walking to the other side of the car.

With his hand resting on the handle he asked, "Any particular reason why you're in a rush?"

Michaela scowled at the suggestion behind the question. She'd gone out of her way to appear unhurried. She was going to have to work on her reaction to Carlos, otherwise, Dan would give her no peace.