Page 80 of Fierce-Michael

No reason to say Michael’s last name right now. It didn’t make a difference.

“Oh,” Jill said. “And we know you do a lot of business with Marshall Printing. I didn’t hear that he was old.”

“He’s not,” she said, frowning. “Why would you say that?”

“The title of his position,” Jill said.

“Alex is the CEO and President and she’s in her thirties,” she said. “So is Michael. He’s only a few years older than me.”

“I shouldn’t judge like that,” Jill said. “I guess I think a lot of people in their thirties are old.”

She closed one eye at Jill. “You’re twenty-seven. We are only four years apart.”

“I know,” Jill said. “I’ll be thirty soon enough, but not that soon.”

“It’s only a number,” she said. “How are things with Preston?”

“They are fine,” Jill said. “We are still dating. He was mad that I got mad at him for going out with his friends so he’s cut that back some.”

“You have to each have time to yourselves too,” she said. “I don’t think it’s good or healthy to be in each other’s face the whole time you’re dating.”

“What if you love each other?” Jill asked. “I mean you’ve got to spend time together to get to know each other.”

“Michael and I don’t spend that much time together, but when we do it’s quality time. That’s more important.”

“If you say so,” Jill said. “I’m not sure I could be in a relationship like that.”

Kelly had been that way for years too but matured some.

“You end up doing what works for you,” she said. “I learned that.”

The two of them turned to talking gossip about things in the building, with Kelly steering it that way, then she finished up quickly with her thirty minutes on the treadmill and another twenty lifting some weights now that she had a better idea of what to do.

She walked home and took a shower and was leaving the bathroom when her phone went off with a text.

She saw it was from Michael and took a guess he was probably canceling on her.

He wasn’t. Just saying that he dropped Ty off and decided not to go back to work if she cared if he came over now.

Just got out of the shower. I might still be damp if you rush.

She hit send before she changed her mind about that text and then walked into her kitchen to get a bottle of water.

It wasn’t even five minutes later and the buzzer went off downstairs.

“Yes,” she said.

“It’s Michael.”

“Did you speed?”

“With a text like that, yes,” he said. “But I was on my way here when I texted and decided I should reach out first anyway.”

“I’ll be right down,” she said.

She rushed out the door knowing that he wanted to come early and spend time with her.

Maybe she was feeling a little horny and needed another way to relax before she went to her parents’ too.