Head Over Heels for the Boss (Donovan Brothers) Read Online Free PDF

She might not even want this job. His gut told him there was a reason for that. He just needed the right minute to ask her about it.
    With Isabelle gone, the morning sped by. Afternoon came and went with no call from her. No report on how much work she had to do. No announcement on whether or not she’d return to the office the next morning.
    He walked through the downstairs, wondering if she’d returned and his mother had waylaid her. But Isabelle wasn’t in the kitchen, where his mom sat at the counter reading recipes from a big red and white checkered cookbook.
    “Devon.” She gave him a puzzled look. “What are you doing out of the office?”
    “Looking for Isa—Belle.”
    “I thought you sent her to the flower shop to check on sprays for the O’Donnell funeral?”
    “I did.”
    “So?”
    “That was this morning.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s—”
    “Past five,” his mother said with a laugh. “Maybe she thinks five is quitting time.”
    He ran his hand along the back of his neck. “Yeah. Maybe.” He sighed. “Probably.”
    “You should be done for the day, too. Go change out of that suit. We’ll sit on the back deck and have a beer.”
    “Okay.” He did as his mother asked. Got out of the suit and into a pair of jeans and a big, comfortable T-shirt. But on his way down the back steps into the kitchen, he knew this was all wrong. Isabelle wasn’t happy with something about his deal with her parents, and she had the perfect excuse for avoiding him in the flower shop. If he didn’t talk to her soon, he’d have a mess on his hands.
    As he entered the kitchen, he said, “I don’t feel right about her not reporting in. I’ve got to go check on her.”
    Oddly, his mother brightened. “So you won’t be here for dinner?”
    “I guess not. Sorry.” He walked toward the kitchen entry to the garage, grabbed keys from one of the pegs on the wall. “I’ll get something from the diner while I’m out.”
    His mother’s odd smile grew. “Okay.”
    He entered the garage with conflicting feelings buffeting him. On the one hand, it was fantastic to see his mom happy and comfortable. She could make a meal without worrying that his dad would come home drunk, curse her for being a lousy cook, and then slap her. Or slap her sons. Or punch her sons. Or make her cower in fear.
    He shoved that memory out of his brain and forced himself to focus on Isabelle, the other side of his conflicting thoughts. Considering that she’d basically worked for family her entire life, she probably hadn’t had much in the way of rules. So, though he did have a funny feeling about her behavior around him, this might just be a case of her not understanding office protocol. Still, this could also be the opportunity he’d been looking for to talk to her. Out of the office, on her home turf, she’d probably admit things she wouldn’t admit sitting in an uncomfortable office or in the noise of Petie’s Pub.
    He slid his sleek Porsche into the empty parking space in front of Buds and Blossoms. Because it was after five, Main Street was quiet. Most people were probably home making dinner. But the open sign was in the window of the little green brick florist building. He got out of his car and walked up to the door, which was unlocked.
    A bell tinkled as he stepped inside. He almost said “Izzy” but caught himself. “Belle?”
    “Back here!”
    He followed the sound of her melodious voice to a room where she stood at a long table. Shallow cardboard boxes filled with various long-stemmed flowers covered it and a counter behind her. Four arrangements—two sophisticated lily bouquets, a small spray of pink carnations, and one huge bouquet of multi-colored mums in a basket—sat on a shelf close to the back door.
    She didn’t even glance at him. “What’s up?”
    He ignored the unexpected feeling of insult at her all but ignoring him, and pretended to be interested in the cut greens, broken stems, and damaged flowers