“Lily.” His eyes went to Lily before moving over her shoulder to Kaley and Train.
Lily brushed by him without stopping, going inside to get busy. Orders were already waiting on the board. She took a minute to look over the orders waiting to be filled and then picked two of the larger ones.
“Going to save one for me?” Hardin asked from behind her back.
Lily laughed, stepping to the side. “I might if you weren’t so slow,” she joked back at the young man she had met since coming to work for The Last Riders.
Hardin took one of the orders off the board. “Why don’t you take one of the work stations next to mine and I’ll show you how it’s done.”
Lily’s reply was cut off by Shade’s irritated voice. “Lily’s work station is the one I put her at; yours is going to be at the unemployment office if you don’t get busy.”
Lily started to get angry at Shade’s rude remark, but she quickly smothered any comment she would have made when his gaze fell on her. She wouldn’t use her connection to Beth to say what she wanted to Shade. In reality, he was her boss and she should watch her words. That didn’t prevent her reproachful eyes from meeting his when Hardin hurried to his work station.
“Don’t look at me like that, Lily. He deserved it. Get to work.”
Lunchtime came much quicker than she wanted. Today, it was Bliss who delivered their lunch. Lily kept working, hoping that she wouldn’t hear her name. Bliss stayed inside his office several minutes before they both came out. The attractive girl with the short blonde hair was smiling seductively back at him and then waved at Lily as she left.
Lily waved back at her. Bliss was another member who Lily could never figure out which Last Rider she was involved with. At one time, Lily had suspected it was her who Razer had cheated with on Beth, but Beth had never confirmed or denied it. Lily guessed Beth didn’t want her to hold it against whichever woman it had been. Lily was glad she didn’t know, too. She wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have held a grudge after witnessing firsthand how badly her sister had been hurt.
“Lily.”
Lily set down the box she was working on, going to Shade’s office. Her hands clenched at her side, she was determined that today was the day she would put a stop to eating lunch in his office with him.
She didn’t miss the speculative look that Hardin and several of the other workers cast her way as she entered his office.
She took the seat next to his desk as he closed the door and resumed his seat, handing her one of the trays with a grilled chicken salad. Lily ate her lunch quickly, wanting to get it over with so she could get out of the office.
“What’s the rush?” Shade asked.
Lily finished chewing the bite in her mouth, perturbed. He never let anything slide by his notice.
She decided to quit beating around the bush, which hadn’t been working anyway. “I think it’s better if I eat lunch with everyone else,” Lily delicately began.
“No.” Shade took a bite of his own food while Lily sat stunned. She had just told him she didn’t want to eat with him. She was caught unaware by his blunt refusal, not knowing how to be blunter, other than becoming mean, and she didn’t want to take that route with him.
“But—”
“Did you bring a change of clothes?” he asked, looking at her pink dress.
Lily felt herself flush as his eyes lingered on the tiny buttons at the front of her dress. “Yes.”
Shade kept eating while Lily continued to eat more slowly, brainstorming a way out of this ridiculous situation.
“Why didn’t you eat lunch at the diner yesterday?”
“I wasn’t hungry,” Lily snapped.
Shade’s stern mouth twitched in amusement.
“If you didn’t eat lunch in here, what would you do for lunch, Lily?”
“I would eat lunch outside with the other workers,” Lily said honestly.
“You don’t need to eat lunch with them. You would become too friendly with them and they will start to take advantage.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it? They all are aware that your sister is married to one of the owners of the factory.”
Lily finished eating her salad in silence, coming to the conclusion she wasn’t going to win this argument with Shade.
“I would never use my connection to Razer.”
“I think it’s better to not put you in that position. Is it so hard to keep me company for lunch?”
“I don’t think you lack for company, Shade,” Lily teased him wryly as she got to her feet.
“Really, what makes you say that?” His eyes bore into hers.
She speculated, “I’m pretty sure that any of The Last Riders would join you for lunch, not to mention the other women who work here. Several of the women are interested in you. They ask me constantly if you’re seeing someone.”