Family to the Rescue. Lissa Manley

for twenty-four hours.”

      “It’s a busy place,” he replied levelly. “I’ll be surrounded by people all day long. I’m guessing I won’t be alone at all.”

      She shook her head. “You never know. Why don’t you let me come with you? I could help out, and keep an eye on you at the same time.”

      “No,” he said. “You’ve done enough.” More than he’d wanted, actually. It was time to disengage.

      She paused, gazing at him from underneath her long eyelashes. “Actually…you’d be doing me a favor, too.”

      He narrowed his eyes. Uh-oh. She needed a favor. “How so?” he asked cautiously.

      “Well, I’ve been saving to take classes, and only need a bit more for one term of college, so I really need a job. You need someone to help out while your mom’s gone. If you let me work for you, we’ll both benefit, right?”

      He let out a breath and looked at the floor, stalling. Oh, man. She needed a job. And he needed someone to help out if he was realistic about his limitations at the moment. The Sports Shack was a two-person operation, no doubt about it. He needed an employee.

      Kim was right. Her offer made sense. And, really, how could he say no without seeming like an ungrateful, heartless idiot?

      He rubbed his jaw, wishing he had more time to think all this through. He didn’t usually make important decisions on the fly. Unfortunately, the store had to open on schedule—if he remembered correctly, he had a delivery coming this morning. He didn’t have a lot of time to be cautious.

      “All right,” he said, hoping he didn’t regret his decision. “You can come help out…for now.” He’d leave it at that.

      “Great,” she said, beaming. “Perfect.”

      He mumbled his agreement. Her working for him was mutually beneficial; he’d be providing Kim with something she desperately needed, and vice versa. The solution sounded ideal….

      So why in the world was he so conflicted about working with her?

      He looked at her, trailing his gaze over her face. She was smiling broadly at him, her gorgeous golden eyes sparkling, her clear, fresh-scrubbed skin glowing. She looked happy. And full of life. And so beautiful he could barely breathe.

      The truth belatedly smashed into him. The reason he hadn’t wanted to agree to Kim’s deal was as difficult to ignore as a grand slam when the score was tied.

      He wanted to casually date the appealing Kim, not be her boss. He gave a mental groan. Yeah. It was going to be a long couple of days.