Boss On Notice
He can't trust himself…Josh Sanders just wanted to help. After all, Mickie Phillips is a struggling single mom who needs a job...and a friend. Fortunately, her administrative skills are perfect for the new branch he’s running of the Cleaning Crew—a company— of guys who clean houses. The downside? Mickie's a petite, blue-eyed temptation he definitely needs to resist.Their arrangement was not supposed to include simmering attraction—or deeper, decidedly unprofessional feelings. But Josh's traumatic past has convinced him he can never be the man Mickie needs. Trust will only expose them to the most dangerous thing of all...love.
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He canât trust himself...
Josh Sanders just wanted to help. After all, Mickie Phillips is a struggling single mom who needs a job...and a friend. Fortunately, her administrative skills are perfect for the new branch heâs running of the Cleaning Crewâa company of guys who clean houses. The downside? Mickieâs a petite, blue-eyed temptation he definitely needs to resist.
Their arrangement was not supposed to include simmering attractionâor deeper, decidedly unprofessional feelings. But Joshâs traumatic past has convinced him he can never be the man Mickie needs. Trust will only expose them to the most dangerous thing of all...love.
Her fingers closed lightly around his biceps and traced down his arm to his hand.
âWe havenât known each other very long, but I think of you as a friend, Josh. Youâve helped me so much. I just want you to know that if thereâs anything I can do to help you, Iâm here.â
Josh pulled her close so she wouldnât see the sudden flood of emotion he felt. She had no idea. If he told her the truth, she would goâshould goârunning far away. âThank you,â he managed to say.
âI mean it.â Mickieâs words vibrated against his chest. The feel of a warm body against his. The scent of her hair. The touch of her hands as they skimmed around his waist to link together, holding him in place. For a moment, all the confusion and regret and pain faded away. Being with her felt like stepping out of a shrieking wind and into a quiet moment of peace.
âI know,â he whispered in her ear. âThank you.â
She leaned back to look up at him. He couldnât meet her gaze. Instead he focused on her lips. Pink. The lower lip fuller than the top. Pretty. He wondered what it would be like to kiss them.
âJosh,â she said.
He kissed her.
Whatever she wanted to say, he didnât want to hear.
Welcome back to The Cleaning Crew! Weâll be leaving beautiful Charleston to follow Josh to Columbia, SC, where he is setting up a new Crew. DeShawn is there to help him get the new branch up and running.
I was eager to write Joshâs story because he is, in many ways, much more damaged than Sadie. Heâs just better at hiding it. In spite of everything, heâs a nice guy and deserves his happily-ever-after.
Mickie is the young single mother next door. She has secrets of her own. She and I also have one big thing in common: nursing school. She is clinging to the hope that once she becomes a nurse, she can stop running from her past and provide a good life for her son. Attending nursing school is extremely stressful and I was able to share some of my insane study/coping mechanisms with her. Hint: index cards.
It was a tall assignment to get Josh, who is terrified of family and commitment, and Mickie, who has serious trust issues and comes with a toddler, together. They are both rather mule-headed but also people with a lot of love to give. They just need to learn to accept love.
I hope you enjoy their journey.
Janet Lee Nye
JANET LEE NYE is a writer by day and a neonatal nurse by night. She lives in Charleston, SC, with her fella and her felines. She spends too much time on Twitter and too little time on housework and has no plans to remedy this.
In dedication to all the romance writers who helped me, cheered me on, gave me critiques. Iâm not going to name names because every person I talked to, every workshop I attended, every book I read, gave me a little bit of knowledge and insight. Thank you all.
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THERE WAS A kid in his kitchen. Not a regular kid but a baby-size kid. Josh stopped in the doorway and stared at him. The kid, in blue shorts and a white shirt with a sailboat on the front, stood a few feet from the sliding glass door that led to the patio. He was rubbing the bottom of his nose with the back of a fat little hand, staring at his own reflection in the glass and scratching his bottom with the other hand.
âUh...um, hey? Who are you?â
The kidâs eyes opened wide as he turned to look at Josh. He pulled the hand away from his nose and a string of snot followed, stretching long and low, before dripping down onto the floor. The kid stood there, mouth moving, looking too startled to speak. Josh put his hands up like, âokay, okay, itâs good, weâll figure this out,â but it was too late. The kidâs face crumpled into something that resembled a boiled trollâs seconds before an ungodly screeching wail began.
What the hell? This kid could give an ambulance siren some competition. Tears began to run down his face and he shuffled his feet in a kind of awkward dance.
