Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

TIMOTHY

“This can't be right,” Jake mumbles as he paces around the office.

Today we're at the Bellport Foundation headquarters, working on a project for Mrs. Bellport. Or at least we have been.

Jake just informed me we need to get to the hockey arena to take care of a few things, which was not on the agenda at all.

Apparently, the assistant manager has called in again. It’s the third time this month. And the guy had slacked off even before we made the announcement that Luke was going to be our new coach. Where he was supposed to take up the role that our missing coach had left, he skipped out on us.

I really think the guy thought he had some job security with the changes coming down the line. He assumed he was untouchable, that nothing would ever come of him taking a few days here and there or not even showing up to a meeting.

Because I can’t stand for things to fall apart, I've been picking up the slack. Jake is the one swindling deals for the players and of course our new coach, so it’s not like he can do it.

While it's not really my favorite thing to do, I'm thankful that this happened during the off-season instead of while we're in the midst of games. I wouldn't know what to do then.

Sure, I learned enough hockey to be passable, but I can't really be expected to call out plays and give players the support they need. If anything, I'm somewhat of an errand boy. My focus is to make sure that nothing slips through the cracks.

I’m trying to convince myself not to tell Jake to just fire the guy. If he weren't so absorbed with this Leon and Maddox situation, he probably would. Jake isn't one for people who don't do their jobs. He believes everyone should earn their place in the workforce.

And yeah, he goofs off occasionally, but that's just part of his character. He still finishes what he needs to have done in a day, usually much quicker than other people do. That or he forgets, and I have to remind him and then it draws out a little more than normal.

He's a multifaceted guy. What can I say?

On our way out of the building, Jake's mom stops us.

"Oh honey," she says. "I'm glad I caught you. You're definitely showing up for dinner next week, right?"

Jake gives her a dazzling smile. "Of course, Mom. I would never miss a meal at your place. How am I supposed to annoy my siblings?"

She smiles at him adoringly. It's funny to watch because knowing that this regal woman birthed such a, I wouldn't call him a wild child, but he's definitely not as put together as she is, is astounding. Their personalities are so different, but one look at them and you know they're related.

The genes in that family are strong.

Throw in the rest of them and they look like something out of a catalog for DNA monthly.

"Is there anything else, Mom? We've got a lot on our plate today."

She pats his cheek. "Not today, sweetie. I'm sorry to keep you. I just wanted to confirm so that we knew how much food to have. You know when Bellamy comes, he always eats enough for four people. And I have to make sure there are enough sweets for you.”

He pulls her into a hug, his arms wrapping tightly around her small frame. She squeaks, then pats his back.

"I thought you were running late."

“I couldn't not hug you with the promise of sweets incoming, Mom. Plus, I love you."

The teasing tone he uses has her grinning as she shakes her head. "Run along now."

She pivots on her designer heels as she makes her way to a set of doors that lead into another office. I'm pretty sure it's Royce's, but my brain is too caught up in memories of last night.

The affection and the gentleness that the matriarch of the Bellport family showed Jake reminds me of how Luke was with me. He was reluctant to ask for help. That much was obvious from the text. When I video chatted with him, he seemed remorseful. It could have been because I was already in my pajamas and half asleep. Could I have imagined it all?

No. There was no imagining the gratefulness in his eyes once he set the phone down and immediately started to cook.

I fell asleep shortly after he told me, "Thank you," and moved to hang up. I'm relieved he did because when I woke up this morning, my thumb was in my mouth. I would have been mortified if he'd seen it.

A lot of people, children and adults alike, suck their thumbs. It's not a death sentence of any kind, but it's not something I want to advertise. Especially not someone who is the epitome of what I want in a partner.

Like if you were to literally reach inside my mind and put the living form of my thoughts in front of me, it would be Luke.

Though I can’t do anything about my feelings for him, I still don’t want him to see me as weak. I have no clue if he's even the slightest bit kinky, which is a huge factor in being in a relationship with me. Yet another deterrent for us.

And above all else, he barely looks at me. His face is so guarded and some of it could be lack of sleep or being in a new place.

Or it could simply be that he doesn't like me.

He wouldn’t be the first.

Sure, a lot of people like me well enough, but I don't really have friends. Jake calling me his bestie is the most serious friendship I have. If I don't meet people at work, then it's likely I never will.

Although, I do have some friends online. There are a few little communities I'm in that share my interests. Those guys are able to understand the part of me I keep so well hidden.

Speaking of which, I pull out my phone to see if there are any new messages from them as we stomp through the arena. Well, Jake stomps while I follow swiftly behind him, my steps much softer.

The site is empty today. I'm not surprised, considering I figured everyone is busy at work or possibly asleep. We're spread out all over the globe, with various time zones to account for. That's why we keep everything in one central location. Anytime someone wants to say something or plan a get together, we post on the main chat board and then communicate. It's kind of like our own little social media website, just stripped down to bare bones.

Taking the opportunity, I post for everyone to see.

"Hey guys, I need advice. Met the Daddy of my dreams but can't date him. What can I do to get over him?" -Little Timmy

I’m immediately swarmed with questions about why I can’t date the person and encouraging comments about overcoming adversity. There’s also about a dozen GIFs in a row from Han269 telling me ‘You can do it’.

Tucking my phone away, I focus back on Jake and what's happening. He's still grumbling under his breath about trades and money and deadlines. I know he wants to have his new team members here before the season starts, but I don't think that's possible. We're far too close.

Preseason starts in two weeks. Then two weeks after that, we'll be in the regular season. Even if he doesn't get them here in time, he's going to have them for the majority of the regular play.

Obviously, that's not good enough by his standards.

I've worked with him long enough to know that much. When we reach the office, I grab his elbow to stop him from slamming the door open.

“Take a deep breath,” I tell him softly. “It's going to be okay.”

When his eyes meet mine, I see the wildness in them. He's frustrated, but he's also scared. There's more to this trade than he's been telling us. I knew it the minute he decided to get two rivals together.

Jake loves hockey. He loves the aggression on the ice, and the way the players move so fluidly. The sport is his passion. I've never seen someone so enthralled the minute the game starts.

Even that isn't reason enough to bring two people who absolutely loathe each other together on one team. Sure, they're both great and they would be assets, but dealing with the problems between them is a PR nightmare.

And yet Jake is spearheading this whole thing on his own.

He does as I say and takes a deep breath. “Sorry, I'm a bit of a grouch today. I'm,” he pauses, “well, to be honest, I'm not doing too good with all of this. I wanted everything to be perfect, and it just doesn't seem to be. Coach Swift is great. I trust him to take care of the team. I just have to have a full team. I didn't have a backup plan for this. I need these guys.”

I wince at the mention of him not having a backup plan. It's pretty much Jake 101 to be this way. All or nothing. He goes in, he commits to the thing, and he keeps going until he gets it done.

By those standards, that means he'll get these two men on his team and things will work out in the end. At the same time, luck does run out eventually. I hope now is not the time for that.

I open the door softly and usher him into the room. “Whatever happens, we'll take care of it. It doesn't have to be the end of the world. I promise.”

His phone rings, breaking up our conversation. That's probably a good thing because it's getting a little deeper than I would have liked between us. I know he calls me his bestie and we are somewhat close, but there are things that we don't share, like my Little status. Our personal lives are not discussed in any way.

I know all of Jake's information. That's my role as his assistant. I know his favorite food and his favorite color and all the things he likes to do on the weekend. I know the size of underwear he wears because I had to order more when he got all his stuff caught in a woodchipper.

I have no clue how all his underwear wound up in a woodchipper. It's the strangest damn thing.

Nothing can top the time that he called me to ask me if I knew how to get burn marks out of sheetrock. He’d apparently set part of the kitchen on fire trying to build a rocket from one of those discount shopping apps.

Needless to say, working with him has its fair share of challenges.

While he's on the phone, I go to my desk and open my email. There are several, both dealing with the foundation and others with things for the hockey team. When I notice the assistant coach is not copied on some details, I ignore it. I doubt he’s going to take care of it anyway.

As I reply to the person that will get it handled, I schedule practice times, forward notices to coaching staff, and work on things for Jake. Specifically, I text Mrs. Bellport to make sure I have confirmed the time of next week's dinner. Then I add it to his calendar once she gives me the thumbs up.

I even get up and make him a cup of coffee and myself some hot tea so that we both have something to help us power through. I'd love it if we could both stop to take a nap in the early afternoon, but with his phone blowing up, and my email backed up, there's just no way.

Luke comes in while we’re working. I'm so shocked to see him I freeze. He takes in Jake's harried phone call, shaking his head with a grimace before pivoting over to me.

"Hey there," he says as he taps his knuckles on my desk.

"Hey," I squeak out as he clears his throat. A little deeper, I say, "Hey," again.

He smiles kindly, as if he’s amused by the high-pitched pre-puberty noise. “I just wanted to stop by before I started working for the day to tell you thank you for your help last night. I would have never figured it out. Unfortunately, my search skills are not up to par.”

“No worries. I am actually fairly handy, though I'm sure I don't look it,” I say with a laugh.

His eyes trail over my upper body. It's the only part of me he can see with how I’m situated under the desk. Still, I know that my button-up lilac shirt and peach bow tie with miniature ducks on it is not the look of someone who knows how to wield any type of tool.

He nods and rubs his jaw. “That's good, since I don't know much about tools. My parents are fairly wealthy and hired all that stuff out as I'm sure you might know if you've heard anything about the Swift family.”

“I know stuff from the research I’d done before hiring you, but yeah, I figure that makes sense.”

I snort and then slaps a hand over my mouth. A light blush appears on Luke’s cheeks. Is it an embarrassed blush or an amused one? I wish I could read minds.

He takes me in, eyes unmoving. I try to think of a way to redirect the conversation back to what we were speaking of while my cheeks cool. My hands spread on the desk, grounding me from the itch I feel to reach up and touch his jaw. To pull him closer. To make him sit down, so I can crawl in his lap and tell him it's all going to be okay.

That I’ll be his good boy and take all his stress away.

Oh no, I’m projecting again.

Time to get back on track.

“I just wanted to let you know that I'm around if you need help. I know I'm Jake's assistant but making sure you’re taken care of is also in the job description.”

Luke tilts his head, "Is there anything you don't do? Are you just a jack-of-all-trades?"

I tap my fingers in a slow rhythm. “I wouldn't say that. It's more like I grew up with a man who was taught to take care of everything himself. We didn't have the funds to hire out every time something broke. So Grandpa and I would sit down together and figure it out. When I started working for Jake, I had to learn a lot on the fly about other things, and not to mention all the jobs in between that taught me various lessons. Yeah, I guess you could say I am now that I said all that.”

His eyes sparkle. It's strange to think about because we're in a basic office with overhead lights that do nothing for anyone's complexion. Yet Luke looks like he's ready to walk down a runway or face off against paparazzi.

He's so beautiful.

I could lay in his lap and stare at him for hours if given the opportunity.

“It's good to know who to call when you need a hand. Hopefully, I don't have to bother you so late again.”

I wave him off. “It's not really a big deal. I'm used to Jake calling at all hours of the night whenever an idea pops up or he needs to be reminded of something. He can sometimes be a bit of an insomniac. Besides, I will pass right back out as soon as whatever needs handling is done. The ability to sleep through anything is one of the many blessings my grandfather gave me. The man loves to make a racket.”

Luke's face goes soft. There's something he’s not saying. Something that tells me he's thinking of a memory or event, and it's pleasing to him.

I wish I could know what it was.

I wish he would tell me so that I could either replicate it for him or remind him of it when he's sad.

It's strange to me because in my role with Jake, I know so much about him; however, there's no romantic inclination there. But Luke is new, and I know nothing, yet the attraction is so strong, I feel it down to my bones.

I've never felt this way about anyone else.

It's terrifying, honestly. What am I supposed to do with these feelings? How am I supposed to function around him?

Luke turns when Jake slams the desk phone down. I didn't even realize he'd picked up that one, considering he'd been on a call on his cell phone earlier.

Jake comes over and sits up on the edge of my desk facing Luke and me. "You two kids having fun without me?" he teases.

"No, I was just thanking Timothy here for helping me out with my oven last night. I was a bit of a dunce and couldn't figure it out. He saved me and my dinner." Luke shakes his head.

Our boss leans over, then wraps his arm around my shoulders. "We love our Timothy here. He's the perfect guy for all your needs. Good one, T," he says as he punches my shoulder lightly.

I shake my head and roll my eyes. The two men laugh at the gesture, then Luke waves us off and takes off down the hall.

One benefit to having glass walls in your office is you can see everything as it happens outside. I take full advantage of the fact that I can watch every single inch of Luke's Daddy-licious body walk away from us. While I don't like that he's leaving, the view is too good to pass up.

Jake is watching me when I turn back his way, a knowing smile on his face. I point a finger at him. "We're not going to talk about it, Jake."

He raises both hands in an innocent gesture. "I'm not saying anything, Bestie. I simply like the fact that you're showing some kind of emotion."

“I show emotion all the time,” I tell him.

He waves his hand side to side in a so-so gesture. “It’s hit or miss. Some days it's totally there, and other times you're like Data from Star Trek. Don't ask me how I know who that is. Royce has a thing about it, okay? They made me watch many Star Trek episodes years ago. You can't get that stuff out of your head. I tried. I even went to hypnotherapy. It's too deep, man.”

I burst into laughter at his desperate tone. The idea that Jake went to try and remove the memories of a show that his sibling made him watch is hilarious.

My laugh breaks the spell Luke cast over me. By the time I turn back to look down the hall, he's turned off to head to the coaching office.

I wonder how long it will take for us to run to each other again. Maybe I can find a way to make it happen soon.

While I've never been one to fabricate reasons to see a person, Luke Swift might have me changing my ways.