“Who was that?” Stephanie asked her son.
Connor groaned. “No one, Mom.”
“It didn’t look like nobody.” She went to the window next to the door. “That girl is very pretty, and she’s got a nice, curvy little body on her, too. Just your type.”
“That’s one of the cleaning crews I’m interviewing.”
He really didn’t have time for this. He’d hustled out Mary, who was exactly his type and very nice to look at, because he needed to get on a conference call. He hadn’t cut his time with that gorgeous woman short so he could spend time with his mother.
“Can you ask her out, or is she the one you’re going to hire?”
“Everyone can’t be like Beckett. We don’t all use our staff as our dating pool.”
His mother put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to date her if you feel a spark. You don’t have to hire her if you want to date her.”
Connor chuckled. “I’m pretty sure that’s illegal. At the very least, it’s not very ethical. Usually, that’s called sexual harassment.”
His mother sighed. “It’s only harassment if the person doing it is rude. You don’t have to harass the poor girl.”
“Please forgive me if I’m not going to take career advice from a woman who hasn’t worked in more than thirty years.” Connor tapped his watch to try to hurry his mom out.
“If asking out your workers is sexual harassment, then your dad harassed the hell out of me.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what he did.” Connor threw his hands up. “You aren’t supposed to marry or date the people who work for you. There’s a clear conflict of interest there.”
He was going to be late for his meeting, but this took precedence. He hated how his mother wouldn’t stop going on about this. Ever since Beckett had married Lenni, she’d been trying to set him up with every pretty new hire who came through the door. It didn’t matter if they were his coworkers, subordinates, or people they were trying to get a contract with. No one was free of Stephanie Hansen’s matchmaking.
She waved her hand, dismissing his claim. “It was true love, not harassment. Your dad knew what he wanted and went after it. Besides, you haven’t hired her yet. Didn’t you think she was cute?”
“It doesn’t matter if she’s beautiful.”
“I didn’t say beautiful.” She smiled. “You do think she’s pretty. You’ve got her number, right? Give her a call. See if she wants to have dinner sometime.”
“I think I am going to give her a call. To hire her.” Connor grinned when his mother grimaced at his words. “Their bid was a little too high, but they still might be the right crew for the job. She has impeccable recommendations. And with that, I really have to go. I’m already late.”
“Maybe hold off on hiring her, then?” his mother said, walking with him.
“Just let me go to the meeting, Mom.”
They were at the door to his wing of the house.
“Have you been using MateMe?” his mother asked.
“I have a meeting, Mom.” He didn’t want to talk about that damn app right now, either.
“You’re already late for the meeting. So, about the app?”
“I have not.”
“I swear, you boys are so ungrateful. Your father created that app so the two of you could find mates. And here you are, turning your nose up at what he’s giving you.”
“He should have asked us, if that’s what his plan was. Both of us would have told him we didn’t want to use any kind of matchmaker. We’ve had them at our disposal before, and that hasn’t been our choice.”
“So, you won’t ask out pretty girls you meet, and you also won’t use a matchmaker. How are you ever going to find a mate?”
“I’m going to do it the old-fashioned way. I’m going to meet a woman who’s appropriate, and I’ll ask her on a date. If my lion is intrigued, maybe I’ll marry her.”
“Maybe? I swear, you’re going to be the death of me.”
“Mom, Beckett and Lenni are going to have a baby. Isn’t that exciting enough for you?”
“I’m happy about the baby, but you still need to find a mate, sugar.”
“I’ll find a mate when I’m good and ready. Right now, I’m going to focus on my career, living my life, and being happy. My mate will come along when she comes along. I’m not going to force it.”
“And that girl who came in to interview—what did your lion think about her?”
Connor thought for a moment. He hadn’t been paying much attention to his lion during the meeting. He’d been so rushed. There’d been a tell when he first saw Mary walk in, but that had happened with a lot of beautiful women.
And she was very, very beautiful.
Her long blonde hair and her shapely body were gorgeous. She’d turn the head of any man who passed her. But she seemed very matter-of-fact, and if the online reviews were true, she was good at her job. She had the best cleaning crew of anyone he’d talked to that day, and he didn’t know if he wanted to ruin that just to ask her on a date. His lion was interested, but that shouldn’t cost the woman a great contract.
Not that he was sure her company would get the job. But he didn’t want his lust to take her out of the running.
He knew that while his mother would be okay with any man hitting on her, that wasn’t the case with the women he worked with. It had worked for his older brother, but Connor didn’t want to go that route, even if the woman was as beautiful as Mary.
He could proudly say that he’d never, ever dated anyone he’d worked with. He’d never even been involved in flirtation when he could help it. He liked to keep things very matter-of-fact.
With all the problems he was having finding a cleaning service, he didn’t want to add any kind of relationship drama to the mix. His mother would never be able to convince him to change his mind.
“She seemed nice, but I didn’t think of her as anything more than a potential hire.”
“So, your lion wasn’t interested at all?”
“My lion didn’t even notice I was with a woman,” Connor lied. “Now, can I go?”
“Of course. But please think about using the app. Or doing something else if you refuse. I can’t think of the last time you had a girlfriend. If your lion doesn’t move for a pretty girl like that, I’m at a loss for how to help you.”
His mother hugged him and left him to go to his conference call. He knew she meant the best for him, but this wasn’t the time. She was right; it had been ages since he’d had a girlfriend. He was just picky.
Every woman didn’t make his lion jump. He knew a lot of beautiful women, but he was looking for something more. He wanted a deeper connection, something like what Lenni and Beckett had.
If it took him forever to find that, so what? He was a shifter—he had years to search for his perfect mate. But no matter what advice his mother gave him, and no matter how Beckett had found his mate, he knew it could never be someone he worked with. That was just inappropriate.