Funny, he hadn’t expected to see her again. Okay, maybe he’d been hoping to find her at Revolution MMA for those self-defense classes he’d recommended. But here she was. A weird tingle jolted through his chest.
This woman was about as non-aggressive as possible without cowering outright. Despite her upright posture, her hands hung at her sides in a loose, non-defensive position. Her left wrist was covered in a brace and it was easy to see she held something in her right hand. She was far enough back on the landing to easily drop down a step or two without having to back up more than a few inches.
But the mannerisms didn’t fit her energy, the straightness of her shoulders, or the set of her jaw. Whoever this woman was, she’d developed habits. She wasn’t a mouse by nature. He wouldn’t be as irritated to see these behaviors if these things came naturally to her.
Who had forced her to assume those mannerisms to survive?
“Mr. Rojas.” Her voice was steady.
Another sign of her being more than what she seemed, as far as he was concerned. The timbre was almost soothing, and he realized he’d balled his hands into fists. Well, shit. He let his hands loosen.
She presented the object she held in her right hand. “I think your daughter left this behind at the ER last night. I hope you don’t mind, but the logo for the kennels was on the inside label, so I googled the address.”
Slowly—because he didn’t want her to snatch her hand back—he took the glove from her. “Thanks.”
“The hospital lost and found was overflowing, and I wanted to make sure Boom got her glove back,” the woman continued, then bit her lip. “And I wanted to be sure to thank you.” Her cheeks took on a fascinating pale pink blush.
Caught by surprise, Rojas raised his eyebrows. “Me?”
Maybe his tone had been the right encouragement, because she looked up again, her gaze meeting his, and the chemistry shocked him right down to his toes, hitting every vital organ—including his balls—along the way.
Blue-gray, cool as a calm day out on the water, her gaze held his. “You were very kind last night, and I didn’t thank you then. I try to thank the kind people I meet. So thank you.”
Rojas cleared his throat. “You’re welcome.”
He didn’t know what else to say. He’d only given her some ice, a cup of coffee, and a card about the martial arts center. Boom had a good sense for people, and when she’d said the woman needed the referral for the self-defense classes, he’d been inclined to agree.
She broke their eye contact, and he felt the loss as if someone had broken the circuit on an electrical current. “I should be going now.”
“Wait.” He didn’t know what made him ask her to. But she paused, balanced on the balls of her feet at the edge of the landing. He was sure if he didn’t catch her now she’d be gone for good. “I didn’t get your name.”
“Oh.” She turned to face him. Another sign that she’d learned caution but she wasn’t afraid by nature. She was open. A people person. Or at least more of one than he was. “Elisa Hall.”
He dug up his best behavior smile from somewhere. “Nice to meet you, Elisa. You new in the area?”
She gave him a tentative smile in return, though she kept her focus in the vicinity of his nose again. “Maybe. I’m looking to see if I can find a place to settle for a while, but it depends on if I can find a job.”
Wasn’t that just a coincidence?
“Pens. I found pens,” Forte called from the hallway. “Damn printer is taking forever. Are people showing up yet?”
Matter of fact, there were cars coming up the drive.
“I should let you…” Elisa began to step away again.
“To be honest, we’re actually in need of serious help.” Truth. And he wasn’t in charge of hiring, but Rojas tended to go with his gut. What harm could she do in one day? “If you’re interested in an administrative job, we’ve got an opening. Trial run today and see if it’s a fit.”
She paused. “Seriously?”
“As a heart attack.” Because he did not want to have to spend one more day greeting all those people and getting their dogs signed in with all the associated paperwork. For him, it was death by a thousand paper cuts.
“I’m qualified for administrative work.” There was a touch of irony in her tone, and her lips pressed together in a line as if she held other words back. He’d be interested to learn about the story there. “Word processing, typing, filing.”
“Sounds good so far.” He stepped back and motioned inside. “Bonus if you can start right away. We’ve got a dog training class starting and people showing up. If you can greet them and get the paperwork taken care of—”
“Then you don’t have to,” she finished shrewdly.
He shrugged. Not the least bit ashamed. “Exactly. We’re dog trainers. It’s what we do. The pleasantries and paperwork aren’t our thing.”