"Too close"

The clock finally hit 6 and it was officially the end of his working day. He sighed, his hand still a little swollen from the earlier fight. Was it a fight? He wasn't sure if that would be fair, he was the only one giving the punches. But he didn't regret it, no. He was very proud of being there to defend her.

She was stuck in her mind and he knew that was a very dangerous path. He was older than her, and he was... different. He probably needed to go out with Gregory after all, and get laid as he had already suggested. Yes, that was all he needed to calm down his thoughts.

There was a gentle knock on his door and he lifted his gaze from the pile of paper that accumulated on his desk. "Come in..." He encouraged to whoever was behind it.

"Noland...?" Her voice, engraved in his mind, made all the things he was thinking before, vanish. She peeked in.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Come in, no big monsters in this room."

She chuckled and walked in, her bag in one hand and a folder on another. "I am glad we caught the big bad guy earlier. For that I still owe you, I was probably unprepared to deal with his attitude.

He shook his head and turned his chair slightly to be able to get up and walk to the round table set in his office for meeting purposes. "You did better than I, you were fierceless."

She blushed slightly and sat on the chair he was offering to her, and after that, he joined her on the side. "Speaking of fierceness... this folder contains the names of all our main investors. The lawyers are those who are giving the most trouble. I thought that you could look at their resumes and that way probably aid me better?" She was excited but at the same time, she was containing herself.

He perked a brow and took the folder from her hands, then opened it. "Ah... those guys." He shook his head with a sigh. "No wonder you are confused, these three lawyers on the top... are old time friends of your father, but they always wanted to take over the firm. They are probably overwhelming you with legal babbling so they can find the flaws and later ask for destitution. These guys are up to no good Cat, I think you should send them to me from now on. Or ask me to be with you when you meet them."

She had her eyes widen in shock. "They are dad's friends and want to take his company?! That's absurd!" She stood up with anger but remained still as her hand was caught in his.

He knew she wasn't going anywhere, she was just upset and probably was going to rant walking around the room. But he reacted by instinct and took her hand.

She stared down at her hand in his, then her eyes met his. He didn't let her go but swallowed hard as he realized he could make a big mistake. "Cat, please calm down. Your father has been aware of their moves and intents, long before you came here."

He relaxed again as she nodded and sat back. "Why did he let them continue in the firm if he knew? Why didn't he warn me?" She said in a calmer tone.

"He never gave them any ammo to use against him, and they have a good reputation to use at our favor, your father was using them most of the time. As to why he didn't tell you, probably he had other things in mind, like his health for example."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "You are absolutely right. I am being selfish... I am so sorry..."

He smiled and squeezed her hand, the one that remained on his. "Shh... don't beat yourself for that. You are so devoted to keeping this firm alive and at the same time you are dealing with your own personal life, your father being a great part of it. Let us help you, don't take all the weight alone on your shoulders. We are your allies." He nodded as her eyes met his again, he felt each and every one of his words and believed he was right. He knew that, together with Gregory and his team, they could keep control of the lawyers and Crown.

She sighed, a smile again lighting up her face. "Thank you, again Noland. I am glad you are on our side..."

He reluctantly let her hand go after he realized she wasn't taking it back either. This small sign made him take a distance; was she oblivious to the gesture, or was she reciprocating it? He shook his head mentally and decided he was taking his interest in her too far, to the point he was imagining things. He took the folder again and continued looking for the people who were concerning her. She only noticed the fact he held her hand gently but firmly, once he released her. A small shiver ran through her, and she blushed.

The rest of the time they discussed what was the best way to approach each person in her list; from the most influential ones to the simply annoying ones. By 8 o'clock, Catherine was surprised on how time flew while they were talking.

"I am so sorry I made you stay this long, Noland." She said as she started to gather her things.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I offered, remember? Thank you for the trust, and now that I noticed this... We didn't have our coffee!" He laughed.

She laughed as well and shook her head. "You are right! We were so distracted that we forgot about it. I guess we will have to get that coffee in another time."

Both smiled at the idea and agreed to reschedule their promised coffee cup.

It was the longest and most eventful Monday Catherine have had in a long time, she was happy to go back to her home and get some rest. That night, she was more than restless, she was nervous and excited at the same time, and sleep came late.

In contrast, the rest of the week went by uneventful. Catherine met with the lawyers accompanied by Noland, and she was taken by the expertise in which he handled them. He knew exactly what to say to them to throw them off guard, but enough to keep them happy on the ways things were going in the company.

By Friday Catherine felt almost like home, she was really enjoying her position in the company, and she was also happy that her father was going to be released from the hospital the next week. She started to contemplate the idea of moving here permanently once her father took back his place in the company.

The usual working hours ended at 5, but it was normal to see some directives remain up until 6, so it was no surprise for Noland to find her waiting for the elevator at that time when he headed there. "How was your day?"

She smiled brightly at him. "It was very good, I think I am finally getting a hold to how dad used to handle things. You and everyone else have been extremely helpful and I really appreciate it."

"Don't forget to enjoy life as well Catherine, relax a little this weekend." He said as the elevator doors opened.

She walked in and he joined her. "I will enjoy it with a nice coffee and a good book, don't worry." Her happy tone made him smile.

"Ah, coffee... I still owe you one." He mentioned. The fact that he assumed the coffee invitation to be his towards her, did not pass unnoticed, but it also didn't worry him.

She lowered her head as she smiled and nodded. "Yes, there is a coffee on hold, I remember."

He smiled warmly, there was a chance to meet her again and he decided to risk it more. "How about tomorrow? No work stuff related, we can just drink coffee and chat." As soon as he said it, he felt scared. He had refused to think or care about the opposite sex, but she had woken up something in him that encouraged for more.

She blushed a deep red shade and shyly she nodded. "I... I would like that." Her heart racing in her chest.

He pulled out of his pocket a card and gave it to her. "Call me tomorrow... I don't know, after lunch maybe? Or during the afternoon. Then we can arrange something."

She took his card with a smile. "I will..." Then the elevator's doors opened, and both walked out of it.

He walked her to her car, and once there, held the door open for her. "Have a good night, Catherine. See you tomorrow."

She smiled up at him and nodded. "See you tomorrow, Noland."

On the way back to her house, she felt excited about their date. Was it a date? Was coffee considered a date? She didn't know, but she knew she was eager to see him again, and with the promise of their encounter to be something unrelated to work, it was more than clear there was at least a tiny interest from him on her. Or maybe he was just trying to be polite and make her feel comfortable? She bit her lower lip and shook that thought away.

The next morning, Catherine woke up at 7:30 am and sighed as she couldn't go back to sleep. An hour later she found herself going up in the elevator towards her office, thinking about making good use of her time by reviewing new strategies for the Lobbying area of the firm. There was a new promising employee there, one she met during the week. Tom Huynh was half Vietnamese and half American, and he was a great strategist for public marketing campaigns; exactly what she was needing for their growing Lobby. He was smart, funny and had a mischievous smile that she was able to catch once when he thought no one was looking. He was definitely an interesting character.

She was able to prepare two campaigns for two senators who asked the firm's help. One was advocating for gun control, the other one for the opening of new public schools. By 10:30 she decided it would be a good idea to get a drink, and headed to the break room. She chuckled as she walked into Noland getting himself a cup of tea.

"I am honestly not surprised to find you here, you are as much a workaholic as I am, apparently." She teased.

He smiled seeing her and lift his cup as he nodded. "That we are. Getting coffee?"

She nodded and then perked a brow. "Drinking tea? Are you ok?" Her curious eyes met his.

"I am reserving myself for our afternoon coffee." He teased and she blushed deeply, standing at his side where she had just grabbed a cup.

"Now I feel bad for even wanting one. I guess I will just drink some juice instead." She chuckled and put the cup back with the others.

"Don't worry, I am actually feeling a bit sick this morning, I think I might have caught the flu, but I have no idea how to really know so we will see." He shrugged half smiling.

She turned towards him with worry in her eyes. "The flu? Do you have fever?" And before he could answer, she put the back of her hand on his cheek to check his temperature.

He froze and remained still, and she only caught his surprise after she made sure he didn't have any high temperature. She removed her hand quickly and, with a blush, she gave a step back. "I am so sorry, Noland... I... I don't know what came on to me."

There was only silence in the next couple of seconds, and she avoided his gaze. She finally decided she needed to leave so she walked fast out of the room without another word.

Minutes went by with him still standing where she left him; he started to process slowly what had happened. He had been dreaming about her, even getting closer to her was always in his mind, but the moment she actually reached to him, and for the simple act of only caring for his health, he became a complete numb idiot. It was more than evident to him that the damage his ex-wife had scarred him with, was deeper than he thought.

She didn't understand why was she so shaken and affected; he was a true gentleman and she started to care for him even more than she should, but she still couldn't understand why he reacted the way he did when she was only checking his temperature. She decided she needed to go back home, and hide again in her safe place; her books. She picked her things and rushed out of the building.

He was like a zombie, moving slowly to his office and then sitting on his chair. She was innocent and naive, she only wanted to see if he was ok, and he had reacted like an alien to her touch. When he came to the conclusion he needed to apologize, it was too late; she wasn't in her office and the guards reported that she had left a while ago. He had really screwed things up, and he wanted so bad to turn back the time.