by Carol Henry
“I’m sorry. Mr. Redmond won’t be back until late this afternoon. He’s meeting with a client. Can I schedule an appointment for you?”
The girl stopped short of sitting. “Great. So what about this afternoon?”
The girl was desperate, persistent, and obvious. And was chewing gum. This applicant had no chance in hell of getting the job.
“Have a seat while I get Mr. Redmond’s calendar. I’ll be right back.”
She rushed to Mr. Redmond’s office and stopped in the doorway. His office wasn’t as plush as she expected, but it was orderly and efficient to a fault. She quickly walked around his desk, looked for and found a monthly planner spread open on the left-hand corner. Several folders she assumed belonged to other applicants were neatly stacked in the lower corner. If she was going to arrange appointments for this girl, she might as well arrange interviews for the others, as well. She lifted the folders along with the schedule book and dashed back to the front room. The girl was ensconced on the sofa, a long slender leg bouncing nervously over her right leg, her gauzy skirt flapping above her knees.
She returned to her desk, laid the folders to the side, and studied the planner, ignoring the girl who was now hovering over her shoulder waiting for an appointment date.
“I see Mr. Redmond doesn’t have openings until tomorrow afternoon between three and five. He’ll need a half hour for the interview. Is there a time that would work for you?”
“Well, I have an appointment for my nails at two thirty, so I might be a little late if I came at three. And I promised my friend I’d be at her place at four thirty so we could go shopping.”
“Okay, what about the next day? He has the morning free. Is morning a better time for you?”
“Not too early. How about ten thirty? I could be here at ten thirty after my toning class.”
“I’ll pencil you in for ten thirty. I’m assuming your contact information is in your file if we need to get in touch with you in case Mr. Redmond needs to postpone the interview.”
She didn’t know anything about Mr. Redmond’s schedule other than what was written on his calendar. The page in front of her was practically blank.
“Yes, everything is in there. Bethany went over it with me.”
She couldn’t wait to meet Bethany. It was obvious she’d more than likely have to be vetted by Mr. Redmond’s sister, too, if she hoped to be officially considered for this position.
She stood, hoping the applicant, who was twirling a long bleached-blonde strand of hair between slender fingers and her long, blood-red fingernails, would get the point and realize their conversation was at an end. She glanced at the name on the folder.
“Thanks for coming in, Ms. Knight.” She circled the desk and extended her hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you. I’ll see Mr. Redmond gets your résumé the minute he returns.”
“Oh, oh, yes. You’re welcome.” Ms. Knight stood, snapped her gum, and accepted Nora’s hand. “I’ll see you day after tomorrow. Thank you so much.”
She exhaled the minute Tiffany Knight closed the door on her way out. If the young girl came to the interview chewing gum, Nora knew the girl didn’t stand a chance of being hired.
She took the liberty to read through the remaining files, and without meaning to, compared them to her own credentials. Ms. Knight’s and the other two contenders were milquetoast compared to her own credentials, but the third applicant was slightly more qualified. Consulting Mr. Redmond’s calendar, Nora continued to schedule appointments for the remaining three applicants and penciled in the information on his calendar.
Crap. She was going to have to check back in with the employment agency and see if they had any other positions available in her line of work.
The phone rang, jarring her from her contemplations. She stared at the phone as if it were ready to bite. Her mind cleared, refocused, and she picked up the receiver. “Redmond’s Marine Resources Management.”
“This is Coleman Baker at McClintock and McClintock Lobster Fisheries. May I speak to Gavin, please?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Redmond isn’t in at the moment. Can I take a message?”
“Yes. Tell him I’ve had to move our meeting to two o’clock this afternoon.”
“I’ll be sure he gets the message.”
Nora hadn’t expected to be personally involved with the McClintocks. She wasn’t ready to come face to face, or even over the phone, with Sebastian’s family. She knew she couldn’t hide forever. Mr. Redmond was more than likely going to hire one of the applicants she’d scheduled an interview for, so the chance of meeting any of the McClintocks was a moot point.
Her connection to the McClintock family wasn’t what one would call cordial. Despite her having had an affair with their son, Sebastian, she’d been summoned to the reading of his will only to discover he had set up a bank account in her name. Information he had kept to himself. Of course, his name was also on the account, and he’d had no intention of letting her know about it. So when Günther Jordan, the McClintocks’ lawyer, announced she was the recipient of a large sum of money, she was shocked speechless. As was Sebastian’s mother, Eugenia, and Sebastian’s wife, Juelle. After Eugenia’s less-than-understanding demeanor, throwing a fit worse than Nora had thrown at the cemetery, she had refused the money. But Mr. Jordan stated the money was rightfully hers and therefore the McClintocks had no legal right to it. To her, it was tainted money. If anyone had the “right” to the money, it should have been Juelle, if for no other reason than for Juelle’s baby.
She had stormed out of Mr. Jordan’s office before she made a bigger fool of herself. Her mind a blank, she drove back home, only to realize the “home” she lived in wasn’t hers. It belonged to Sebastian. When Mr. Jordan called later in the day, she’d already decided to donate the money to one of the McClintocks’ funds, namely the local Wounded Veteran’s Association Fund.
Sebastian’s mother, Eugenia McClintock, had looked down her nose at her, thrown a fit, and called her a few unsavory names. The woman had looked as if she were about to have a heart attack. But then, the look on the old woman’s face when she refused the money had been priceless. Thankfully Mr. Jordan was a kind man and had stepped in, taken over, and administered the transfer without her having to deal with Eugenia McClintock. Or any of the McClintocks for that matter.
Now, not for the first time over the past year, she contemplated the wisdom of turning the entire amount over to the McClintocks’ local Wounded Veteran’s Association Fund. She sure could use some of the money. Still, it wasn’t her money. She hadn’t earned a single dime and wanted no part of it.
Had she been too hasty?
Chapter Three
“What do you mean you’re already on the job this morning? You just applied. Don’t tell me you were hired on the spot?”
“It’s temporary, Jackie. Mr. Redmond was in a fix. His current hire bailed on him this morning. He’s expecting an important call and needed someone to sit in the office while he was out.”
“I knew it. I knew once he took a look at you and reviewed your awesome résumé, he’d hire you on the spot.”
“I don’t want to be hired for my looks. You know better. Besides, you have some explaining to do. You should have filled me in last night after you told me who the assistant coach was. You knew I had an appointment with him today.”
“Well, technically I didn’t know your interview would be with him. What did you think of him?”
She wasn’t about to tell Jackie that up close and personal Gavin Redmond was an Adonis—a Greek god. A man with a body to make most females’ hearts race the minute he appeared in their crosshairs. She wondered what he would look like in a wet suit and scuba gear.
“I was a bit intimated by the way he stood in the alcove entryway. I almost turned around and walked out.”
His dark hair had hugged his ears, not to mention his slacks had hugged his hips. And his piercing ocean-blue eyes had stopped her in her tracks.
“O
MG, Nora, the two of you would make a perfect couple. I can imagine the hearts you would be breaking if you walked down the street together. You with your blonde-bombshell, amazing looks and him a tall, dark Adonis. I can picture it,” Jackie gushed over the phone.
“Not gonna happen, Jackie. I’m not looking for another tall, dark, handsome man. I’ve sworn off all men. I need to concentrate on getting my life back in order. Besides, I went through the applicants’ résumés I found on his desk and scheduled each of them an appointment. Other than the one who walked in this morning snapping gum, which he professes to hate, one applicant is better qualified than I am. So my appointment is a moot point.”
“You scheduled their appointments? What is the matter with you?” Jackie chastised. “You should have called them and told them the position was filled.”
“I don’t have the job. And again, Jackie, that’s not who I am. I don’t want to be hired for my looks. As you know, I have a perfectly well-earned degree, a functioning mind, and moral ethics. They’ve all been readjusted and put back in place. One slipup with Sebastian. Only one. I learned my lesson. My eyes are wide open. I won’t be falling for any good-looking Lotharios, including Mr. Gavin Redmond.”
“Too bad. Sounds like he’s an intriguing guy. I know he’s a great assistant coach. So what time are we meeting for lunch? We have a lot to talk about.”
“You’re darn right we have a lot to talk about. But about lunch today, I have to cancel.” She held her breath. She didn’t want to tell Jackie Mr. Redmond had invited her to lunch for an interview. Jackie would want to know every last detail. However, it wasn’t a conversation she intended to have with her friend.
“Oh, no! What happened? I was looking forward to a relaxing meal while the boys are in school.”
She hesitated. There was no getting around sharing this with Jackie. She’d find out sooner rather than later, anyway.
“Mr. Redmond is taking me to lunch to interview me when he returns. I accepted, seeing as it was the least he could do after putting me on the spot and asking me to watch the office for him this morning.”
“Honey, the job is yours. I guarantee it!”
She didn’t like Jackie’s gleeful chuckle coming over the phone.
“Girlfriend, you are coming over for dinner tonight. No arguments.” Jackie’s tone was too hopeful. “I want details. No holding back. Six o’clock. You’d better be here, or I’m coming looking for you. And I know where you live.”
“I’ve gotta go, Jackie. The office phone is ringing, and it might be Mr. Redmond’s important call.”
“Six o’clock.”
She gave in. “Okay. Six o’clock.”
****
Gavin climbed the ladder slung over the side of the fishing boat, clasped his left hand on the deck railing, lifted his goggles over his head, and shook the water off his hair.
“Eric. Did I get any calls while I was down below? I’m waiting on one from the Marine Consultant Society.”
“Nope. But we are out a ways, and the reception has been sporadic lately.”
He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake coercing Nora Spears into manning the office this morning. He didn’t need another ditzy blonde at the office—or in his life. Bethany had tried to fix him up with a few, including sending him potential office assistants who couldn’t add and subtract, let alone spell worth a damn, and it drove him crazy. They wrongfully assumed autocorrect fixed their lack of spelling and editing skills. He needed someone who was competent, had initiative, and was honest to a fault. What he didn’t need was some simpering sexpot who was after the bottom line, regardless of who they hurt along the way. Hell, if Ms. Spears had any smarts, she would have already left and locked the door behind her, as he’d suggested.
“What’d you find down there? Anything suspicious?”
Eric gave Gavin a hand as he hefted his legs over the edge of the boat. Water puddled on the deck.
“No. It’s still a puzzle. I did snag a few plants, enough sediment to fill a vial, and an unusual shell for this area.” He slipped out of his flippers, careful not to slide as he stepped to the side and sat on the long wooden bench lining the rails. “I’ll take them back to the lab and see what I can find. Are you sure there has been no suspicious activity in the area over the past month? Something to indicate a drop in catch?”
“Nothing obvious,” Eric confirmed.
“I hope you put sufficient ice in the cooler to last until we get back to shore.” He took his own catch from the pouches he’d attached to his hips and handed them to Eric.
Eric did his bidding and then signaled to Al, who was at the helm ready to cast off.
“We’ve been keeping a sharp eye on things again this past week. If anything’s been going on previously, we aren’t aware of it,” Eric said. “We basically attributed it to all the uproar we’ve been hearing about global warming and the backwash from the cruise ships leaching into the water.”
“I think it’s something more. But once I get back and check out these samples, I’ll have a better idea of what’s going on. The nets don’t look tampered with, but you never know. Give me a minute to get out of these diving togs, and then we can relax before we get back to shore.”
“I’ve prepared a snack and brew in the cabin below,” Eric said. “I’ll bring it on deck so we can enjoy the wide-open waters while the sun is high and the air temperate.”
Gavin consulted his watch. He had a luncheon date. The more he thought about Ms. Nora Spears, the more he didn’t want to be late. He hoped she was still there, waiting for his return. It had been one hell of a long time since someone waited for his return from sea. It was a warm and comforting feeling, one he really shouldn’t be contemplating. He shook his head. He’d been below too long. His mind was awash from the pressures of the deep. It was the only excuse he could come up with at the moment.
He had no time for such frivolous emotions.
****
The door was unlocked when he walked in to find an empty office. Good God! She’d left and didn’t have the smarts to lock the door as he’d instructed? And she’d left the lights on, as well as the computer, and the… Wait a minute, was someone singing in the kitchen? He didn’t hear any music. The woman probably had ear buds stuck in her head. He checked his watch. Eleven thirty. Had his office assistant decided to return after all?
He tromped toward the alcove only to have someone round the corner and bump into him. A warm, soft, lush body landed against his chest. Definitely not his usual office assistant. He was shocked to discover Nora Spears’ body, a head shorter than him, fit in his arms perfectly. She smelled of hazelnut, sugar, and sea mist. He drank in her scent and smiled as her arms grasped him for support.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.”
Her voice muffled in his chest rippled clear to his lower man parts. His smile turned into a groan.
She tipped her head toward his face, stepped out of his arms, and walked around him. He felt the loss of heat and took a moment to shed the sensual pull her touch invoked. He quickly pulled himself back under control and followed her to her desk.
“Coleman Baker called and rescheduled your appointment for two o’clock this afternoon,” she said, handing him a sticky note. “Your office assistant, Ms. Shelby, called to say she wasn’t going to be in at all today due to a family matter. Oh, and a Ms. Tiffani Knight stopped by. Apparently your sister sent her to see you. She has an appointment for Friday, but you aren’t going to like her. She chews gum.”
“Call her and tell her the job has been filled.”
“Excuse me? You should at least give her the time of day.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“Well then, I took the liberty to arrange a few more interviews for you. Ms. Shelby says her family situation will take her away from the office for an extended period of time. I assumed you’d want to get the interviews arranged as soon as possible. I checked your monthly planner, and there didn’t appear to be a
nything scheduled the next two days. I arranged appointments for half-hour intervals starting tomorrow.”
“What else did you do while I was away from the office?” He cleared his throat, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and had no control over the smile that surfaced as he watched her circle her desk and pick up another note pad with the list of interviews.
“I took a few messages. The consultants you wanted to hear from called a few minutes ago. They had nothing to report and needed another week. Said they’d get back to you next Friday. Oh, and your sister called. Was surprised to learn I was filling in, and wanted you to call her as soon as you returned.”
She handed him more sticky notes. He accepted without looking at them and shoved them in his pocket.
“Are you ready to go to lunch?”
Her head snapped up in disbelief. “It’s really not necessary. I read the applicants’ résumés, and a Mrs. Armstrong appears to be the most qualified.”
“Nevertheless, I promised lunch and an interview. I’m starved. Being on the ocean all morning always gives me an appetite. Get your things.”
“If you’re sure. I could use a bite to eat.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Her efficiency was a surprise and a welcome relief.
“Where shall I meet you?” she asked, biting her lower lip.
He watched her straighten the desk, pull out the bottom drawer, and retrieve her purse.
“Mariner’s Fish Fry, over in Lobster Cove.”
“What about right here at Bar Harbor’s docks? I understand they do a delicious lobster melt.”
“I’ll be able to make the two o’clock meeting with Coleman Baker at McClintock’s Fisheries if we lunch at Mariner’s. It’s not far from there. Let me grab the files from my office while you take care of things here. I won’t be but a minute.”
He’d already decided to hire Nora Spears the minute he walked in, and she’d reported she’d organized his life for the next three days without being told to do so. Initiative? The woman had it in spades. She might be young and blonde, but she had already proven she had a good head on her shoulders. She didn’t chew gum. And she hadn’t had ear buds plugged into her ears, after all. Her singing voice was as melodic without music as her speech. Pleasant. Soothing. It was a welcome relief. He was thoroughly sick of having to deal with young women whose high-pitched, whiny, sugary-sweet voices were meant to be a turn-on but weren’t.