“That’s archaic thinking.”
“Haven’t you noticed that this country still holds a somewhat archaic view of women? And it’s worse for black women.” She looked around. “The show’s about to start. Get ready to enjoy it.”
“I’m ready,” Jackson said. His thoughts went back to Christina. If she would risk it, he would pursue a relationship with her, but she had made her intentions clear. He looked at Angela as she watched the show. She was good people. He liked her and thought that she liked him. Maybe Angela was the person he needed to keep his mind off Christina.
When the show ended, Jackson drove Angela to her home in Decatur. After he walked her to the door, he asked, “When’s our next outing?”
“Are you serious about my being your guide?”
“Very serious. How about it?”
“Let me think about it. I’ll call you early in the week and we can make plans.”
“Are you really going to call, or are you letting me down easy?” he teased.
“Somehow, Jackson Duncan, I don’t think you’ve ever been turned down.” She reached up and gave him a quick kiss. “Goodnight.” She entered the house before he could say or do anything more.
***
When Jackson got home, he pulled out his briefcase and began to prepare for work. It only brought back thoughts of Christina. He wondered how he was going to approach her, given what had happened Friday. What did she expect him to do? What did she want him to do?
His thoughts turned to Angela. She was going to help him forget Christina. Well, maybe “forget” was too strong a word. The most he hoped for was that Angela would keep him distracted so he wouldn’t think about Christina as much.
Angela was almost right when she said that he had never been turned down before. His record had been perfect until Friday with Christina. God, he loved a challenge. Could he do the right thing and leave Christina alone, or would he follow his emotions? Only time would tell.
Six
The offices at CL were dark when Christina arrived Monday morning. She switched on the lights in her secretary’s office and proceeded to her own. She was more tired than usual. Leaving her mom’s house at three o’clock in the morning had seemed like a good idea since she couldn’t sleep, but now her body was rebelling.
She looked at her watch. Seven o’clock. That was actually late for her; she was usually in by six. She used the time to catch up on reading, go over her schedule for the day, and prepare for any meetings. Today she had to plan for the afternoon staff meeting. She liked getting together with her people on Mondays to make sure the week started right and to identify any issues that needed her intervention. The afternoon meetings worked well. She had tried Monday mornings, but they didn’t give the staff any time to wrap up the loose ends that invariably cropped up late Friday. She and Jackson met on Fridays, she remembered. A heated flush graced her cheeks as she recalled their last meeting.
Christina headed straight for the couch in the respite area of her office. Once she would have considered an office like hers extravagant. Now, she realized it was only functional. Since she spent so much time there, she needed the space and comfort.
Christina sat down, slipped off her black pumps, opened her briefcase, and began to read. She yawned and wished she had some tea. In forty-five minutes Penny, her secretary, would bring her morning tea. She yawned again and closed her eyes. She didn’t know when she slipped into sleep. She woke up when the door opened. She didn’t bother to open her eyes or make a comment. It must be seven-forty-five, she thought. Penny would place the tea on the desk and quietly leave the room. If she didn’t hear Christina moving around by eight o’clock, she’d come back to check on her. Christina waited to hear Penny do her task and leave. When it seemed to be taking a long time, she called to her. “Penny, what are you doing?”
A masculine voice answered, “Penny’s not here yet. It’s only seven-thirty.”
Christina opened her eyes and quickly sat upright. A tall, gray-haired man stood near her desk. If she had met him under other circumstances, she would have thought him distinguished looking. In the present circumstances, she thought he looked a bit misplaced, even weird. There was a haunting look in his eyes, too.
Christina stood up as he walked from the desk where he was standing toward the couch. “Excuse me. Are you looking for someone?” she asked.
The man hesitated a second, then extended his hand. “Paul Bechtel.”
The name sounded familiar to Christina, but she couldn’t place it. The man must have concluded as much from the look on her face. He said, “This used to be my office.” He looked around the room. “Though it’s changed a lot since I was last here.”
Now she remembered. Paul Bechtel was district manager for Orion before her. She never knew the details, but he had been fired prior to her arrival. She assumed it had had to do with the state of the project then.
“Mr. Bechtel.” She shook his hand. “I’m Christina Marshall.” She slipped on her shoes and went to stand behind her desk. “What can I do to help you this morning?”
Bechtel said nothing and merely looked at Christina. She was beginning to get nervous. What was he doing here? How did he get in? Before she could say anything else, Penny walked in with the tea.
Penny saw Christina first. “Good morning, Christina. How was your weekend?” Then she saw Bechtel and stopped in her tracks. “Mr. Bechtel, what brings you here?”
Christina saw Bechtel smile for the first time. “You haven’t changed at all, have you, Penny?” He walked toward her. “I’ve been feeling homesick for the place and thought I’d drop by.” He looked at Christina. “Sorry if I frightened you, Ms. Marshall. I only wanted to see the old place.” With that, he walked past Penny and out the door.
Christina realized she’d been holding her breath. She let it go. Looking at Penny, she said, “That was spooky.”
“What?” Penny placed the tea on the table. “Mr. Bechtel being here?”
Christina wrapped her arms around herself. “Yes, it was spooky waking up and finding him standing here. The way he looked at me was eerie. How did he get in here, anyway?”
“I really don’t know,” Penny said. “He doesn’t have a badge, but one of the security guards may have remembered him and let him in.”
“Well, they shouldn’t do that. Check with security. I need to know who let him in. We can’t have unauthorized people roaming around our offices. There’s a lot of proprietary work going on in here.”
“I’ll call them,” Penny said. “Is there anything else you need?” Christina was still thinking about Bechtel. Remembering his comment about Penny not being in until seven-forty-five, she asked, “Did you bring Bechtel tea every morning, too, or was it coffee?”
Penny shook her head. “I didn’t work for Bechtel. Doris was his secretary.” Doris now worked for Jackson.
Christina opened her mouth to ask another question when the phone rang. “I’ll take it,” she said to Penny.
Penny nodded and left the office.
Christina sat and talked with Walter in Boston. She brought him up to date with the schedules. Before hanging up, she thought about Paul Bechtel. She told Walter about the incident this morning.
“Bechtel is an idiot. Don’t worry about him. Be sure you tell security not to let him in the building again. Damn it. That man never should have been allowed in. What kind of security do you have down there, anyway?”
Christina wanted to find out more about Bechtel, but sensing Walter’s irritation, she decided not to pursue that at this time. “I’m checking with them now. I’ll have some answers before the end of the day. Don’t worry.”
With that they hung up. Christina sat for a while thinking about the morning. Jackson interrupted her thoughts when he burst into the office.
“Look what just arrived for you.” He was carrying a bouquet of pink roses. “You must have an admirer.” He placed the flowers on her desk.
“They came when Penny was in your office earlier. She would have brought them in, but you were on your call with Walter.”
“You seem to know a lot about what I’m doing,” she commented.
He touched one of the rose petals. “So, who are they from?” Christina lifted a brow. “You didn’t read the card?”
Jackson clutched at his heart. “You wound me. I only deliver; I don’t read.”
Christina didn’t open the card. She waited for Jackson to speak.
Finally, he said, “I think we should clear the air concerning Friday.”
Christina didn’t comment.
Jackson continued, “I was out of line. Will you accept my apology?”
Christina felt a little hurt. What was he really saying here? “No apology needed. I haven’t even thought about it.”
Was that a twitch she detected? No, it must not have been, because now Jackson was smiling. “Good,” he said. “Now I can get back to work.” He walked to the door. Looking over his shoulder as he walked out, he said, “Don’t forget to read the card.”
***
Jackson walked from Christina’s office to his own, greeting everyone he met with a smile. Inside he was seething. He walked into his office and slammed his fist on his desk. On Friday she had wanted to pretend nothing was happening, and this morning when he’d played it that way, she’d actually looked hurt. What in the hell was going on here? Jackson sat at his desk.
She recovered quickly enough, he thought. I haven’t even thought about it, she says. I know she’s lying and she knows she’s lying, but we’re both going to pretend that the whole incident was nothing. Well, it was something to me.
Reggie was also something to him. So he’d lied about reading the card. Who the hell was Reggie, anyway? Was this somebody she’d been dating for a while? Or was it somebody new? He wondered if it was serious. It probably was. Somehow, he couldn’t imagine Christina in a casual affair. She was much too rigid for that.
Jackson wondered what had happened to his control. Christina Marshall was doing a number on him and he doubted she even knew it. This weekend he had figured it all out. The conversation with Angela removed any doubts he’d had. Christina Marshall was off limits. He could deal with that. She wasn’t really his type anyway. He liked his women a lot less stuffy than Miss Christina Marshall. Someone more like Angela. Yes, Angela. Thinking of her, Jackson dialed her number.
“I know you said you’d call, but I couldn’t wait. When’s our next outing?” he asked.
Angela laughed softly. “You’re impossible. I haven’t had time to make plans yet.”
“If you don’t think of something, I will. That’s a threat.”
She went along with his teasing. “And what will you think of?” “How about lunch, for starters?”
“If it’s tomorrow, you have a date.”
“I’m flexible. Tomorrow it is.”
Jackson hung up the phone feeling better. He liked Angela a lot and he looked forward to spending more time with her. If anybody could keep his mind off Christina, Angela could.
***
I was out of line, he’d said. Christina drummed her fingers on her desk. So, was that what it was? I’m glad I didn’t give in to the moment. Then where would I be? Would he have come in here and said that making love to me had been out of line? Men, ha!
Christina remembered the flowers. She opened the attached card. “I miss you already,” it read. It was signed, “Reggie.” Christina smiled as she thought about her weekend. She’d had fun with Reggie. She checked the time and decided it wasn’t too early to call Oklahoma City. Reggie answered on the second ring.
“I love the roses,” she said.
“It’s good to hear your voice, Ms. Marshall. It means that you remember me.”
The smile she heard in his voice made her feel giddy. “How could I forget you, Mr. Stevens? It’s not every day a girl gets picked up on a tour bus in Mobile.”
Reggie laughed at that. “I didn’t pick you up.”
She teased. “What do you call it, then?”
“I call it two people meeting each other, liking each other, and spending time with each other. How about that?”
“A rose by any other name . . .”
He took that opening to change the subject. “You like the roses?”
“They’re beautiful.” She rubbed a petal between her thumb and forefinger.
“Like you.”
Christina beamed. She wondered if he could hear it in her voice. “Thank you, Mr. Stevens.”
She heard him smile again. “When can I come visit?” he asked.
She hesitated before answering. “Reggie, I don’t want to rush into anything.”
“I’m not rushing you, but I want to see you again.” He paused. “Soon.”
“Let’s take it slow for the time being.”
“You can call the shots,” he conceded. “For now.”
They talked a while longer and Reggie promised to call again before the end of the week. Christina hung up with her confidence restored. At least Reggie didn’t say he had been out of line the past weekend.
***
The staff meeting started promptly at two. Jackson watched Christina. She was good at what she did. She ran her team like an army general, but the troops treated her like a benevolent dictator. They did what she told them to do because they felt she had their best interests at heart. Even though Jackson didn’t know a lot about Christina, he felt she was good people. He didn’t know her favorite color, although he guessed it was blue, since she wore the color often. He didn’t know her political inclination. He didn’t know how she felt about the death penalty, but he would bet his life that she was honest, trustworthy, and dependable. He wanted to get to know her. To see more of her soft side. To share her goals and dreams, even her fears. He looked at this woman and he knew somewhere deep inside himself that they connected. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew it as sure as he knew his name. He felt that she knew it, too.
“Jackson,” Christina was speaking to him now. “I need to talk to you after the meeting.”
Jackson nodded. When everyone else had left, Christina said, “We have to go to Boston in two weeks.”
That got his full attention. “What’s going on?”
“Walter has called a summit.”
“How long will we be there?” he asked.
“Two days, Thursday and Friday. Penny has the dates. She’s getting the information to Doris. You, Liza and I will meet Thursday morning. Later that afternoon we’ll meet with Walter and Rosalind. They expect the meetings to last through Friday. Will that be a problem for you?”
“No, I can arrange it. There’s plenty of time to adjust my schedule.”
“Good. That’s all I had. Is there anything you need to tell me?”
“If you have a few minutes.”
“Sure, take a seat.” She pointed to the two wing chairs where they’d had their initial interview. “Is there a problem?”
They each took a chair. “No, there’s no problem. I just wanted to tell you how much I’m enjoying working on Optima with you. I remember our interview, and I have to say that you’ve been true to your word. You’ve given me the freedom to do my job and you’ve supported me all the way.”
“It’s been good working with you, too, Jackson. I can tell that you’re in your element here. You know that Walter and Rosalind are working hard to get you back to Boston. It’ll be a great career move for you, but I’m really glad you’re here now and I’m going to hate to see you go.”
Jackson looked at her for a few long seconds, thinking of the things they hadn’t said. They were doing a good job of pretending Friday had never happened. He stood up. “That was all I wanted.”
Jackson left and Christina remained seated. Sh
e hated and loved being alone with Jackson. She loved it because she felt so at home with him. She felt as though she could take off her shoes, get comfortable, and be herself. She hated it because she had to fight the urge to give in to that feeling. She had to keep it strictly professional with Jackson or she’d be lost. She had mixed emotions about the trip to Boston. She knew she, Jackson, and Liza needed to meet, but she also knew the trip held the potential for her and Jackson to get to know each other in a semi-social setting. She was a little afraid of that.
I’ll worry about it later, she thought. For now, I’m going to concentrate on the work that has to be done.
***
While the staff meeting was going on in Christina’s office, Penny and Doris had a meeting of their own at Penny’s desk.
“I would have sworn that something was going to happen between the two of them,” Doris was saying. “The electricity between them was practically scorching everything in its path.”
“When I left Friday, he was in her office,” Penny added.
“I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that,” Doris said.
“Well, he did look a little put out at the roses she got.”
Doris was encouraged. She leaned closer to Penny. “Tell me more.”
“She got flowers—pink roses—this morning.”
Doris was all into it now. “Who were they from? Did you see the card?”
“Of course I saw the card, and you know I didn’t read it.” Penny looked insulted.
Doris didn’t back down. “I know you, and that’s why I asked.”
Penny looked around. She whispered, “The signature on the card said ‘Reggie.’”
Doris whispered, “Who’s Reggie?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard the name before. It’s the first time she’s gotten roses. At work, at least. There must be something to it.”
Doris leaned in still closer. “I overheard Jackson talking to someone named Angela this morning.”
“Maybe we misread the signs and there’s nothing between them,” Penny wondered aloud.
Doris didn’t buy it. “It ain’t over until it’s over. I still say those two have something going.”
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