“A nurse?” Jamie looked up at Wes as he sighed in defeat.
“How do you know it was me?”
“I was a goddamned detective for twenty-four years and I still have connections in the FBI. It’s not that hard to follow a trail.”
“I guess I should have thought of that.” Wes rubbed his forehead and frowned.
“You also should have thought about how I wouldn’t want you nosing around in my business.”
With that Wes walked over to Jamie’s desk and snatched up her phone. Three strides later he was already out in the hall, heading for the door. He pressed the screen to take Mr. Witmer off speaker and kept walking before Jamie could catch up to him. He needed to talk to her father alone.
“Mr. Witmer. Mr. Witmer! Can you stop yelling for a second? It’s just me. I left Jamie in our office. I need to talk to you.”
“Are you going to give me a choice or are you going to hire someone to force me to do it?”
Wes rolled his eyes. That was something Jamie would have said. “Look, I knew you weren’t going to want to have a nurse, but I did it for Jamie.”
“Then why is Mrs. Knox here at my house instead of yours?”
“Jamie doesn’t want to go on the trip to Jamaica because she’s afraid to leave in case you need her. It’s only a matter of time before she ends up down there taking care of you herself, and I know you don’t want that. She’s trying really hard not to fuss over you, but she’s worried all the time. You don’t see it. I do. It’s killing me.”
“Okay. Calm down.”
Wes hadn’t realized he was yelling, but the receptionist by the lobby was staring at him with wide eyes. “Can you please just allow us to take care of you a little bit? So Jamie doesn’t worry? Please?”
“I’ve told her I’m fine.”
“Yes, but she doesn’t believe you because you say you’re fine even if you’re not. And probably a little because of the Santa thing.”
The man snorted at that. “Okay. I’ll let Mrs. Knox fuss a little if it means Jamie stays up there, and goes on her trip.”
“I think it’s the only way she’ll be able to have a good time.”
“Is she around?”
“I walked out of our office. I can take you back.”
“Before you do that, I need to talk to you about something else.”
“Okay.” What now?
“When I was doing my research, I found some other interesting information.”
“If my file says anything about me running naked through campus, that is a lie. Unless you have proof.”
“No. I ran your bank account information.”
“Seriously? I thought that was confidential.”
“It is. To normal people.”
“You didn’t think that might be a little rude?”
“If ever you have a daughter, trust me, you won’t hesitate to use every tool at your disposal to make sure the guy she up and married is not some loser who’ll take all her money.”
“I’m not going to take her money.”
“Oh, I know that. You’ve got plenty of your own, don’t you?”
Shit. He knew. “It’s not how it looks. I’m not a drug lord or anything.”
“I know. I had to dig a little deeper, but I found out where it comes from.”
“I see.”
“Does Jamie know?”
“No. It isn’t important.” It wasn’t important to him. Jamie might have thought differently if he’d given her the chance to form an opinion.
The man chuckled on the other end. “You’re keeping a mighty big secret from my girl. Why would you do that?”
“I have my reasons, but I promise you she will be taken care of if anything happens to me.”
“Yep. I saw that too.”
“For Christ’s sake. Is nothing sacred?”
“Not to a father with connections.”
“Are you going to tell her?” Wes asked, his hands clenched in fists. Money changed people. He didn’t think Jamie would see it as a big deal, but he wanted to keep his finances out of their relationship.
“Do you love her?”
“I—yeah, I do.” It wasn’t a lie. He might not love her in the romantic, husband-and-wife sense, but he loved her in the sense that he cared about her and would do whatever he could to ensure her happiness.
If Mr. Witmer could twist his answers as he saw fit, so could Wes.
“Then I won’t say anything for now. I assume you intend to tell her at some point?”
“Yes.” He hadn’t narrowed it down to a year, or decade. Wes was getting better at this secret agent stuff. “So you’ll behave yourself so I can take your daughter to Jamaica?”
“Yeah. Put her back on the phone.”
Wes walked into the office and turned over the phone to a surprised Jamie.
“He’s ready to be a good boy.”
* * * *
Jamie disconnected the call and stared at her phone for a long second. Her father had agreed to keep the nurse so long as she agreed to go on her trip and have a good time.
“How did you do that?” she asked Wes, who was concentrating on his computer screen.
He looked up and squinted. “Do what?”
“How did you get him to agree to have an in-home nurse? The man who refuses to let me know when he has a doctor’s appointment.”
“I explained to him that he had a choice. He could either accept our help from up here, or we would show up down there and stay until you were convinced he was okay. Which meant giving up our trip to Jamaica.”
“You guilted him into it.”
“Yeah. Guilt. It worked like a charm. I know you’re familiar with the concept. I’ve seen you use it in the past.”
“Why did you do this? The expense alone . . .” She’d actually thought about it but knew she couldn’t afford it.
“Don’t worry. I’m taking care of it.”
“But he’s my dad.”
“And he’s my father-in-law.”
“Wes—” She could tell Wes respected her father and he seemed pleased when her dad had finally come around to accepting him. But this was insane.
“I want to go on this trip and I don’t want you worrying the whole time. You won’t be able to convince the McCaffertys that we can be dedicated to their project when you spend all your time on the phone checking on your dad. If a nurse will put your mind at ease, it’s worth it to me. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
She wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, but that didn’t mean she didn’t think of it as a big deal. It was a huge deal. She felt the tightness in her throat that threatened tears were on their way.
Rather than risk crying in front of him she left their office with a curt “Thank you” and hurried to the bathroom so she could get herself together.
She didn’t know how she could ever thank him for this. In one move he had put her mind at ease and won over her father. And he hadn’t even mentioned it to her. He was happy to be the silent hero.
She went home and packed, feeling excited for the first time since watching her father walk into the airport. He had a nurse available. Someone even more qualified to help him than Jamie would have been. She could enjoy the trip, knowing he was in capable hands. Not to mention she’d promised her father she would have fun.
This wouldn’t have been possible without Wes. Silent or not, he was indeed her hero.
Chapter 13
Anna needed to get herself together. Ever since she’d ambushed her boss into having dinner with her, she’d become more aware of him. Yes, she knew he was attractive, but she knew better than to get involved with her boss. That never worked out.
Maybe part of the problem was that Ben wanted her to be aware of him. In the two years she’d worked for him, he’d been content
with simple communication. A curt nod and a stiff “Good morning” as he entered his office. He thanked her without looking at her anytime she dropped something off in his office.
He offered basic politeness but nothing more. But something had shifted. He stopped in the morning to speak with her, even smiling. He met her eyes when she walked in his office. And twice she’d caught him looking at her during a meeting as if he was thinking naughty thoughts.
She looked down at her clothes and wondered what had spurred this change in him. She was still dressing in her ultraconservative office wear. She wasn’t flirting or showing any additional interest.
Yet he was hovering at her desk with a request she didn’t comprehend and his blue eyes practically blazing.
“I’m sorry?” she said.
“I asked if you would have lunch with me today.”
“I packed a lunch.”
He tilted his head. “Did you pack something better than McGregor’s? It’s not too cold today. I was even thinking of walking. Would you like to?”
“Why would I go to lunch with you?”
“To eat.” Again with the head tilt, but this one was more confusion than being cute.
“Will I be taking notes?”
He let out a breath and nodded. “Sure. Yeah. Bring this.” He picked up a pack of Post-it notes off her desk and held them out. They weren’t even the full-size pack—he couldn’t be serious.
He was holding her coat out for her like a perfect gentleman for his date, but this wasn’t a date. This was a business luncheon. With mini Post-its.
She followed him outside, where he looked up at the sky. It wasn’t that warm, but walking would warm her up. That was what she needed. A nice brisk walk.
“Where do you live?” he asked.
“Excuse me?”
“Do you live here in Manhattan?”
“No. Brooklyn.”
“I feel like I should already know that, but I didn’t. I don’t know much about you at all.”
“You know I do a good job, right?” She smiled.
“Yes. Well . . . actually you do such a good job I hardly notice you’re doing anything at all. The things I need just appear when and where I need them. You seem to anticipate what I need before I do.” His gaze moved over her quickly before resting on her face again. “At least most of the time.” His voice had turned low and . . . something.
At the restaurant, he held the door for her and pointed to an open booth.
Chanda, the bartender, smiled as they passed, but Anna gave her a quick shake of the head to warn her not to say anything. When Chanda arrived at the table with menus she had a wide grin on her face. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Water is fine,” Anna said.
“Beer.”
Anna’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What? It’s not like I can get fired.” He laughed at her expression.
This was true. He was an Archer. The main Archer who was holding the business together. “Do you do that a lot?” She wasn’t sure if she should worry or plan an intervention.
“No. You know I don’t get to take lunch often.” Maybe Ben kept a bottle of scotch in this desk like his father used to. She shivered, thinking about the older Mr. Archer.
Chanda arrived with their drinks, went over the specials, and took their orders. The whole time she smiled as if she couldn’t wait to find out what was going on. Rather than risk the girl’s head bursting, Anna excused herself to the bathroom the minute Chanda went to the kitchen.
“Look at you! I hardly recognized you,” Chanda said, looking her up and down. “Miss Corporate Working Girl.”
“I’m with my boss, so cool it, okay?”
“Sure. I’ll be professional.” She looked over Anna’s shoulder. “Are you sure he’s just your boss? Take it from me, the Clark Kent type can be wild. My husband is an accountant by day, but a rock star in bed.”
“Stop. Just stop. Ben is only my boss.”
“Ben.” Chanda giggled. “I can tell by the way you say his name, there’s something going on.”
“There is no way you can tell anything from the word Ben.”
“I heard it again.”
Rather than argue, Anna stormed off to the bathroom and washed her hands. She glanced in the mirror and frowned at her boring makeup and hair.
When she sat down at the table, she took a breath and smiled. “Do you want me to take notes or something?”
“Sure. I have some things I’d like you to research and get back to me.”
“Of course.” Rather than use the tiny Post-its, she pulled out her phone and brought up an empty note screen. “Go ahead.”
“First thing. Where did you grow up?”
“Where did who grow up? Who am I researching?”
“Yourself.”
“Oh. I—uh . . .” She didn’t need to research. She knew the answer. “Michigan.”
“The cold weather here doesn’t bother you?”
“If you ever get cold weather here, I’ll let you know,” she joked, causing him to laugh.
“Your family?” He leaned closer and laced his fingers together on the table.
Her story was not that riveting. “Mom, dad, and two younger brothers. They all still live in Michigan.” They all still asked her to come home every time they spoke.
“What were you escaping when you moved here?”
“Who says I was escaping? Maybe I was searching for something.” She leaned forward and matched his pose.
“Did you find it?” His gaze dipped down to her mouth for a second before refocusing on her eyes.
“I’m working on it.”
“What is it? Maybe I could help.”
She was spared from answering that question when their food arrived. She managed to keep the conversation away from her personal life the rest of the lunch. Fortunately he was called back to the office by his uncle, so their time was cut short.
Anna caught herself smiling throughout the rest of the afternoon. He’d finally noticed her.
Now what was she going to do?
* * * *
Ben felt like the salivating cartoon wolf eyeing up the little lamb. It was as if someone had taken the boring assistant he’d had for the last two years and replaced her with this mysterious woman with hidden treasures.
One of those treasures he was noticing now, as she bent over his filing cabinet to water a plant he didn’t realize he even had in his office. Her skirt was fitted, so bending over caused the fabric to suck up against her.
The lack of panty lines meant she either wasn’t wearing any or it was a thong. Either one would work for his fantasy.
Not all of her treasures were physical. She was funny. He never knew that. She had a quick wit and dry sarcasm that amused him. She was a hard worker, but that was something he’d known for a while. She rarely took time off and always stayed late if he needed her.
Had he thanked her properly before? Sure, he’d signed off on wage increases. He’d checked the box, marking her better than satisfactory so she’d get the highest percentage, but had he made her feel valued?
“When did I get a plant?”
She laughed. “It was in here when you started working here. I believe Richard got it from a client when your father died.”
“Oh.” He nodded.
“It’s good to have a plant in your office. It gives off oxygen, which helps you think clearly.”
“Maybe I should get ten more.”
She laughed again, and he realized another treasure. The sound of her laughter made him smile. It was sincere and sweet. He wanted to hear it again and again.
* * * *
Wes picked Jamie up at her apartment before dawn on Friday morning. He held in his amusement at her grumpy, morning attitude.
According to the itinerary, they would fly to the island, where they would stay at a hotel the first night. The next day they would take a van to the resort and would start workshops and relaxation.
The flight was uneventful. No one from their group was seated next to them, so it was easy to be themselves. It was as if they were mentally preparing for the acting they would be doing soon enough.
Their hotel room had two queen-size beds. Jamie took the one closest to the door and he took the other without discussion. There was no reason for them to sleep together when two beds were readily available.
“We’re supposed to meet everyone in the lobby for dinner,” Jamie said as she flopped back on her bed. “Do you think they’d believe we were too busy having sex to come down?”
His body twitched at the thought. Sex with Jamie?
Long ago when she’d first walked into his office, he’d noticed she was female and attractive. Then they started working together and this knowledge dissipated into nothing.
Her cotton sundress had pulled up to her thighs when she’d fallen on the bed. He’d seen her thighs many times, and in general, a thigh wasn’t enough to get him going. But he could feel the pull in his groin and the tightness growing in his khakis. What the hell was this? Maybe they were piping Viagra-laced air into the hotel rooms. He needed to get out of there.
“You don’t want to pass on a free dinner, do you? Wasn’t this the whole point?” he said, to get his mind off of Jamie with that dress pushed up to her waist and him on top of her. Why was he thinking about this? Even the times they’d slept together it had felt comfortable and nice, but not . . . this. “The McCaffertys will be there.” Along with their other co-workers and their spouses.
“Yes. Okay.” She frowned and sat up, adjusting the top of the sundress so it covered her more fully. “Let me check in with my dad and we can go.”
After two minutes on the phone, some kind of fluffing to her hair and a reapplication of lip gloss, Jamie was ready to go. He was impressed by her efficiency.
When they got off the elevator in the lobby, he held out his arm, ready to play the doting newlywed. She took it and gave his arm a little squeeze of reassurance before she pasted on the big smile and waved at the group.
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