The light turned green, and Walker grabbed her hand again. “Come on,” he said. “We need to get moving.”
Maria walked with him, although the brisk pace was starting to hurt her feet. When they reached the opposite corner, Walker finally slowed down and started walking in the opposite direction of the restaurant. Two cop cars had arrived in front of the sports grill, and a good-sized crowd had spilled out of the place.
“Mr. Harris,” Maria said, tugging her hand from his. “I’m not going to run all over the city. My feet are killing me, and if you haven’t noticed, it’s raining. I’m going back to my car, with or without you.”
Walker turned to look at her beneath the light of the streetlamp. It was as if he’d just remembered she was with him. His gaze swept down her body, then back up. “That’s some dress.”
She didn’t know if he was teasing her or giving her a compliment.
“I saw you when you first came into the sports grill,” Walker said. “At first I thought you knew the guy who was talking to you.”
“No,” Maria said, shaking her head. “Did you know the women you were with?”
“Never met them,” Walker said. “Neither of them were taking my brush-off hints.”
Maria involuntarily shivered. “You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”
Walker shrugged off his jacket and set it on her shoulders. “Here, I’ll walk you back. But let’s stay on this side of the street until the cops leave.”
This time they walked slowly together, and Maria was grateful for the extra warmth of his jacket. It was plain that Walker was stressed out about any confrontation with a cop. “So, what’s the deal with running from the cops? I mean, if you wanted to avoid them, then maybe you shouldn’t be hitting men in a bar.”
They were nearly across the street now from the sports grill.
“That man wasn’t going to back down,” Walker said. “And you could say I have a bit of a record, an old record, but I don’t want anything in the paper that my dad could see.”
“Your boss?”
“Yeah,” Walker said, casting her a sideways glance.
“What kind of record?” Maria ventured.
Walker scrubbed his hand through his hair again, and Maria hid a smile. He looked like a little kid in trouble when he did that. They reached the next corner, and one of the cop cars pulled away. The crowd was dispersing, most of the people going back inside to take their seats again.
“Juvie stuff mostly,” Walker said. “Rebellion against a privileged and lonely life.”
Maria was surprised at his admission. “Well, you seem to have your act together now.”
The edge of his mouth twitched. “Until about ten minutes ago.”
Maria’s smile escaped. “Yeah, except for that.”
He paused again, looking down at her. “It was just… I knew you had a bad day, and you were probably thinking you were about to get fired, and then you came in looking like this, and that guy was so persistent.” He took a breath. “I don’t have any excuse, except I lost it.”
He was staring at her, and she felt the intensity of his gaze all the way to her toes.
“Mr. Harris, I didn’t even think you saw me as a person.”
Walker rubbed his neck and lowered his eyes. Then he exhaled, seeming to make some sort of decision. “When I walked into that conference room this morning, I tried very hard not to notice you, Maria. But to be honest, it was impossible.”
Maria didn’t know what to think. She focused on the restaurant across the street. The second cop car pulled away, and the street seemed almost empty now. “I dressed as conservatively as I could for that meeting. I didn’t want to scare off our new manager.”
Walker chuckled. “I’m not talking about what you wore or didn’t wear. It was your entire… look. You could wear a brown sack, and it would be hard not to notice you. You’re a beautiful woman, Maria. And I’m sure you dress the way you do for a reason.” He raised his hands. “I wish I could change the company policies, I really do. We all have jobs to do here, and I need to do mine. If you still feel like you can’t work in those conditions, then I can offer you a severance. But I’d like you to at least stick around and train whomever we hire to replace you.”
It was Maria’s turn to stare at him. She didn’t know whether to slap him or yell at him. “I wear what I wear because it makes me happy. And I’m glad you didn’t want to meet just to talk about my choice of dress and then punch out a guy, and then flirt with me. I’m glad it was just to tell me thanks for your feedback, but no thanks.” She shook her head and took a step away from him. “I’m good at my job, Mr. Harris. All of my clients love me, and my evaluations show top client satisfaction. You’re being a sexist pig.”
Walker stepped closer to her. “The dress code is for both men and women. Because attraction and distraction goes both ways.” His eyes bore into hers, and if she wasn’t mistaken, the fire in them wasn’t just anger… but passion.
Maria held her ground. She wouldn’t let him intimidate her or influence her in any way, even though he had just punched a guy for harassing her.
“I’ve seen your evaluations and numbers, and I hope you won’t leave,” he said, his gaze smoldering. “Will it really be so hard to follow the code? Even if I had the power, I can’t change decades of company culture because one of the employees wants a birdhouse in her cubicle, or wants to wear…” He waved a hand at her dress. “Tight dresses that make men brawl in a bar.”
Maybe he had a point… No. Maria wouldn’t concede to it. “The policies are ridiculous. I’m not advocating for cocktail dresses, Mr. Harris.”
“Walker,” he said. “Mr. Harris is my father.”
Maria tilted her head. “You’re kind of hung up on being different than your father. Did he come up with the dress code?”
“It’s been working well for years,” he said.
So, he wasn’t going to get personal about his family. Maria blew out a breath, then turned from him and started for the corner. “I’ll see you on Monday, Mr. Harris. And I’ll let you know my decision then.”
Walker was one step behind her. “You shouldn’t be on the street alone.”
“Then walk me to my car,” she said. “But this conversation is over.”
Monday couldn’t come soon enough, and Maria had allowed herself to wallow on Saturday, then distract herself on Sunday by going to the swap meet and purchasing three new birdhouses. She’d vacillated between a strange sense of freedom being an unattached single woman again, and a mild rush of panic over being back to the drawing board. Her proverbial “perfect man for me” list was getting an update.
When in crisis, boyfriend should be calling to check up on me.
Boyfriend shouldn’t keep our relationship a secret from family and friends.
And maybe she’d also add, doesn’t have the propensity of getting into bar fights.
Maria walked into the office at 7:30 a.m. She expected Lisa to be the only one there, but when Maria approached the desk, Lisa said, “Glad you’re back. Just so you know, Walker has set up shop in the conference room. He’s reviewing all the financials today.” Lisa scanned Maria’s outfit. “You look nice.”
“I look boring.” Maria had worn a gray pencil skirt, a white blouse, then added a yellow silk scarf along with yellow high heels. Her earrings were dangling daisies, but she’d straightened her hair, then smoothed it into a long ponytail.
“I like the yellow shoes.”
“Not too colorful?”
Lisa smiled. “I guess we’ll find out.” She leaned forward. “I think there’s more to Walker Harris than we think,” she confided. “He has a shiner, and when I asked him what happened, he actually blushed.”
Maria stilled. She should have thought about that black eye, and how it would still be in evidence today. “What was his answer?”
“He just said there was a misunderstanding over the weekend,” Lisa said. “But if you ask me, he’s hiding something.
No one that good looking could have a boring weekend, if you know what I mean?”
Maria shrugged. “I’d better get to work.” She wasn’t about to say anything to Lisa about Walker’s black eye. Entering the main office area filled with cubicles, she saw that Josh wasn’t at his desk yet. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing him this morning. He hadn’t reached out to her at all, and she’d only checked his Facebook page once, but he hadn’t posted.
She passed by the conference room to see that the door was ajar.
Walker was sitting with his back to her, clicking away on his laptop, with several files spread out before him.
She hovered near the door for a moment, then pushed it open.
“Lisa says you have a shiner,” she said as he turned to look at her. The bruising was blue and green around his left eye. “Oh,” she said.
He said nothing, just scanned her outfit, and when his gaze met hers, she felt her face flush. She could see the conflict in his eyes— as if he was admiring her, but also censoring her.
“Do I pass inspection?”
One side of his mouth lifted, and his green eyes seemed to warm.
“I think we can let the yellow heels slide,” he said, turning more fully toward her.
“Really?” This was unexpected. “Did someone knock some sense into you over the weekend?”
He folded his hands in front of him. “Let’s just say that I had a conversation with your apparently ex-boyfriend last night.” His eyebrows lifted.
“Josh told you?”
“He did.”
Maria was stunned. “What did he say exactly?”
“He told me you two had been dating, and you were really upset about the interpersonal relationship policy,” Walker said. “As the HR director, Josh wanted me to give you some slack for emotional turmoil.”
“So… he didn’t ask for a policy change?” Maria said. “He just wanted you to go easy on me?”
When Walker nodded, she folded her arms. “Did he tell you we broke up?”
“He said you dumped him Friday night… and by my estimation, that’s right before you came to meet me,” Walker said. “I had no idea. Are you all right?”
“We didn’t break up because of the company policy, if that’s what you’re asking,” Maria said. “Not that it’s any of your business, anyway.”
“Well, I’m sorry,” Walker said. “If it’s something to be sorry for.”
Maria shrugged. “I’m fine.”
“That’s good to hear,” he said, his gaze holding hers for a moment.
Why did he have to look even better with a black eye? Like he was some big hero or something? Except for his shiner, he was back to looking like Mr. Perfect. His hair was perfectly wavy, his jaw free of any stubble. His suit coat only emphasized his broad shoulders, and the white of his dress shirt contrasted with his olive skin. His gray-and-blue tie looked expensive.
Maria had a sharp urge to mess something up on him.
“So what did you decide about the job, Maria?” he asked.
“I’m still thinking about it,” Maria said. “Do I have a deadline?”
Walker rubbed at his jaw. “If you’re going to quit, I need to start the hiring process as soon as possible.”
“Hmm,” Maria said. “Can I have until 5:00 p.m.? See how this day goes? Maybe see how Josh is around his secret-ex-girlfriend? And see how it is to work one wall away from you?”
His eyes widened, and one side of his mouth lifted as if he wanted to smile but wasn’t going to allow himself to. “All right.”
“Thank you.”
He seemed surprised at her thanks.
“There’s just one more thing,” she said stepping close to him. “I want you to try something for the day.” She bent forward and tugged at the knot in his tie. She expected him to stop her, but he didn’t move as she unknotted his tie and slid it off. One thing was for sure, he smelled great. Not like he’d doused himself with cologne but like he’d used some sort of spicy soap.
She straightened, his tie in her hand, then turned without another word and left him staring after her.
Maria continued to her cubicle and rolled up the tie and set it inside her desk drawer. If he wanted it back, he’d have to ask her or search for it.
Ben came in and saw her, his eyes growing wide. “You’re back!”
Maria smiled and shrugged. “Gotta pay the bills.”
Ben chuckled and moved to his cubicle to power up his computer.
It was after 9:00 a.m. when Josh finally arrived at the office. By then, everything was humming along, and Maria was buried in reviewing a six-month marketing proposal for one of her clients. It almost felt good to not have to pay attention to what Josh was doing or what he may or may not be saying. Or to wonder when he was going to let people know they were dating, because that answer was now finalized: never.
An email alert popped up on her screen. There was to be a meeting right before lunch in the conference room. This made Maria glance over to the conference room door. It was still ajar, but from her position she couldn’t see Walker or what he was doing.
She let out a sigh, and then her phone buzzed with a text.
Can we talk? Josh texted.
No, she wanted to reply. Instead, she got up, taking her phone with her, and walked to the human resources office. She knocked once, then opened the door. Josh looked up. Maria leaned against the door frame, not stepping inside or shutting the door.
“How are you?” Josh asked, his blue eyes focused on her.
His concern might have softened her before, but not now.
“Doing well,” she said. “You can put that in my HR file and share it with Mr. Harris.”
“Maria,” Josh said, rising to his feet. He crossed the room and tugged her inside, then shut the door. “I only told him because I didn’t want you to lose your job.”
“So you think if you revealed the secret you were so determined to keep about our relationship, he’d go easy on me?” she asked.
Josh looked chagrined, but he said, “Yes. You’re still here, right?”
Maria gave a short laugh. “I told Walker I’d give him my final answer by the end of the day.” She folded her arms. “I’ll stay on to train the new person if it comes down to that.”
“Maria,” Josh said, his voice soft. “Don’t you think you’re taking things too far? I mean, we’ve been great together, haven’t we?”
“As long as things are convenient for you, it’s all great,” Maria said. “I’m tired of being invisible in your life, and Walker Harris is no better. Now I’m being told what to wear and how to decorate my personal work space.”
Josh’s jaw tensed. “Did you read the research reports that were attached to the email? It does make a lot of sense.” He waved at her feet. “I mean, yellow shoes? Who wears those?”
Maria took a step back. “It’s not like I special order my clothing and shoes. They’re right off the racks of regular shops.” She reached for the door handle. “Goodbye Josh. Have a nice life.”
When she walked out of the office, she stopped short. Walker was just coming out of the conference room down the hall. He paused when he saw her. There was no turning back, Maria decided, so she started walking down the hall, right toward Walker.
“What’s going on?” he said as she neared.
Maria stopped and stared at him. He’d replaced his missing tie with a red one. “You… you carry a spare tie?”
“In case of spills,” Walker said.
“Wow, I’m… I don’t know what to say.”
“Look, Maria,” he said, lowering his voice. “I’m sorry this has all been so hard on you, and that you’re coming off of a breakup, but—”
Maria held up her hand. “I’m not talking about Josh with you or anyone. Business is business, and my personal life isn’t going to interfere. It’s not like I’m asking you about your girlfriend or wife, or whoever. See you at the meeting.” She walked away.
She’d final
ly made up her mind. After securing another job, she’d put in her two weeks’ notice.
A couple of hours later, Maria made her way to the conference room. She was the first one there, except for Walker.
He looked as if he was about to say something when Lisa walked in, carrying a stack of papers.
“Just set the contracts here,” Walker told Lisa.
“Contracts for what?” Maria asked.
He didn’t have time to answer, because just then Ben came in, followed by Josh and several other employees. When everyone was seated around the conference table, Walker said, “I have your employee contract addendums here. Each of you were hired with a standard contract, but Baker Corp will now update them with our own legal terms and conditions. Go ahead and read over them and let me know if you have any questions.”
Maria flipped through the four-page contract, then stopped on one of the last paragraphs. It stated that by signing, she’d be agreeing to uphold all of the Baker Corp policies. She scanned for the termination clause and found that any breach of contract was cause for termination with no compensation package.
Well, she would have to find that new job soon then. She took a deep breath and signed her name. She rose from the table and handed it to Walker.
“You’re already finished, Maria?”
“I am,” she said. “If there’s nothing else, then I’ll be going on lunch break.”
Walker eyed her, clearly surprised that she’d been so agreeable. “So is this your decision?”
“Yes.” She held his gaze. He didn’t have to know that she would still be actively searching for a new job. But for now, she wasn’t going to make any more waves. She thought she detected a pleased look in his eyes, but it quickly faded to his usual professionalism. “Is there anything else?” she asked.
“That’s everything for now, thank you.”
Friday came, and Maria was exhausted from being polite. Polite to Josh. Polite to Walker. Polite to everyone in the office. It was as if they were all watching her, waiting for her to blow up or something. But she had kept a cool head, even though it felt like she was constantly balancing on a tight rope. She dressed conservatively, took home most of her birdhouses, and just plain worked hard.
Falling for Maria Page 3