by Lynne, Donya
Chapter 11
Me? Jealous? Hahahahahahaha! Yes.
-Author Unknown
Karma lightly rapped her knuckles on Lisa’s office door.
Lisa looked up from her computer and burst into a smile. “Hey, girl! What are you doing here?”
“Mark and I are viewing a house today. I’m meeting him here, but I’m a little early.” She checked her watch, catching a glimpse of her engagement ring as she did.
It had been almost a month since they’d returned from Saint Lucia. Paradise. Where every day had seemed like a dream. Now they were back in the real world, and tropical beaches and day cruises on luxury yachts where she pretended to be a kidnap victim were a million miles away.
Mark had fallen behind from taking a week off for their vacation and had spent most of the last four weeks playing catch-up. Between that and her starting her new job, they hadn’t seen much of each other except in passing, so she was beyond ready for them to move in together. At least then she would see him more than a couple nights a week.
To make things even tougher, she was preparing for what she’d been warned was a labor-intensive online editing course that would last a year. But after she completed it, she would possess all the skills and knowledge necessary for her first promotion. Until then, she would work under a senior editor.
Lisa waved her into her office. “Come in. Grab a seat and talk to me. How’s the house hunting going?”
She sat in the gray-and-burgundy armchair across from Lisa and set her purse on the floor beside her. “Really good. I think the house we’re viewing tonight is the one. We’ve already seen it once, but there’s one other on our short list. But I really like this one. It’s my favorite.”
“Does your dad know you’re moving in together, yet?”
Just the reminder of her dad was enough to make Karma bristle. “He still doesn’t even know we’re engaged.”
“You haven’t told him? What about your mom?”
“No. I’ve been busy. Mark’s been busy. Plus, this isn’t something either of us wants to say over the phone or in an e-mail, and since my dad doesn’t want Mark in his house, and I don’t want to share the news without him, we’re at a stalemate.”
“Sooner or later you need to tell him, even if you have to force the issue or compromise on the how. I mean, Karma, he kind of has to walk you down the aisle and give you away. So, the sooner you tell him, the better.”
“Mark and I haven’t even set a date, yet.”
“What’s the holdup?”
“Like I said, we’ve been busy.”
“Too busy to take five minutes and pick a date?” Lisa’s e-mail chimed. She briefly glanced at her monitor before dismissing whatever message she’d received and turned back to Karma. “Seriously, Karma. If you want a June wedding, you might have already missed the window.” She cocked her head. “I thought you were excited about this.”
“I am.”
“Then what’s stopping you?”
Karma shrugged. “Mark suggested we wait until after things calm down. We’re both crazy busy right now, Leese. I start classes next week, I just got my first editing assignment, we’re buying a house, we’ve got to pack, change all our mailing information, move, buy furniture. There’s a lot to do.”
“Okay, but don’t wait too long. There’s a lot of planning that goes into a wedding, and you want to get moving.”
“You’re right. There is a lot of planning, which is why we’re waiting until things settle down.” She relaxed into the chair, smiling to herself. “God, Lisa. Is this really happening?”
“What? That you’re buying a house with Mr. Hotness? Or that you’re marrying the guy?”
She laughed. “No . . . just . . . well, yeah. All of it.” She sat forward and scooted to the edge of the chair, suddenly anxious. “I mean, Lisa, he has money. More money than I ever thought the man I’d marry would have.”
Lisa’s eyebrows scrunched over her nose as she angled her head curiously. “And this is a problem how?”
Karma rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. He’s rich, Lisa.” She’d already revealed to Lisa what Mark had told her about the state of his finances. “And this house is huge. I’m not used to living that way.”
“And what way is that? Comfortably?”
She exhaled gruffly. “No, silly. Like I’ll need a team of maids just to keep the place clean.”
“Well, I think Mark can afford it.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is the point? What’s wrong with marrying a guy who has money?”
“What if I don’t fit into his world?”
Lisa frowned as if she’d never heard anything so ridiculous. “Trust me. You fit.”
Karma sighed. “I don’t know. This is all so strange and new and . . . I feel like I’m in a whirlwind.”
“Which you will come out of once you settle down and get used to things. Just relax, Karma. Count your blessings. You’re one of the lucky ones.”
“How so?”
“You’re in love with a man who loves you. A man who’s not just in love with you but crazy in love with you. Who just happens to be a multimillionaire and a brilliant businessman. A man who has professional aspirations and doesn’t just want to live off his inheritance. Who’s got his shit together and sweeps you away on a private jet to a tropical island on a whim. So, let yourself enjoy the moment, girl.”
She sighed and pushed herself back in her chair. “Yeah, okay. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I—”
A knock on the door interrupted Karma, and she turned to see an attractive blonde she didn’t recognize standing in the doorway. The woman appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties, with large, doe-like eyes. She was dressed impeccably in a stylish, magenta suit. Her skirt hit just above the knee, revealing slender, toned calves. She wore beige peep-toe platform pumps.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” The woman glanced toward Karma and smiled apologetically as she took a step back. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Lisa shook her head. “No, that’s okay, Kit. Come on in.”
This was Kit? Jesus! Karma swallowed her shock but turned incredulous eyes on Lisa. Why hadn’t Lisa told her Kit was a walking Victoria’s Secret model?
“Kit, this is Karma Mason, Mark’s fiancée.” Lisa gestured toward her.
“You’re Karma?” Kit practically gushed like a fan meeting her rock idol. “I’ve heard so much about you. Mark goes on and on about how you used to be his assistant.” She giggled, and the sound was like tiny silver wind chimes tinkling in the breeze, charming and perfect. “Sometimes I fear I’ll never live up to your legacy.” She waved her perfectly manicured hand and stepped forward. “It’s so good to finally meet you.”
Mark goes on and on about how you used to be his assistant.
The statement felt like a knife to the gut. Even now, after two months, Karma still missed working with him. Still felt the loss like it was a personal injury.
She forced a smile and stood. “It’s good to finally meet you, too.”
She’d almost forgotten that Lisa had told her about Kit during their conversation before Mark whisked her away. She’d said Mark had been struggling to find a new assistant but that maybe Kit would work out. That had been the last Karma heard about the woman, and now, here she was. Looked like she’d worked out all right.
“So, Kit, what’s up?” Lisa said.
The impressive blonde handed a file over to Lisa. “That candidate Mark just interviewed?”
Lisa snagged the file and opened it. “Yes?”
“It’s a no.”
Lisa groaned. “Damn.” She wrote the word “No” in red ink along the top margin of the applicant’s résumé then closed the manila flap with a smack. “That man is going to be the death of me.” Lisa pointed toward Karma. “You’d better warn him that I’m about to do something that could cause him severe bodily harm.”
Karma held up her hands. “Hey, I just sleep
with the guy.”
Okay, where had that stupid remark come from? Marking her territory, perhaps?
Lisa’s eyes narrowed knowingly then she turned back toward Kit. “Thank you, Kit. And could you let Mark know Karma’s in my office?”
“Absolutely.” Kit smiled at her. Her teeth resembled pristine white marble. Bright and perfectly straight. Bleach much? “Nice to meet you, Karma.”
“Same here.” She gave a little wave and watched Kit exit and disappear down the hall.
She hooked her thumb toward the door. “Do you think those are her real teeth?”
“Really, Karma? Could you be any more obvious?”
“What?”
“You’re jealous.”
“I am not.”
“‘I just sleep with the guy’? Really?”
“Well, I do.”
Lisa shook her head, eyes flashing upward. “I can’t believe you’re jealous of her when you’re wearing that iceberg on your finger.” She gestured toward Karma’s engagement ring.
“I’m not jealous.”
“You’re practically green.”
“Fine, whatever. I’m jealous. So what?” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “But you told me she was average-looking.” She pointed out the door. “That is not average, Lisa. That is stunning.”
“Okay, so I misspoke. But in my defense, she looked average when she came in for her interview. How was I supposed to know she’d turn into . . . that?” She flapped her arm toward the empty doorway.
“And you didn’t think you should clue me in?”
“What’s there to clue in? She’s pretty. Who cares? Mark wants you, not his assistant.”
“I was his assistant.”
“And now you’re not, and he still wants you, not Kit, so calm down.”
Karma sighed and backed into her chair, feeling a bit silly for her jealous outburst. “Maybe you’re right. She’s probably really sweet, and here I am freaking out over nothing, right?
“Right.”
Rolling her eyes, she briefly dropped her head into her hand then took a deep breath and looked back up. “Ignore me. I’m just being stupid. Mark and I haven’t spent much time together since getting back from Saint Lucia, and with my classes starting and everything else going on, it’s just going to be that much harder for us to spend time together. I’m just feeling a little fragile right now.”
She hadn’t felt that way until she saw Kit, though. But just getting a peek at Mark’s new assistant had reopened a fresh wave of realization that she and Mark no longer worked together. She’d come to identify their working relationship as part of who they were romantically, and coming face-to-face with Kit for the first time roused new insecurity. Mark had moved on. He had found a new assistant. He had replaced her, despite her irrational hope he wouldn’t be able to. She had to accept that phase of their relationship was officially over. She no longer played a professional role in his life. Theirs was purely a personal relationship now, which felt so bizarre given how they’d started.
And damn, Kit was pretty. With lovely legs and attractive feet. Funny how she noticed such things now. She was constantly on the lookout for sexy footwear to satisfy Mark’s foot fetish and tease him.
“Did you see her shoes?”
Lisa sat back and crossed her arms. “Her shoes? Really? You’re going to talk about her shoes now?”
“I told you about Mark’s foot fetish. He’s got to be seriously drooling over her shoes, Lisa.”
“You’re making too much of this.”
Karma sighed and slumped her shoulders. “I know, but . . . I can’t help it.”
“Try.”
“It’s not that easy.”
Lisa sat forward and folded her hands together on her desk, gaze compassionate. “I know it’s not. I know you’ve dealt with some pretty nasty shit in your past, and no matter how hard you try to forget, it’s always going to be there. But you’re in a better place now. And Mark isn’t going to cheat on you. He’s nothing but professional around Kit. Trust me when I tell you you’re the only one that makes his eyes sparkle when he sees you.”
“Yeah, but what about her? Does she know that, or am I going to have to watch her shamelessly ogle him at the next company picnic? Because, let’s face it, Mark is very attractive, and women stare at him everywhere we go. I told you about the boat bitches in Saint Lucia.”
Lisa’s expression morphed into one a mother might give an objectionable child. “Yes, and then you took great pleasure in informing me that Mark dismissed the boat bitches because he knew they made you uncomfortable. So, you see, Mark is very aware of your feelings and makes every attempt to show you that you’re the only one allowed to ogle him. And would you much rather Mark be ugly so that no one looked at him at all?”
Karma lowered her gaze. “No.”
Lisa leaned forward. “I mean, come on, Karma. He’s hot. He’s probably one of the top five percent in good-looking men in the country. There’s nothing he can do about that except try to reassure you he only has eyes for you. But if you keep getting jealous over Kit and boat bitches and every other semi-attractive woman who comes along, pretty soon he’s going to get tired of reassuring you.”
Harsh, but Lisa wasn’t one to sugarcoat the truth, and Karma appreciated her honesty, even if it stung a little.
Lisa’s gaze grew more patient and understanding. “Kit is very professional around Mark. He’s her boss, and she handles herself accordingly. No flirtatious looks or anything. She knows he’s engaged to you, and she respects that.”
“And you know that how?”
“My gut,” Lisa said immediately, eyes sharp. “So stop trying to find warning signs where there aren’t any.”
Karma bowed her head, feeling scorned. Lisa was an exceptional judge of character, so if she said Kit was above-board, she was. “Okay. You’re right. I’m being silly, letting my insecurity get the better of me. I know he loves me and that I shouldn’t worry.”
“That’s the spirit.” Lisa plucked the lid off her crystal candy dish and nudged the bowl toward her. “Now, have some M&M’s. They’ll make you feel better.”
“Mmm, chocolate. You do know how to make a girl feel better.” She fished out a small handful of colored candies and tossed them in her mouth.
“Knock-knock.”
Karma turned as Mark breezed into the office, his black wool coat slung over his forearm. He swept in and kissed her on the cheek. “How long have you been here?”
Seeing the adoration in his eyes made her feel even sillier for letting envy and doubt get the better of her. “About fifteen minutes.”
Lisa stood. “I’m mad at you, Mark.”
Mark fished a sampling of M&M’s from her dish before Lisa could drop the lid back into place. He grinned as if they were in on a private joke. “Why? What did I do?”
Lisa pointed at the file folder. “You turned down another applicant.”
He tossed the candy into his mouth and held up his arms as if innocent. “Then give me someone I can use.”
“I have. About ten someones. And you keep rejecting them.”
Grinning, Mark took the lid off the candy bowl and helped himself to more chocolates.
“Hey,” Lisa warned. “Hands off the bowl, fast fingers.”
It was a well-known fact that Lisa guarded her candy dish with an iron fist and only doled out when she saw fit.
Laughing, Mark tossed the M&M’s into his mouth and dusted off his hands. “You’re too stingy with the treats.”
“Whatever. Now, what was wrong with this guy?” She pressed her index finger to the folder on her desk. “I screened him, and he seemed perfect.”
“He couldn’t look me in the eye.”
“He looked me in the eye just fine.”
Mark pointed his finger toward the ceiling as if making a point. “Exactly. He could look you in the eye, but not me. Why is that a problem for a project manager?” Even though he was giving Lisa a hard time,
he kept a smile on his face, so Karma knew he wasn’t being as harsh as he made himself sound.
Lisa frowned as if lost.
“Because,” Karma said, drawing two sets of eyes her direction, “he’s got a confidence problem. He’s fine with women, but when faced with an intimidating man, or even with men, in general, he wilts. You need someone who won’t wilt when faced with an upset or overbearing customer, which includes about ninety percent of Solar’s customer base.”
Mark smiled proudly at her then arched his brow at Lisa as he snapped his fingers. “Exactly. That’s why I rejected him.”
That familiar buzz of accomplishment prickled Karma’s skin. Every day working with Mark had felt this way. He’d taught her so much, and she’d been so in tune with him. She’d known what he needed. What he wanted. What he looked for in people. And every proud smile had felt like a reward. Now that they no longer worked together, she had to find another way to reap those rewards and make such a connection with him.
“I knew that.” Lisa sank back into her chair and tossed the file aside. “Fine. I’ll keep looking.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, “the perfect candidate is out there somewhere.”
“Yeah, but he’s taking his sweet time getting his ass in here to put me out of my misery.”
“Why don’t I have Kit screen the applicants with you? She’s pretty tuned in to what I’m looking for. An extra hand could take some of the load off your shoulders.”
Karma briefly met Lisa’s gaze, and despite a pang of loss, she gave a quick, tight nod to let Lisa know she was over her green-eyed meltdown.
“Sounds like a great idea,” Lisa said somewhat cautiously, dropping her gaze briefly then meeting Mark’s again. “I’ll get with her after you leave and work out the logistics.”
“Great. Thanks.” Mark pulled his coat from over his arm and turned toward Karma. “So, are you ready to buy a house, honey?”
She grabbed her purse and stood, liking the way he called her honey, as if the term of endearment were a public stamp to mark her as his. “I thought we were just viewing it.”
“We are, but unless we find something this time around that is an absolute deal killer—which I doubt we will—I think we can make an offer. I know you like this one.”