A Sense of Security: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 6)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Marcus stepped around Amber to make sure he was seated on the side of the booth that would give him a view of the room. “Thank you, Amber.”

  After she had left them, Alicia slid into her side of the booth and set her purse down next to her.

  “So, you’ve been here before?” Marcus asked as he picked up the menu.

  Alicia followed suit. “Yes. Lucas brought the family here for Brooke’s birthday.”

  Silence settled over the table as they perused the menus. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, they received their drinks and placed their order for the meal.

  As they waited for their food, Marcus pulled his phone out and set it on the table. He’d made a few notes of what he’d wanted to cover with Alicia over dinner. He hated having to dump all this on her at once, but the next couple of days were going to be busy for him, so he needed her to be able to hit the ground running.

  Marcus wasn’t quite sure what to make of the woman sitting across from him. She didn’t appear to be one for much small talk, though at his prompting, she’d engaged in conversation with him over the menu and about the décor of the restaurant. And another thing he’d noticed about her was her lack of movement. She didn’t fidget much at all. At the moment, she was relaxed against the back of the booth, but still, she didn’t move.

  Most of the people he was around—both men and women—tended to move. They’d touch their clothes, fiddle with their phone or stir their drink. They did something to keep their hands busy. Alicia, however, sat there with her hands in her lap. Her gaze was another story. Though he had the clearest view of the room, he noticed that her gaze flitted around the area she could view without turning her head. He didn’t get the feeling that she was avoiding his gaze, just that she was making herself aware of her surroundings. Maybe teaching her to survey an area wouldn’t be as difficult as he’d thought.

  Marcus did have to wonder how she’d come to develop that trait. Though people were observant to varying degrees, Alicia seemed aware in a way that most weren’t. Maybe he should have done that background check on her after all.

  Of course, it wasn’t too late.

  Once the waitress returned with their meal, Alicia hesitated, staring down at her food but not picking up her silverware.

  “Is everything okay?” Marcus asked, his gaze going from her face to her plate and back again.

  She looked up at him, showing some indecision for the first time. “Is it okay if I say grace for my food?”

  Marcus pulled back, surprised at her question, though when he thought about it, he shouldn’t have been. She was part of a very faith-based family, after all. “Certainly. You don’t need to ask me permission to do that.”

  He waited until she lifted her head before picking up his own silverware and starting to eat. After the first couple of bites, Marcus addressed the first thing on his list.

  4

  Though the meal had been lovely and filling, Alicia was ready for it to be over. She’d never been around Marcus for an extended period of time before so hadn’t realized how on edge he could be. That, in turn, put her on edge too. She herself was slightly that way to begin with, but being around this man was kicking it up a notch.

  “Do you have questions about anything you’ve heard today?” Marcus asked as he picked up his cup of coffee. She’d made note when the waitress had brought it to him that he had added no sugar and just a dollop of cream.

  She had so much information in her head and in the notebook which she’d been using to take notes that she wasn’t sure if she had questions or not. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I need a little time to review everything, I think.”

  Marcus nodded. “I’m going to be tied up in meetings for the next couple of days, but you can always ask one of the other assistants if you run into something you need help with. I’m going to email you a general schedule of how my day usually unfolds when I’m in the office so you know what to expect. Of course, that can all change at a moment’s notice, but it will give you something to work from.”

  He paused while the waitress cleared away their plates, continuing when she walked away. “My contact information, along with several others in the office, has been added to your cell phone. If you need me for anything, don’t hesitate to call. If I don’t answer, leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

  She nodded her understanding. Right then she just wanted their business to be finished so he could take her back to her car and she could go home. There had been so much information to take in. She had no doubt that she could handle everything, she just needed a little time to process it all.

  “One last thing…” His blue gaze was intense as he looked at her. The warmth that spread through her was just another reason she wanted to put a bit of distance between her and this man. Clearly, she was going to have to work on keeping her emotions under control when she was around Marcus. Hopefully, it would get easier with time. “I want this to work out. I really do. I need to have someone I can rely on and trust to do this job. I have a good feeling about you, but you need to tell me if there are issues that come up that have to be dealt with. I really don’t want to find a resignation letter in my inbox before I have a chance to figure out if we can fix whatever is making you want to quit.”

  “I understand,” Alicia said. He had no worries about her quitting. This job was a Godsend, and she didn’t plan to give it up even if it involved walking over hot coals. She could handle difficult people, and nothing he could ever say to her would be worse than what she’d already had thrown at her in life. She could do this.

  “Good.” Marcus glanced at his watch. “I need to get back to the office, so I guess we’d better go.”

  When Alicia finally settled behind the wheel of her own car, she let out a long breath and leaned her head back against the headrest. This job was going to be challenging, but she could handle challenging. She’d proven that much in her life already.

  Alicia was in the office the next morning at twenty minutes to eight. She greeted the muscle men at the front door, and they responded with smiles as one of them pressed the button to allow her entrance to the elevator. Using the card she’d been given, Alicia was able to get the elevator to go to the top floor without the men pushing whatever buttons they had before to grant her access.

  When the doors slid open, Alicia spotted Kelsey standing at her desk taking off her coat. The woman smiled as she got out of the elevator.

  “Good morning,” she said as Alicia approached her. “Ready to work?”

  “Yes. No better way to learn the ropes than diving right in.” She’d had a mild case of nerves when she’d been getting ready earlier, but on the drive over, she’d managed to get them under control.

  “Well, if you need caffeine fortification, there’s a coffee machine in the lunch room. Did anyone show you that?”

  Alicia shook her head. That was probably the only place she hadn’t seen in her orientation. “I’d love some coffee, actually.”

  “Me, too.” Kelsey jerked her head to the side with a smile. “Come with me.”

  Alicia followed her to a door that was on the same side as the washroom she’d used the night before. Kelsey pushed open the door and led her into a bright, sunny room. There were three small round tables with chairs set up around them as well as some comfortable looking couches along the outside edge. The wall opposite the door was covered in windows which let in loads of sunshine, and there was a large television on the wall to her left.

  “Each floor has its own lunchroom. Fully equipped.” Kelsey waved her hand to the appliances that lined the wall to their right. “Coffee is provided. All different flavors so help yourself to whatever you fancy.”

  Kelsey showed her how to use the coffee machine and where the cream and sugar were. Not knowing what to expect for lunch, all Alicia had brought was an apple and some crackers. Now that she knew she had access to a fridge and microwave, she’d be able to pack something more substantial in the
future.

  Alicia was at her desk with her cup of coffee in hand with three minutes to spare. She set her cup down on the wooden surface as she glanced toward Marcus’s open door. From the looks of it, her laptop bag was still in his office. She smoothed the jacket of her suit and stepped into the doorway.

  Marcus was at his desk but looked up as soon as she appeared. He pushed his chair back and got to his feet. “Good morning, Alicia. Ready for the day?”

  “Yes. I’m just looking for my laptop bag.” She kept her fingers laced across her stomach to keep from fidgeting.

  “It’s right here.” He came around his desk and picked it up from the chair where she’d spent a good chunk of time the day before. “Let me help you get set up.”

  She quickly walked out of his office to her desk and waited as he put the bag on the desk and unzipped it.

  “Go ahead and sit down,” Marcus said, waving to her chair.

  After she’d settled into its ergonomic firmness, Marcus leaned in to press the button to turn on first one monitor then the other. She got a whiff of his cologne as the edge of his suit coat brushed her arm. He rested one hand on the desk as he stared at the screen. Alicia tried to keep her gaze there as well, but it was hard to ignore the warmth of his nearness. She clasped her hands tightly in her lap and held herself still. With her gaze on the monitors, she tried to block out everything else that was distracting her.

  “As you can see, you have two monitors. I think you’ll find it is easier to work with this setup. Some people actually have three, so if you get to the point where you think it would be easier to have another monitor, just let me or Trent know.” He waved a hand at the monitor. “All these programs are available to you remotely on your laptop. Let me show you how you can do that.”

  Within minutes he had the laptop set up which proved that Trent wasn’t the only computer guru in the company. As he showed her the steps she needed to go through to remotely access the desktop, she made notes in her notebook once again.

  “There you go,” he said as he straightened. “I see you found the coffee machine.”

  “Yes. Kelsey showed me where it was and how to operate it.”

  “Several of us can’t survive without our coffee. I believe your brother is one of the biggest users of the machine.”

  Alicia smiled. Yes, Eric was quite addicted to his coffee. “Should I have gotten you a cup? Is that part of the morning routine?”

  His gaze met hers, a rare spark of humor in his blue eyes. “No. I’m quite capable of getting my own coffee. Besides, you wouldn’t have known how I take it.”

  “No sugar. Splash of cream,” Alicia said before she could stop herself.

  One of his dark brows rose at her response. “Good. You pay attention to details. But still, I’m fine getting my own coffee.”

  “Morning, guys.”

  Alicia looked up to see Eric approaching from the direction of his office, coffee mug in hand. He gave her a warm smile. “Ready for your first day?”

  She shot Marcus a quick glance. “I certainly hope so.”

  “I’m sure you’re going to do just fine,” Eric said. “Just remember that Marcus is all bark and no bite.”

  From the grunt that came from Marcus, Alicia wasn’t sure he wanted that to be publicized. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Eric looked at Marcus. “I’m on my way to get coffee and then I’ll be in the boardroom for the meeting.”

  “I’m going to grab one, too.” After Eric had left them, Marcus turned back to her. “Normally you’d sit in on at least part of this meeting, but since this is your first day, I think it’s more important that you get into the other tasks first. Next week, you’ll come with me.”

  Alicia nodded and made a mental note to add that to her calendar. She planned to make good use of her calendar for everything. The last thing she wanted to do was drop the ball because she forgot to set up a reminder for herself.

  Once Marcus had left for the meeting, she settled back in her chair and stared down at her notepad, saying a quick prayer to ask God to help her through her first day. She’d spent an hour the night before going over her notes, highlighting some areas and adding to others. Looking at the scope of her responsibilities had caused a moment of panic, but that morning she was choosing to eat the elephant one bite at a time.

  ~*~

  “As you all know by now, Eric’s sister, Alicia, has joined the BlackThorpe family. I expect you all to make her feel welcome,” Marcus said as the meeting was drawing to a close. He let his gaze drift to the men and women seated at the table. “I’m determined that she’s going to be my last assistant. I’m too old—not to mention too busy—to have to keep hiring new ones and training them. So all of you do what you have to, to help her feel welcome and at ease here.”

  “We’re not the ones who’ve been chasing off your assistants, Marcus,” Adrianne pointed out with a grin.

  Marcus sent a scowl in her direction. “Regardless, I want—no, I need—for her to work out. So far, I think she’s got the skill and the backbone to do the job.”

  “Oh, she’s got both,” Eric agreed. “I wouldn’t have recommended her for the job if I had thought you’d scare her off, Marcus.”

  “I sure hope you’re right. This assistant problem has dragged on for far too long.”

  He finished off with a reminder for their next meeting and then dismissed them. Though most of the group hung around to chat a bit after their meetings each week, Marcus gathered up his stuff and headed back to his office.

  From down the hallway, he could see Alicia at her desk, gaze focused on the screen in front of her. He hoped that her morning had gone relatively smoothly. He’d returned from more than one meeting to find an assistant in tears over something.

  “Everything going okay?”

  She looked up, a quick smile curving her full lips. “Everything is fine. I did have to get Kelsey to show me how to work the phone system. It’s a little fancier than what I’ve used in the past.”

  “Ah, I did forget to show you that, didn’t I? You’ve got a handle on it now?”

  “Yep. I shouldn’t disconnect anyone.”

  “Good. Well, I’ve got to prep for my next meeting. Did you have anything you needed to ask me?”

  “No, but if you could just take a minute to review how I dealt with the emails this morning to make sure it’s correct, I would appreciate that.”

  With a nod, Marcus turned toward his office door. He was relieved that Alicia seemed to be handling the job. Of course, it had just been a few hours, and she’d yet to be faced with a situation where he needed her to come through in a hurry.

  He sat down behind his desk and brought up the email program they used. A quick skim through the folders showed that Alicia had filed them correctly. It was one of the simpler tasks she’d have to do, but it was a good start.

  After dealing with a couple of the more urgent emails, Marcus went back out to Alicia’s desk. She glanced up as he stepped out of his office.

  “Everything looks great,” he said which brought another quick smile to her face. “I’ll be leaving the office for the afternoon and might not be back before you leave. If not, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  As he and Alex drove to their meeting with a company looking to utilize their services, Marcus brought him up to speed on how Alicia was doing. “I think she might be a keeper.”

  Alex shot him a sideways glance as he drove. “You can tell that already?”

  “She just seems very focused on the job. Very aware of details. I get the feeling that she views this as a challenge and takes pride in doing it right.”

  “I hope she works out for you. I know this assistant thing has been driving you crazy,” Alex remarked. “You certainly seem to speak more highly of her than any of the other ones who have come to work for you since Marion retired. I’m not sure you even knew the names of a few of the assistants you’ve had.”

  Marcus hated to have to admit that Al
ex was right. “You’re right that none of them made an impact on me the way that Alicia has, even in the short time she’s been on the job.”

  “It sounds like you might admire her for more than just her ability to do the job,” Alex pointed out.

  “What are you saying?” Marcus asked even though he had a good idea what his friend meant.

  “I haven’t heard you talk about anyone the way you talk about her. You’re protective of her. Even from yourself, I can see that already.”

  Marcus pondered Alex’s words. He supposed there might be some truth to what the man had said. There was something about Alicia that made him want to shield her from things that might upset her, including himself. He was giving a lot more thought to his interactions with her than he ever had with any of the other assistants.

  “It’s not like that,” Marcus said, not ready to admit anything to Alex. The likelihood of Alicia viewing him as anything more than a boss was slim, and that was probably a good thing.

  “If you say so,” Alex responded mildly with another glance in his direction. “I think we’re going to need to build up a new team if we take this job on.”

  Glad for the change in subject, Marcus shared his thoughts on the upcoming meeting. And though he tried to keep focused on the task at hand, for the first time in a long time, he found his thoughts constantly drifting in the direction of his new assistant.

  ~*~

  Alicia breathed a sigh of relief as the last minutes ticked away on her work week. It had been the challenge she’d anticipated and more. She felt confident that for only having been on the job a week, she was doing pretty well. Marcus had only had to correct her a few times, but thankfully it wasn’t over anything major. She spent her evenings pouring over files learning all she could about the cases Marcus had dealt with that week.

  But now she was ready for a break. And in just five minutes, her day would be over. She had no big plans for the weekend, but definitely on the agenda was some entertainment which would come in the form of a movie or a book and sleeping in.