“No, I didn’t.” Marcus put his hands on his hips. “Fine. I’m going to talk to Alex.”
The band around her chest loosened. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find it.”
His brows lifted briefly as he nodded before turning and walking down the hallway. Alicia waited until he disappeared before scooting into his office. She stood at his desk and looked around before opening the first drawer.
For such a high-tech company, Alicia didn’t understand why they still had paper files on their clients. She would have thought that all the files would have been scanned and then saved on the network so people could access what they needed to. It certainly would prevent situations like this.
Alicia perched on the edge of Marcus’s large chair then leaned forward, her hair slipping over her shoulder. She pulled open the bottom drawer and began to quickly flip through the files there. When she found nothing there, she moved to the next drawer. Every once in a while, she’d glance at the doorway as if expecting Marcus to show back up and blast her for being in his office even though he’d given her permission.
Once finished with the desk, Alicia stood up and looked around. The only other place to look was the large bookcase behind Marcus’s desk that also had some drawers and cupboards. She opened one cupboard and spotted a pile of folders. The minute she pulled them out, she spotted the file on top. She closed her eyes for a minute and blew out a breath of air, saying a quick prayer of thanks.
She put the rest of the files back then headed back for her desk. As she sank into her chair, she grabbed her phone and sent a quick text to Marcus.
Alicia: Found it!
It seemed like she’d barely hit send before Marcus was headed toward her. He came to a stop in front of her desk, and she immediately held out the file. Though he took it from her, Marcus didn’t look at it right away.
“I didn’t upset you over this, did I?” he asked, his brows drawn together.
Alicia smiled and shook her head. “It’s fine. All that matters is that I found the file.”
“Well, that’s not all that matters, but I appreciate you making such an effort to find it.”
“That’s my job.”
Marcus gave a single nod of his head before he finally looked down at the file. As soon as he opened it, he headed into his office.
Alicia slumped back into her chair, relief coursing through her. She hadn’t thought that Marcus would fire her over a lost file, but she really didn’t want to give him any reason to not be happy with her work. Every day when she got ready for work, she said a prayer of thanks for the job and then did her best to keep it.
Already she was seeing the financial benefits of this job. In addition to meeting her monthly financial obligations, she’d been able to set aside a big chunk of her first paycheck for a plane ticket back to California in a week or two. More than anything she wanted to move to a new apartment, but she knew that it would be wiser to wait until she’d been at the job a little longer. Just in case. Plus, she would still need to save up the deposit for a new apartment.
“Alicia, can I see you for a moment?”
Marcus’s request startled her out of her reverie, and she jumped to her feet and headed into his office.
“I need you to scan these five pages and upload them to our drive on the network.” Marcus held out several pieces of paper. “Be sure to encrypt them before uploading. The company wants to see the original handwritten reports by the team that worked with them so make sure the scans are clear.”
Alicia nodded her understanding as she took the papers. “I’ll let you know when they’re up on the drive.”
As she turned to go, he said her name and she swung back around to face him.
“Thank you again for finding the file.” Marcus paused. “You’ve been doing a terrific job, and today was no exception.”
Alicia felt heat rise in her cheeks as pleasure flooded her at his compliment, but all she said was, “Thank you.”
As she fed the papers through the scanner a few minutes later, Alicia took a moment to revel in Marcus’s words. From what she’d heard from others, Marcus rarely, if ever, handed out praise, so the fact that he’d done that for her filled her with happiness.
It was probably dumb to want to please Marcus as much as she did, particularly because she wasn’t necessarily doing it as an employee wanting to please their employer. She definitely was doing it because she wanted Marcus to appreciate her. It was the closest she’d ever get to being important to Marcus, and that desire was fueled by the crush she had on the man.
Alicia would never tell anyone how she felt about him, and she tried her best to be professional in their dealings with each other, but her heart soared with happiness whenever he thanked her. And today, when he’d told her she was doing a terrific job, she could hardly keep from beaming at him.
~*~
“I’m proud of you, man.”
Marcus looked up to see Alex in his doorway, leaning a shoulder against the doorjamb with his hands shoved in his pockets. He scowled at him before looking back down at the folder in front of him. “For what?”
“For handling the missing file situation as well as you did.” Alex straightened and came toward his desk. He dropped down into the chair across from him.
“It’s late. Shouldn’t you be at home with your pregnant wife?” Truth be told, however, he was actually kind of proud of himself for how he’d handled the situation.
“She’s out for a girls’ night with Adrianne, Melanie, and Mom. No need for me to rush home.” Alex stretched his legs out. “Guess we should have hired you a relative sooner.”
Marcus leaned back in his chair and frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Now it was Alex’s turn to frown. “I thought the reason you didn’t lose it with Alicia is because she’s Eric’s sister.”
Hmmm…well, that hadn’t actually crossed his mind at the time. His reasons for not blowing up over the situation had definitely involved not wanting to upset Alicia. And yes, one of those reasons had been because he didn’t want to have to train another assistant, but more than that, he didn’t want to lose Alicia. For starters, she was doing a stellar job. She didn’t deserve to have him get upset with her, especially since it had ended up being his fault.
“I really, really don’t want to have to train someone new. Again.” Marcus sighed. “Maybe it was time for me to try and rethink how I was dealing with my assistants. And Alicia is doing a great job, so I might as well start with her. It didn’t cross my mind that she was Eric’s sister. I think she’s been working hard to prove she’s worth keeping on despite being related to someone here.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that. Eric seemed confident in her abilities, so I’m glad to hear that he was right in his assessment. We really couldn’t have afforded to keep her on if she couldn’t do the job. It’s too important a position.”
“And yet some of the women sent up here by HR to do the job didn’t seem to have a clue of what to do,” Marcus said then hesitated. “I’ll admit I was a bit harsher with those because it was easier to have them quit on me than to fire them.”
Alex grinned. “You do have a heart, Marcus. It’s been whispered about, but now I have real proof. Helping a person save face by being mean to them, so they quit instead of being fired is just such a softie move.”
Marcus flipped his pen in Alex’s direction. “Any other profound observations from you tonight? I have work to do.”
“No,” Alex said with a sigh as he tossed Marcus’s pen back onto his desk. “That pretty much tapped my brain out tonight. But seriously…it’s a Friday night. Why are you working late?”
“Just wanting to get a little bit more done before I’m gone for three days next week. I won’t be here much longer, though. Meredith will no doubt be wondering where I am.”
Alex pulled his legs in but didn’t get to his feet. “How’s your sister doing these days?”
“Good. She and her dog, Bond, are doi
ng great together. It has helped take some of the pressure off me too since I’m not as worried about her having a meltdown when I’m not there. Bond helps her settle down a lot more quickly and even keeps her from getting to the point of no return where her emotions are concerned. Of course, Derek is a big help too. I think she kind of has a little crush on him, but I’m pretending I don’t see it.”
“I’m glad to hear that she’s doing well. Especially with Bond. I know Melanie will be glad to hear that too. The program is a definite success at the Wellness Center.”
Marcus picked up his pen and ran it back and forth between his fingers. “I’m very grateful that Melanie pursued that program for the center and gave Meredith the opportunity to be part of it.”
“Well, I know that all Melanie wants is for the programs and services at the center to be of help to people and that doesn’t just mean the veterans who come to us. I think it’s wonderful that the service dog program is helping you and Meredith.”
They spent a few minutes talking further about the program before Alex got to his feet. “Well, I’ll let you finish up so you can head home to Meredith. Call me Monday evening after your meeting and let me know how it goes.”
“Will do.” Marcus stared at the empty doorway after Alex had left.
For the first time in a lot of years, Marcus found himself wondering what it would be like to be heading home to a wife and a family after a long day at work. He’d had a brief taste of it once many years ago when he’d lived with a girlfriend, but he had been too young to appreciate it, and it had been over almost before it had truly begun. Then about the time he might have been ready to try for another relationship, everything had happened that had ended up with Meredith in his care full-time. Emotionally shattered, she had required so much of his time and energy that he hadn’t thought it would be fair to a woman to try and start something when he couldn’t give a relationship his full attention.
He wondered if Alicia had someone special in her life. Eric had never mentioned it, and now it would be inappropriate to even broach the subject when they were employer and employee. Though it had been her somewhat fragile appearance that had first drawn him in, since she’d begun working for him, he admired her work ethic and her determination to do a good job. For the first time in a long time, he had confidence that he had an assistant who would truly assist him. That was a relief after having to deal with people who seemed to be scared of him.
It was also a relief to know that when he left on his business trip in a few days Alicia would be perfectly capable of handling things in his absence. He could only hope that Meredith would fare as well. She was never very happy when he went on business trips, but at least he knew she’d be safe since Derek, the bodyguard Marcus had hired, would be with her.
~*~
Alicia sat next to Tori and Trent at church on Sunday morning. Most Sundays she was still amazed that she was sitting in church and, even more surprising, she enjoyed being there. Her mother had railed against all things religious on a daily basis. Often, she felt like she, the church, God and the Bible had much in common: the contempt and sometimes outright hatred of her mother. No wonder she’d found solace in the assurances and promises in the Bible about what God wanted in her life.
Her life had changed so much since she made that fateful decision to take her savings and fly to Minneapolis to meet the man she’d learned was her father. She’d had absolutely no expectations when she’d set out on that journey, and yet somehow, she’d ended up with people who had willingly accepted her—for the most part—into their lives. She’d had more hugs since meeting the McKinleys than she’d had in all her years up until that point.
It was hard not to be angry at her mother, but knowing what she did about her mother’s past, Alicia wasn’t really surprised at how she’d turned out. And there was a part of her that wondered if her mom had struggled with some sort of mental illness issues as well. But while her mom had lived in bondage to her past, Alicia was trying her best not to…even though she had somehow ended up with secrets that could very well destroy the happiness she’d found in Minneapolis.
Following the service, Eric, Staci, and Sarah met them at a nearby restaurant for lunch then they all went their separate ways. Back in her tiny apartment, Alicia settled onto her bed with her laptop and began to do a search for rental properties. She knew a move was still something further away in her future, but it was fun to look. To imagine. To dream.
But the one thing she really had a hard time allowing herself to do was hope. There was a fine line between dreaming and hoping, but since she’d been a child faced with a stressful reality, she’d dreamed. She would escape that reality by dreaming about a world where she lived with two parents who loved her and showered her with hugs and kisses. But she’d never allowed herself to hope for a change to her reality.
Hope brought hurt, and young Alicia had had so much hurt in her life already that she would never invite more. That was a hard mindset to escape. Even now after having landed what was turning out to be her dream job, Alicia found it difficult to hope for much more. She should just be grateful for and content with what she had.
But was it too much to hope for a nice place to call home and maybe someday someone to share it with?
Maybe for her, it was.
The thought caused an ache to swell within her chest. It was never completely gone—the ache—but at times it was so faint so as to not even be painful. But then there were times when it swelled to life, threatening to take the very breath from her lungs. And it happened when she saw an apartment that met so many of her desires for a home, but that was, even with her new salary, well out of reach of her budget.
It was a clear reminder that life for her was not about wanting what she didn’t have, but rather about appreciating what she did have.
Alicia slipped her laptop down onto the bed beside her and sank down further into the pillows. It was rare that she allowed herself to slip that far back into the feelings of the past. She had way too much to be grateful for to be thinking like that. Once she had a bit more time on the job, she’d revisit a possible move, and in the meantime, she must remember to be grateful.
~*~
“You’re with me,” Marcus said, his voice brusque as he walked past Alicia’s desk into his office.
Without asking for clarification, Alicia secured her laptop then began to gather up her purse along with her tablet and phone. Knowing that he had to leave for the airport in five minutes, she assumed that he had things he needed to discuss with her, so she was going to be taking a ride with him. She doubted he meant she was going along with him to Washington, D.C.
“Ready?” he asked as he came to stand next to her desk. He was wearing a dark gray pinstripe suit with a white shirt and black patterned tie. With his chiseled jaw and styled hair, he cut an imposing figure. He exuded power in a way that no doubt drew attention wherever he went.
He currently also exuded an air of impatience.
Alicia slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder and nodded that she was ready to go. With a nod of his own, Marcus led the way to the elevator. They stopped long enough for him to inform Kelsey that he was out of the office for the next three days but that Alicia would be back within the hour.
The ride down to the main floor in the elevator was quiet. Marcus was not a fan of small talk when he was in work mode, Alicia had discovered. Which was fine with her. The less they chatted, the less likely it was that she would share something she didn’t mean to.
Once they were downstairs, Marcus approached the black town car that was waiting just outside the main entrance to the building. The driver opened the back door as they drew near. Marcus waited until Alicia got in before going around the car to slide in next to her.
It wasn’t until the car was in motion that Marcus began to talk. Alicia quickly pulled out her tablet and began to make notes. In the short time she’d been his assistant, Alicia had learned a few things about the man sitting n
ext to her. In addition to not being a fan of small talk, he preferred to communicate face to face. She wouldn’t be surprised that if he needed to talk to her about stuff while away that they would be utilizing Skype. It was installed on her tablet and phone, and he’d had her set up an account during her first few days on the job.
“Trent will be getting some information to you in the next day or two. Put it together with the rest of the information in the Jeller file and upload it so I can read through it.”
Alicia tapped the information into her notes program as he spoke. She knew that he would expect her to follow up with Trent if she didn’t have the info by the end of the next day.
“Ask Eric to give you the information for the bid for the defense contract so I can review—” He stopped talking when his phone rang.
The ring tone was the one Alicia knew was for his sister. She had learned that his sister was extremely important to Marcus. More so than most siblings seemed to be, if her observations of Eric, Brooke and Tori were correct.
“Meredith, calm down. What’s going on?”
6
Alicia tensed when she saw the scowl on Marcus’s face. It was never an expression she’d seen in relation to his sister. In fact, in the rare moments when he talked about her, his demeanor usually softened.
“Art,” Marcus said as he reached forward and grasped the driver’s seat. “Change of plans. Go to my house. Quickly.”
The driver gave a quick nod and soon pulled off the highway and headed away from the route they’d been on to the airport. Alicia clutched her tablet, uncertain of what was going on.
“Meredith, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Marcus turned to Alicia and held out his hand. “Your phone.”
She pulled it out of her purse and gave it to him. He handed his phone to her and said, “Try to keep her talking and calm her down, if possible.”
A Sense of Security: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 6) Page 7