How should he play this out? Bruce needed the best way to make Gary reveal what really happened, something to throw him off guard so he couldn't distort the truth. He didn't like lying, but needed to make some vague accusations and let Gary 'fill in the blanks'. "Miss Martin and I have been talking." Which wasn't a lie. "And I understand some impropriety has gone on."
Gary laughed. "Oh, please. You can't believe anything an employee who has been fired says."
"Normally, that may be true, but since Miss Martin works for the company now, I hardly see how she would have anything to gain from lying."
Gary frowned.
Score one for Bruce, and thus far he hadn't fibbed. "So." Bruce sighed, hoping to come off sounding disappointed. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Look, I'm not the first guy to get caught up in office romance." Gary shrugged. "And when you work around hot babes all day who tend to bend over longer than they should, they're inviting you to come on to them." Gary smiled. "I'm only a man. You can't expect me not to rise to the challenge."
"Yes, I can." Bruce felt heat rise in his cheeks. "What you do off the clock is your business, but when you cross the line in the work place, it becomes the company's business, more specifically mine."
Gary's expression sobered. "But—"
"No buts about it. You're fired." Bruce turned to go, then paused. "Get your things and clear out of the office immediately. I'll send security to help you to your car."
Bruce could have almost walked out of the office without his crutches, more a matter of pride. He should have felt good about finding out the truth, or part of it. Pressing Gary for more details would have only ended in assault charges because it took everything in Bruce not to wring the man's neck. If he found out how far Gary pushed his luck with Abbey—he didn't want to think about it or he'd turn around and knock the man upside his head.
Not that Abbey was like a sister to him, he still felt protective. She didn't deserve to have to deal with this in the workplace—any place for that matter. Visions of soft green eyes, bouncy, brown, shoulder-length hair, and wide-eyed innocence racked his gut, his chest tightened. Bruce paused in the hallway outside his office, pulled out his cell phone and called security. "Please escort Mr. Hartman from the building immediately," he emphasized immediately. Otherwise, Bruce wouldn't be responsible for his actions.
Abbey was dusting bookshelves when Bruce hobbled into his office. “Hi. I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to do next,” Abbey said, waving the dust rag in her hand.
Bruce nodded. “That’s fine. It was probably better that you were in here anyway.”
Pausing, Abbey twisted to look at him. “What do you mean?”
“I had to let… someone go.”
“Oh.” Abbey’s brow furrowed then she turned back to the bookshelves and began dusting again. “Anybody I know?”
“Mr. Hartman.” Bruce waited a moment to see what her reaction would be. Abbey’s rag stopped, but she didn’t look at him. “Seems he’s prided himself as being a ladies man. Unfortunately, he’s crossed the line with a few employees. He’d even threatened to fire people.”
Bruce knew Abbey was upset when she began dusting the same shelf she had finished minutes before. “Abbey?”
“What?” her voice was barely a whisper.
Bruce maneuvered himself around a leather wingback chair and stopped behind her. He carefully laid his hands on her shoulders and gently eased her around to face him. A few tears trickled down her cheeks. His heart constricted in his chest. “Abbey, why were you really fired?”
“I wasn’t fired.”
“What? But I thought…”
“Gary wanted me to… compromise myself and I wouldn’t, so I quit. He followed me to his door and hollered, 'You’re fired!' and I knew that if I said anything, it would look like I was retaliating for being fired." Abbey's tears changed from a trickle to a stream as she told her side of the story.
Bruce balanced his weight on his good foot and embraced Abbey. The scent of apple shampoo tickled his senses—her hair smelled delicious. He chastised himself for allowing his mind to stray. Extracting a handkerchief from his back pocket, he handed it to her.
“Thank you.”
“Abbey, I’m sorry for what happened. Mr. Hartman was out of line. It happened before my company took over." Bruce inhaled a deep breath. "But I feel it is our duty to reinstate you and compensate your pay. And since it appears we now have a position open, I’d like to ask you if you would be willing to take over Mr. Hartman’s previous job?”
“I… I can’t.”
Chapter Seven
Week Four
Abbey chewed her lower lip while she drove. She'd contemplated Bruce's permanent job offer, and as much as she'd like to take it, she couldn't. Somehow, during the time of playing Good Samaritan, she'd started to develop feelings for Bruce. Maybe her feelings only stemmed from helping right a wrong and caring for him and inadvertently caused her to care too much. Whatever the reason, she couldn't put herself in an awkward situation, especially after what happened with Gary. The last thing she needed was to be accused of inappropriate behavior in the workplace.
She tapped the index finger of her left hand on the steering wheel as she drove. Normally she went to her own church on Easter. It wasn’t the thought that of a different church that bothered her, or that she had feelings for Bruce. Today she would meet Bruce’s mother. That thought alone terrified her. What if his mother didn’t like her?
“What are you thinking about?” Bruce shifted in the seat next to her.
“Nothing, really.”
“Nothing? Well either you’re concentrating really hard on the road or you’ve taken off into a distant land. I hope it’s not the latter of the two.” Abbey could see Bruce smile from the corner of her eye.
“There’s nothing wrong with my driving.”
Bruce chuckled. “Still touchy aren’t we?”
“I am not a bad driver.” She wasn’t. How could he think that? Realization dawned on her. Okay, so maybe he could questions her driving, but now he knew why she was upset the day of their accident. “If I hadn’t run into you that day, you and I might have never met.”
“I’ve thought about that, too.”
“God has a way of working things out.” At least she hoped so. Abbey heard the low grunt Bruce made. “What? Don’t you believe that God can turn a bad situation into something good or that maybe he had a reason for us meeting?”
Bruce shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe it was meant to be. But I don’t know that everything always works out. At least for good.”
Abbey glanced quickly at Bruce then back to the road. Father, is there something that didn’t work out for Bruce? Please give me the right words to say. You know how much I care about him. I want to help him. I love him. Gulping at her own admission, Abbey clutched the steering wheel tighter, turning her knuckles white.
“Abbey, there’s something I should tell you before we get to my sister’s house.” Bruce was quiet for a moment. Abbey waited for him to continue. “My father died nearly eight years ago. I haven’t spent any time during the holidays with my family since then. You see…”
Abbey wanted to reach out and take his hand but she didn’t chance removing hers from the steering wheel. Her eyes clouded with mist at his candor. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Bruce was revealing a deep part of his heart, sharing something she knew wasn’t easy for him. Whenever she talked about her father’s death it made her throat constrict and she could barely whisper. It was understandable that this was hard for Bruce. Men weren’t inclined to share their feelings as easily as women. She felt honored that he would share his with her.
“… It was my fault my father died in that car accident.”
Abbey jolted in her seat. She hadn't expect that piece of information. “What do you mean?”
“If I had been there eight years ago, on the Fourth of July, I would have been the one to drive my sister home and Dad
would be here today.” Bruce looked out the passenger side window.
“And where would you be?” Abbey glanced at Bruce. He continued to stare out his window. “Dead, Bruce. You’d be the one who was killed instead and I don’t think that would have been any comfort to your father now to be the one alive, knowing his only son had died.”
“Maybe I could have avoided the accident,” Bruce mumbled.
“Maybe, but we can’t live by maybe’s. Maybe if I had given in to Gary’s advances I wouldn’t have hit you and you wouldn’t have been hurt.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Bruce snapped.
“Yeah, that’s right and it’s ridiculous to think that if you had been the one driving that things would have been different. You don’t know what would have happened and it wouldn’t necessarily have been any better. Maybe by the time you and your father argued over who was going to take your sister home, you would have left later and perhaps both you and your sister would be dead today.
“You can’t blame yourself, Bruce. It wasn’t your fault. Things happen sometimes.” Abbey’s heart ached for the anguish Bruce had gone through all these years, thinking it was his fault.
“I don’t know, Abbey,” Bruce spoke barely above a whisper. “I feel responsible for allowing work to keep me from going that night. I can’t help but wonder…”
“Don’t let Satan beat you with lies and don’t let him keep you from your family now." Abbey sighed. Her tone softened. "Your family loves you, Bruce. I’m sure it hurts them when you continue to stay away. You have to go on. Enjoy what you have and don’t let the past destroy your future.”
* * *
Bruce let Abbey’s words sink in. She was right. It wouldn’t be easy to recoup the last eight years. He barely knew his nephews. But he could make the effort and try.
“Make a left up ahead." Bruce pointed in that direction. "My sister lives at the end of the road. You should see her white minivan in the driveway.”
Abbey nodded and followed his directions. Bruce felt nervous, why, he wasn’t sure. After all, it was his family. It wasn’t like they were total strangers.
When they were parked next to his sister’s minivan, Bruce climbed out of Abbey’s car, using his crutches to lift himself to a standing position. He was looking forward to being able to discard the crutches. But when they went, so did Abbey. His gut clenched. One way or another, he had to talk her into staying.
Angel greeted them at the door. “I wondered if you two were going to make it in time for church. Michael went with Mom and Ted. It’s Michael’s week to teach Sunday school.”
Bruce checked his watch. “It’s not that late.”
Angel laughed. “No, not really but when you’re the teacher you have to get to church before the kids do.”
“Uncle Bruce!” the boys shouted, running to hug him.
John and Alex bustled to the door, trying to squeeze past their mother to see him. Bruce barely recognized them; they had both grown so much since Christmas. He knew John was the taller one because he was the oldest. Angel had been pregnant with John when their father died. She said she wanted to name her son after him as a way to remember and honor his memory. To Bruce it had been a painful reminder of their loss.
“Careful boys,” Angel warned as they lunged to throw their arms around their uncle's waist.
His heart melted. They loved him. How could he allow the past to keep him away? Abbey was right. He needed to go on. For the last eight years, he had allowed one tragic event to separate him from the people he loved and the people who loved him.
* * *
The smell of lighter fluid burning wafted through the back door of the kitchen, signaling the grill had been started. Abbey's stomach grumbled. Hopefully they would be eating soon.
She was glad she had thought to bring a change of clothes with her. The jeans and light blue cardigan she had donned after church felt more comfortable and she was thankful to trade her heels for tennis shoes.
“Is there anything I can do, Angel?” Abbey felt useless watching Angel put together a salad and Bruce’s mother bustle around the kitchen.
“Why don’t you set the table, Abbey?” Bruce’s mother pointed to a drawer near the dishwasher. “The silverware is in there.”
Abbey retrieved forks from the drawer and found napkins on the table. She began setting the table when she noticed Bruce’s mother watching her and smiling. “It was hard to have a chance to talk at church today. I was curious how you and my son met.”
Abbey swallowed hard. “Well, Mrs….”
“Call me Agnes,” Bruce’s mother cut in.
Abbey could feel her cheeks grow warm. She couldn’t keep avoiding answering his family's probing before they began to think of her as Bruce’s girlfriend. “Bruce… well, it’s my fault he has the broken leg. I hit him.”
“You’re kidding? How did that happen?” Angel paused, turning to look at her. Abbey could tell that Angel couldn’t believe the irony of the situation by the way her mouth hung open in disbelief.
“So Bruce broke his leg in the accident?” Agnes shook her head. “I tried to picture how he could have broken his right ankle without having any other injuries.”
“Well, he didn’t exactly break his leg in the accident.” Abbey relayed the whole story: how she'd been relieved that he hadn’t been hurt and how he'd fallen down the embankment while trying to get away from her. Both Angel and Agnes roared in laughter.
“What’s so funny? We heard you all outside,” Bruce asked. Michael followed him into the kitchen. Bruce looked at his mother and sister, then at Abbey who was the only one not laughing. “Did I miss something?”
“Abbey told us how you two met,” Angel said, wiping away tears from her eyes. “You ought to write that story up and submit it somewhere, Abbey.”
“It’ll be something you can tell your grandchildren. That’s hilarious,” Agnes said. “Is Ted still outside? He’s got to hear how you two met.”
Abbey had been afraid how Bruce would handle his family’s reaction to their meeting but he seemed to take it all in stride. She caught him glancing at her a couple times and managed a smile, which he returned and even joined in with their banter.
Bruce’s family was adorable. Abbey knew she'd miss them even though she barely knew them. She was tempted to accept his offer of a permanent job. But in her heart, she knew it wouldn’t work out because of her feelings for him and it would kill her to ever see Bruce with another woman.
By the way his mother talked he hadn’t dated anyone in awhile. While she silently admitted feeling a tiny burst of exhilaration at that knowledge, she didn’t know why his mother thought they were a couple. Bruce didn’t look at her in that way, no matter how much she wished he would and if she continued to work for him, he would never see her that way. When she tried to set Agnes straight, she merely responded with a low chuckle and said, “You two will get together one day. Don’t worry. It’ll happen.”
And what if all you're ever be is only Bruce's employee? Abbey thought to herself. No, it wasn’t likely to happen. She could tuck her daydreams into her pajama bag and save them for bedtime.
Chapter Eight
Week Six
Abbey parked on the street in front of Bruce's house. A gray Lexus was parked in the driveway next to Bruce’s Lincoln. She couldn’t help but wonder who was visiting him this early in the morning. Doris was off today so that ruled her out. When she rang the doorbell, it took a few moments for someone to answer.
“Hello. You must be Abbey.” A tall, slender blonde in a gray, pinstripe suit stepped aside for her to enter the foyer. “Come on in. Bruce is in the living room. Would you like a cup of coffee? We’ve just finished ours but I can make you some if you like.”
“No, thank you.” Abbey smiled as she passed the other woman and went into the living room. Bruce sat on the couch gathering folders and putting them into a soft, leather briefcase. Two empty coffee cups sat near each other on the coffee table. Bruce and Jea
n were obviously working very closely together on the couch.
“Is something wrong?” Bruce asked.
Abbey looked up to meet his gaze, her mind still on the coffee cups. “Hm? No.”
“You looked like you were frowning. I thought maybe something was wrong.” Bruce zipped the briefcase closed. “Abbey, this is my assistant, Jean.”
“Hi,” both women said in unison.
Abbey shook Jean’s outstretched hand. Then it dawned on her, his assistant—the one who recently had a baby. “Does this mean you won’t be needing me anymore?” Abbey glanced from Jean to Bruce. Her pulse quickened. What excuse could she use to ever see him again if he no longer needed her? She moistened her lips and swallowed the lump in her throat.
“No. I mean, yes. I still need you. Jean is going to be working at our home office.” Bruce stood.
“Have a seat. I’ll get this mess.” Jean moved her briefcase to a chair nearby and took both coffee cups to the kitchen.
While she was gone, Abbey and Bruce locked gazes. He sat down and rested his forearms on his legs. “Why don’t you have a seat?” Bruce nodded towards the chair nearest him. “I was hoping we could talk for a moment before we go.”
Abbey heard Jean’s heels tap against the linoleum and she looked up. Jean grabbed her briefcase and smiled at Abbey. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You, too. Congratulations on the new baby.”
“Thanks,” Jean answered, then turned her attention to Bruce. “I’ll call you later.”
“Okay. Thanks, Jean.”
As soon as Jean had left, Abbey couldn’t help but blurt out, “She doesn’t look like she just had a baby.”
Bruce laughed. “You should have seen her when she was pregnant. She looked like a toothpick with a bulge.”
Abbey giggled. “She must have if she got her figure back already. I hope I’m that lucky when I have children.”
“Would you like some coffee or something, Abbey?”
Bruce’s chocolate, brown eyes melted her to the core and made Abbey’s heart race. She loved it when he said her name softly. In fact, she loved everything about him. From the way he looked at her to the way his musk after-shave tingled her senses and even the way he defended her in the incident with Gary.
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