And suddenly my lungs stop working when I realize who this guy is.
“You too,” I squeak out, lifting my hand to wave like an idiot, then watch him turn and walk out the door.
“Meetings start at seven. The office opens at eight,” who I now know is Jace Ellis, my temporary boss, says as soon as Mike is gone, and I plaster an apologetic smile on my face.
“I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“Now you know.” He walks past me and touches a button on the wall, which opens up to a smaller office with the same view as his. “This is your space. I’m going to assume Christy didn’t lie and that you know how to type and answer a phone.”
“She didn’t lie,” I tell his back while he flips open a laptop on the desk.
“As you know, Christy will be dealing with the most pressing matters from home, but I still need someone here to deal with my calendar and daily tasks while she’s out of the office.”
“She just had a baby,” I remind him, because he sounds put out that she’s not here to be at his beck and call.
He turns to look at me over his shoulder through narrowed eyes, and since I’m a pro at dealing with disgruntled looks that would make most people cower, I hold his gaze and wait him out.
“This is the computer you’ll use while you’re here,” he finally concedes, his jaw twitching. “Come sit down, and I’ll run you through the program we use and explain a few things before I have to head out for a meeting.”
“Sure.” I scoot past, between him and the desk, sucking in my gut so I don’t accidentally brush against him. Placing my purse and lunch bag on the floor, I pull out the chair, and once my ass is in the seat, he comes around the back of it to stand next to me. The musky scent of his cologne is not overwhelming, but mixed with his warmth, it is definitely distracting as he leans over me to get closer to the computer.
“This is the program we use for email.” He clicks on a little icon in the corner of the screen, and it pops open. “I set up a temporary address for you to use while you’re here. The emails you’ll receive will typically have to do with scheduling.” He clicks the inbox closed, then clicks the mouse’s arrow on another icon. “This is my calendar. You can add things as needed. Just make sure you don’t go into the times I have blacked out.”
“Got it,” I say, because I want him to know I heard what he said. But when he turns to glare at me, it’s obvious I’m not supposed to actually speak. “Sorry.”
“This—” He turns back to the computer and opens another icon on the bottom of the screen. “—is our phone system, and I expect you to accept every call that comes through while you’re at your desk. Again, the calls you’ll receive will have to do with scheduling. And again, don’t go into the time I have blacked out.”
I bite my bottom lip to keep from speaking again, but it’s obviously the wrong move, and I know this when he turns his head my way and raises a brow. “Got it,” I whisper.
“Do you have any questions?” He steps back and looks down at me, and since he’s tall to begin with, I instantly know how my kids must feel when I tower over them at their desks.
“Is there anything I should know?”
“It’s all cut and dry. Respond to emails. When someone requests a meeting, put them in my calendar. Answer the phone.”
“Okey dokey,” I mutter, and he lets out a long breath before shaking his head.
“I’ll be out of my office for the next hour for a meeting. When I get back, if you have any questions, you can ask them then.”
“All right,” I reply, and he starts to walk off, but he stops and turns to face me, looking almost… worried?
“If my mother calls, tell her I’ll call her back. Even if you know I’m in my office and available, do not put her call through to me.”
I start to open my mouth to ask how I would even go about putting a call through to him, but before I can, he’s gone and the door is sliding shut behind him.
I let out a breath and look around, my eyes landing on a framed photo of Christy and her husband, Jack, that is placed at the corner of the desk. Picking it up, I smile, remembering the moment the photo was taken at her wedding, right after they were pronounced man and wife. Jack is in his tux, holding Christy’s face gently in his hands while he kisses her senseless, her long, rose-pink dress blowing in the wind. It was a magical moment, and even I—the biggest skeptic in the world—couldn’t deny how happy and in love they were.
Now, six years later, that still hasn’t changed. They are the poster children for the perfect couple, and Jack is one of the few men on the planet I’d let board my boat if Earth was going to be ravaged by a flood.
The ringing from the computer on the desk makes me jump, and I quickly set down the photo and swipe my finger across the trackpad to answer the call.
“Um, Mr. Ellis’s office. How can I help you?” I answer, feeling like an idiot, because I for sure should have at least asked Christy how I should answer the phone.
“Penny, it’s just me.” Christy laughs, the sound tinkling against my eardrum and making me smile.
“Oh, hey!”
“I just got a text from Jace. He let me know you arrived.”
“I did.”
“Let me guess. He was super helpful and took extra time getting you settled in.” Her tone is dripping with sarcasm.
“Something like that,” I chirp.
She sighs. “I promise his bark is worse than his bite, and he’s a sweetheart once you get to know him.”
“He seems great,” I reply, and she laughs again, probably because she knows I’m lying through my teeth.
“I’m going to call you with the video option, so just accept it when you see the icon pop up.”
“All right.” I don’t have to wait long before what looks like a video camera shows up at the bottom of the call, and as soon as I touch the arrow to it, Christy’s smiling face fills the screen.
“Awww! Look at you all dressed up for work.” She grins, and I roll my eyes.
“You could have told me the dress code is that there is no dress code.”
“Sorry, I totally spaced it, but you look beautiful. And I love your hair up like that.”
“Thanks, but my feet hate you right now.”
She laughs, then her eyes widen when a sharp cry comes from the background.
“Shit, I think I woke Ivy. Give me one second.”
“I’ll be here,” I tell her, and she quickly gets up and disappears out of view of the camera.
Grabbing my bag off the floor, I take out my water bottle, placing it on the desk, then dig through it for my cell phone and check it to make sure there are no missed calls or texts from my mom. There aren’t any, but then again, she was out late last night with my aunt. The two of them went into Manhattan to watch The Lion King on Broadway, so who knows when she will even be up. Since she got to New York, I’ve hardly heard from her, just a text or a call to check in. But besides that, I’ve only really kept track of her through social media, where she’s been posting all the things she’s been doing on her trip.
“Okay, I’m back.” Christy appears on the screen, holding Ivy against her chest, and my heart instantly melts at the sight of the tiny pink bundle in her arms. “Sorry, I figured I had at least fifteen minutes before she was up again.”