Hanging on (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2) (7 page)

“I can still hear you.” I shook my head. She would be funny if she was someone else’s problem.

“It mean’s
liar!”

How does a sack full of farts have anything to do with lying? I shrugged, I didn’t want to ask.

“And why is you late?”

Oh boy. I hunched into my seat.

I still didn’t have a car, so William decided he would work from the main office for a while so we could carpool to work. Since we couldn’t be seen in this capacity together, he had dropped me off two blocks away and let me walk in. He’d called it overkill; I called it practical. If someone saw me riding into work with the freaking owner’s kid, there would be talk. I was way too new to get by on my laurels thus far. Some people—Juniper—still weren’t sure I was getting by with my brain.

“Because my car is about as useless as a screen door on a submarine,” I said with a snippy attitude.

As expected, Juniper careened around her plant to get a better look. She hated when I used her sayings.

“Why are you staring at me like a hog staring at a wristwatch?” I asked her, unable to hide the smirk.

Her face was turning purple. I decided now was a good time for coffee.

By lunch time, everyone knew that the youngest Davies was in the office. Apparently he usually worked out of his father’s office, where ever that was, so when one of the elite started hobnobbing with the working stiffs, it was big news.

“Hey.” Candace popped in my cube with a downtrodden face.

“Are you okay?” I asked immediately. I hoped her and Ty didn’t get in a fight. Ty was the end-all-be-all in Candace’s life since they hooked up.

“Me? Oh no, I just… Well, it’s just that…” she looked back to make sure Juniper wasn’t eavesdropping and continued in a whisper, “Willie’s in the office.”

“Who?” I winked. Candace wasn’t good at keeping things to herself.

She looked at me askew and made ready to explain herself, obviously not knowing what the wink was for, so I stood up and grabbed my money at lightning speed.

“Lunch time?” I asked as I exited the cube.

“She could eat an apple through a picket fence!” Juniper yelled after us.

“I don’t know how you sit next to her!” Candace said as she followed me. “She’d do my head in.”

“I think it’s actually kind of funny. The worst is when she listens in to my phone calls, though.”

“You look different,” Candace noticed as we queued up for the salad bar. I only allowed myself once a week splurges into the fried line.

“Oh?”

She stepped beside me and analyzed. “Hair?”

“Everyone keeps thinking I changed my hair. No. Laid.”

“Laid?
Oh
! Yay!
Who?”
She tilted her head at me in mock condensation. “Not that weird guy that thought Jessica was a beautiful name, right?”

“Ew, no!”

We quieted as we heaped lettuce and veggies onto our plate and didn’t talk until we sat at our usual table.

“Hey,” Dave grunted as I sat next to him. “Wanna go out with me yet?”

“Romantic,” JP said in dry tones as he nodded at me in hello. His eyes squinted immediately.

“So, who is it?” Candace asked.

“Who’s who?” JP asked, still staring.

“Jessica met someone,” Candace replied.

“
What?”
Dave shrieked, putting down his fork and looking at me.

“Get over it, Dave,” Phil said, sitting down in front of Dave with Sara on his other side. As a rule, Phil and Dave always stayed close to me, and Sara close to Phil. Each of the boys wanted a shot at me, hoping someday I would relent after too much alcohol. Sara wanted Phil, but hated me, so she tried to basically sit in Phil’s lap while keeping her distance from me. Sometimes it was a stressful lunch time situation.

“So, Jess? Who is it? Have I met him?” Candace asked.

“May we sit here?”

I froze. I lifted my eyes to the deep, masculine baritone wearing a suit and carrying a tray. He was standing at the empty seat right in front of Candace. Next to him, standing at the empty seat in front of me, was some other high powered dude that had no place in the kiddie-corner with us.

William was going to blow my cover on the very first day he came in! He would pay for this!

Also, he looked really hot and professional. I got a hot flash.

“Oh my God,” Sara exclaimed with stars in her eyes. “
Yes
! Of
course
!”

“Uh…” Dave stalled, clearly not knowing what to do. It was open seating, so occasionally a couple people tried to sit in our vicinity. Dave, territorial, immediately scared them away. It was invited personnel only as far as he was concerned. However, the guy that just asked basically owned the table and could fire him. It made things dicey.

William was looking at me. I figured I would just get the show on the road. “Sure.”

William couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he sat down, his eyes moving quickly to Candace. “Hi Candace.”

“Hi Willie. I heard you were in the office today.” Candace was a little breathless.

“Yes. Probably for a few months. It makes meetings easier.” He turned those twinkling blue eyes on me. “Jessica, right?”

Cad.
“Yup. And you remember Sara, Dave, Phil and JP from the rodeo?” I couldn’t look away.

“Of course. Hello.” William tore his eyes away from me and looked down the table.

There was a chorus of “hi” from everyone but Dave, who still hadn’t made up his mind if this character were welcomed or not. Sara nearly punched Phil in the face as she extended her hand to shake.

“I’m William Davies,” he continued, looking at everyone. “And this is Gerard. He is our C.F.O. if you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him before now. We thought we’d come down for lunch and meet some of the hard workers that bring the company to life.”

I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t help it; he was laying it on a bit thick.

William caught it and smiled before looking back to his fried delight. He had French Fries. I
loved
French Fries. Usually if anyone got them in my vicinity I would steal one or two—even if it was Sara’s plate. I got a lot of grumbles in the beginning, and outright complaining from Dave, but I didn’t stop, and people gave up trying to teach me manners.

Sara had since stopped getting fries altogether.

Focusing with all my mind on self-control, I noticed Gerard had them, too.

Oh God. Stealing them from William was one thing, but from the C.F.O.? This guy was the head of my department. My future was basically in his hands.

But he had French Fries. I needed
one.

No, Jessica! Don’t do it—

Gerard turned from William in surprise, watching the French Fry disappear in my mouth.

I burst out giggling. “I’m so sorry! But if you come down to these parts, you have to beware of my French Fry addiction! I can’t help myself. Everyone else knows not to sit close when they have fries!
Sorry!”

“It’s true,” Dave said in all seriousness, “Don’t fire her. She does it to everyone. I hate it.”

I started laughing harder. Candace and JP joined in. William was trying to suppress.

With a haphazard smile, Gerard stared at me before his eyes dropped to his plate. He pushed his plate forward to allow me to help myself.

“Oh no! I couldn’t. Really.” I put up my hands to ward them off. “I’m gaining weight just looking at them!”

Gerard started laughing. “Well, at least my wife will be happy to hear she isn’t the only one that can’t say no. What is it you do?”

Keeping my eyes away from his plate, I answered, “I work in Finance. For Mr. Nash. Junior Accountant. I’m relatively new.”

“Oh yes, of course. He’s mentioned you. He can’t keep you busy enough, I believe?”

“Um…” I could feel my face going red but didn’t know how to hide my embarrassment.

“No need to be embarrassed for a job well done.” Gerard smiled. He looked at Candace. “And you?”

With the focus shifting I gave a quick glance at William. He was looking back with eyes full of pride. He let his gaze linger for another beat before he shifted to Candace.

The amount of trouble he would get in for doing this to me would be legendary! I was already plotting sexual torture!

After Gerard asked a few questions about everyone’s departments and various moral, he chatted to William about some report, leaving the rest of us to get back to our inappropriate conversations. Whatever they might turn out to be.

Candace turned to me with wide eyes. “Uh… So, um, have you known him long?”

“Who?” I asked, trying to give her
shut up
eyes.

“The, um, mystery m—person?”

“Jessica, where did you say you got that new robe? I wanted to get one for my wife,” JP said, thankfully derailing Candace.

JP and I expertly steered the conversation after that. We kept it clean enough for the executives sitting near us, with a few bursts of jokes and humor, mostly at Dave’s expense, that caught Gerard’s ear and had him pausing to listen and often trying to suppress a chuckle. William, the whole time, had his attentions divided between me and his work associate. Out of the corner of my eye I could see his glances, or his smirks, or just feel his attention. I had a feeling he wanted to know how I got along in work life, since it was a big part of my day. Unlike most boyfriends—or whatever he was called at this early stage in the game—he had the luxury of satisfying his curiosity, much to my embarrassment.

As JP, Candace and I were walking back to my cube, JP said, “So how long has that been going on?”

“What?” I asked.

“You and your dream man. The boss. He the reason for the sunny disposition?”

“
Oh my God!”
Candace squealed.
“
No! Really, Jessica? Did you patch it up? Ty said Willie was moping around, but I hadn’t heard anything!”

“Would you guys
shut up?”

“Yay!” Candace said, grabbing my hands and dancing around.

“I would keep that under wraps, if I were you,” JP warned.

“I was trying to!” I shot back. “I don’t know what he was thinking finding me at lunch!”

“That was obvious—he couldn’t stop looking at you. He lurrrves you!” JP laughed and dodged my punch. “But keep it under wraps. For your own sake.”

“I know. Seriously, I know.”

“What y’all talkin’ about? Her new
do?
You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!” Juniper snipped as she passed us by.

“What, does she follow you around and talk shit now?” Candace was mystified.

“Candace, don’t you know any other words besides bad ones?” JP asked as he walked away rolling his eyes.

“Well anyway,” Candace said, looking back at me with a big smile. “I want to hear everything!
Everything
! Ty was always saying y’all would make a good couple. He said Willie always liked you. I’m
so
glad he finally got out of his own way and acted on it! Yay! You’ll be just as happy as me and Ty! You
will!
I
know
it!”

“Go away,” I said with a giggle. I needed to get back in work mode. I also needed to taunt Juniper for a while. I brought in some leaves and planned to give her fake plant more bush. Then watch as she tried to figure out why it was so much harder to spy on me.

Chapter Five

My stomach swam with butterflies. William and I had been together for a little over a month and we were going on our first real date. Technical date. We had been out for drinks and dinner often, but this was formal. He was picking me up and everything!

I felt like I had ants in my stomach!

I didn’t have to worry about small talk and impressing him, nor did I have to worry over much about doing something stupid, like tripping over my own feet—I’d already done that—but I did need to convince him I could fit in his world. I needed to show him that even though I was a normal person, with more than average debt, I could put on airs like I owned a conglomerate.

It should be noted that I have never been great under pressure.

To look the part I got a new, expensive dress, and Gladis, who was basically healed, insisted on taking up her mantle as greeter. I wore Ami’s necklace, which I thought of when I bought the dress.

The doorbell rang. I galloped downstairs like a ten-year-old boy.

“Git back up there!” Gladis yelled, throwing a pillow at me.

“Gladis, how do I look? Is this dress okay? How about the shoes with the dress?”

She appraised me, letting William wait. “Jess, honey, you look a dream. Beautiful. Willie will ask to marry you when he sees how beautiful you are.”

“Yikes. Let’s hope not. Okay.” I raced back upstairs.

I heard her open the door, apologize for taking so long, and invite him in. I looked at my phone. It had taken a minute. Nine more to go.

They had a glass of his favorite wine and talked about small pleasantries. I looked at my phone. Dang it.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I tried on a different pair of shoes. I went back to the first pair. Eight minutes had gone by. Two more to go and Gladis would let me back down.

Why am I so nervous?

Finally it was time.

Head held eye, nervousness tucked away into my ribs, I walked down the stairs with grace and elegance. Mostly.

William was sitting in the armchair, glass of wine in hand, when I came in sight. His eyes flicked up, catching movement, then stared. He stood slowly, his eyes sliding down my body.

My sexy systems started to purr. He looked damn good. Black blazer with white pin stripes over a ribbed, white-button down, toned down with dark jeans and shiny black shoes. The world stopped spinning for a beat as the house fell away. I was staring at him as he stared at me.