Rebound (4 page)

“This is going to be a long two months.” 

He continued his day without another thought about the woman who would be his assistant for the next couple of months. It was as if  he hadn’t given it any thought at all...

Katrine walked back to her car in a daze. 

What in the hell just happened? 

She barely spoke two sentences the whole interview. That was one of the strangest experiences she had ever had. 

Did I get the job? 

It sounded like he gave it to her, if not begrudgingly so. She needed to send Robert a box of cigars for getting her this interview and obviously the job. It wasn’t due to her interview skills, that was for certain. She was never given the chance to tell him all of the reasons she would be perfect for the position, despite her lack of experience. That bothered her on many levels. But there was probably no impressing that guy, no matter what she said. He was obviously angry about being stuck with this project.

What a piece of work.
 

Oh he’s a
piece of something
…

Alexander Abbot or Xander, or whatever the hell he went by. She had been around some arrogant men before, her ex was a surgeon for Christ’s sakes. Talk about an arrogant condescending bunch.  But even the most arrogant doctors she had met in the past seemed like the Dali Lama compared to this jerk. He was going to be as much fun as a pap smear…

When she first walked into the office she did notice that he was good looking. She would’ve been blind not to notice. The eyes always go to the face first. He seemed fit, but she couldn’t tell for sure. He hadn’t even stood up when she entered the room. 

Ass.
 

But as the interview progressed he became less and less attractive. Funny how personality comes into play in such a big way, for Katrine at least. It was always personality first and everything else came after. David had looks and personality
.
 

Oh not him again...

When she met him he was intelligent, charming, and funny. They frequented the same college pub because the hospital was near campus. All the scrub clad set would grab drinks after their shifts. He set his sights on Katrine one night, and they hit it off instantly. They became inseparable. He didn’t want anyone else from then on. But eventually, romance gave way to fundraisers and charity functions. Spontaneity to schedule. Sex to quick kisses in passing. Katrine spent a lot of time alone. Her life had become a string of monotonous nothings. Teddy was her only solace in what became a very lonely marriage.

Doctors are workaholics whether they set out to be or not. Saving people’s lives came first. How could she argue with that?  But, David was an orthopedic surgeon.  It wasn’t like hip replacements were the same as open-heart surgery. So maybe she should have argued a little.

Even with all of that said, she mourned the loss of her marriage and her life with David. But in the end it had become more of a mutual affection built on a life of shared obligations. She had lost herself somewhere along the way and it happens to a lot of women. It wasn’t a unique story. But she knew one thing, she would never lose herself again. No matter what and no matter who...

All things considered, putting up with an unpleasant boss for two months was nothing she couldn’t handle. She would do her job and do it well. Hopefully she would make an impression on Alexander Abbot, get her reference and move on. She looked forward to finding herself again and she knew she was on the verge of it. Parts of her spirit were sparking to life, like a dormant synapse that starts firing again. It was such a relief after being completely adrift for months and numb for years. Katrine guessed that in an odd way she might have David to thank...

Maybe one day she would, but then again probably not. 

  Chapter 5

Maddie called shortly after Katrine got home and was filled in on the details of her “not really an interview”. She told Katrine to go with it and not worry about the hows and whys. She decided to take that advice. Maddie also said that if he was hot then who cared if he was an asshole and at least she would have some nice scenery. Katrine ignored that part. Only Maddie could go from sage to shallow from one sentence to the next. It was one of her lovable quirks. When her friends found out about the new job they planned a celebratory dinner and full on girls night out Friday after work.  It would be the first since her divorce was final. So she guessed there were two things to celebrate. At least that was how she was going to look at it. 

She needed to get Teddy taken care of after school while she learned the ropes of her new job. It was his last week before summer break. And Friday he would be leaving for the beach. The whole summer without her son. She wondered how she would make it through. 

I will try to enjoy myself, that’s how.
 

Relax and have some fun, why not. It might be nice not to be responsible for anyone but herself. She would focus on her job and give it everything she had. Katrine was determined to exceed expectations and after meeting Alexander Abbot Jr., she knew that shouldn’t be difficult considering his were so low to begin with. She thought he probably wasn’t as surly as he seemed. At least that is what she was telling herself....

That night Katrine and Teddy had a celebratory dinner of their own consisting of hamburgers and root beer floats. Teddy kept her company while she made dinner. He always helped set the table.  And Katrine could tell he enjoyed taking care of her in his own little way. The hamburgers were delicious, loaded with their favorite toppings and condiments. It was worth every calorie. Teddy was really excited for his mom and she could tell that it eased his worries about leaving for the summer. And for that she was very grateful. She wanted him to have an amazing time, he deserved it. 

As she got into bed she went over the events of the day. She couldn’t have predicted the way everything played out, but the end result was the same. The job was hers and she started tomorrow! She would not think about her cantankerous boss nor his hazel, mostly green, eyes. 

Well it was hard not to think about the man she would be working with for the next two months. And it was only going to be them for the most part. Maybe he would lighten up a little. She could win him over.  She would kill him with kindness and keep her sarcastic remarks to a minimum. Okay, minimum in her estimation. It took Katrine what seemed like forever to finally fall asleep. She was too anxious about the day to come. But eventually sleep did take her, and she slept soundly, surprisingly enough. 

Teddy was picked up for carpool and Katrine was on her way out the door. Today was a classic black suit with a deep turquoise blouse. That color looked nice against her tanned skin. Her hair was down, but would probably be up in a clip before ten a.m. 

She did not have her parking pass yet so she had to park in a visitor’s spot. She figured that all of those details would be handled before the week was out. It was already hotter than hades. She hurried into the building before she started to sweat.

 Pressing fifteen… is anyone else coming? No, push close door. 

She always waited to see if anyone else needed to get on the elevator. That was just the right thing to do. Unless, there was a crazed lunatic trying to kill her and the elevator door closing at the last second is the one thing that will ensure her survival. That is how it happens in the movies anyway. There are exceptions to almost every rule.

Ellenor was there when she arrived. Mr. Abbot was not in, however. It was a relief. She would not have to deal with him right out of the gate. Katrine was greeted with a warm smile and a tour of the place. There was the reception area and his office, which she had seen. Further back was a very large conference room with the usual set up. The table took up the almost the entire room and it seemed to have about twenty chairs. The walls were all glass. There were several other smaller offices throughout, but of course none were occupied, nor would be. They would be the only ones in this office, except when they were hosting meetings. She wondered why he needed such a large space. Perhaps he was overcompensating for something. 

Would you like some cocktail sauce for your trouser shrimp?

She smiled inwardly. If there was any justice in the world it would be true. 

There was a walk-in storage space where the printer and various supplies were kept. And the last entryway led into a small but functional break room. After the short tour was completed they got down to brass tacks. Ellenor gave Katrine a detailed overview of the upcoming merger and the various meetings that would be taking place.

“Of course we will go over everything in depth before I hand things over to you. I plan to leave you as prepared as I possibly can.” 

“Thank you. That eases my mind a bit. Pardon me for saying so, but I got the impression Mr. Abbot doesn’t believe I will be able to handle the job. I assure you that I will make every effort to prove to him otherwise.” 

God, I sound so smart sometimes...

“Oh you will do just fine, dear. Don’t let his demeanor scare you off. He is a lovely young man underneath that crusty façade.” 

“I think lovely is a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you Ellenor?” Mr. Abbot interrupted.

They both turned toward the male voice that had just invaded their conversation.
She was mortified to be caught talking about the boss, behind his back, on her very first day.

Way to win him over genius. Smart one minute, dumb ass the next. 

Katrine rose from her chair after composing herself.

“Good morning Mr. Abbot,” Katrine said with confidence. “We were just going over the business objectives for the upcoming weeks, sir.” 

And now we are smart
again...

Take that jerk boy...

Ok, that didn’t last long
. 

His eyebrow arched up like he was wondering what planet she was from and headed back to his office. Katrine glanced over at Ellenor. She was smiling, like you do when you are around a petulant child. She then turned back towards Katrine, “Don’t worry dear, you will be just fine.”

Ellenor continued to barrage Katrine with facts, contact names, and tasks that needed to be handled. The day flew by and when she looked at the clock it was 5:30. Her head hurt a little. She hadn’t tried to absorb that amount of information in one day since college. She had made detailed notes and would continue to do so. That always helped her feel prepared.

“Ellenor, I need to pick up my son from his friend’s house. Would it be alright if I left for the day?”

“I am sure it will be fine dear, just let me double check with Mr. Abbot.”

Oh great, him. 

She had barely spoken to him all day and she was sure he would see her 5:30 departure as a sign of her lack of commitment. Especially since he would probably stay very late. She quickly added, “It is only for this week. My son will be heading to the beach for the summer. So when I officially start next week I’ll be able to stay as long as Mr. Abbot needs me.”

“I will relay that information to him, dear, not to worry”.

Ahhh Ellenor
. She was like a mix between your sweet grandmother and Mary Poppins. The British accent could be the reason for the Mary Poppins part because she didn’t have an umbrella or sings songs or anything. Ellenor returned about five minutes later and informed her that she was free to go.

“See you in the morning, dear. Drive safely and have a pleasant evening.”

“Thank you Ellenor, you do the same.”

Katrine didn’t bother saying anything to Mr. Abbot. 

He wouldn’t have said a polite goodbye anyway, so she figured she would just flip herself off and skip the awkward departure.

“How did she do today, Ellenor?”

“Very well Xander.” 

She called him that when no one was around. She had known him since he was a baby, having worked for the Abbots since she was first starting out.

“She is very intelligent and learns very quickly. She has a firm grasp on figures. She seems to have a very good head on her shoulders, as they say. You will be in good hands. So you can stop giving her such a hard time. She is quite capable.”

He gave her an abashed look, she was on to him.

“I just don’t see the point of being friendly to the woman. I will be back in New York and this will be all a bothersome memory.”

“Xander, dear, I know you did not plan, nor did you want to come here. However, don’t you think it would be better if you tried to enjoy yourself? This city has a lot to offer. You should try to make the best of it. You know I am right about this. And most of all I know you. Enjoying yourself has never been a problem. Just think about it.”

He smiled at her. He had an amazing smile when he meant it.

“Oh Ellenor, if only you could just stay here.” Xander said with a sigh. “It seems like an unnecessary burden to break in a new assistant for only two months.”

“Now, we have been over this. I am needed in New York. Katrine will be an excellent substitution and trust me when I say that you will not be disappointed. Remarkably so, if you approach this with a pleasant attitude.” 

Not many people could speak to him with such familiarity. But he loved the woman. She was one of the only constant female figures in his life. After his mother died, Ellenor had taken him under her wing. So he made allowances for her.

“I will make an effort not to hate every minute I am stuck in this place,” he said with forced brightness.

“Well I suppose that is the best I am likely to get for now. I think you are going to be surprised.” 

She knew Katrine would have her hands full, but she had a good feeling she was up for the challenge.

Chapter 6

The rest of the week continued much in the same manner. Katrine had found the business aspect of the job very interesting, and that surprised her. That would make things exponentially more bearable. She didn’t remember a great deal from her college classes, but the rudimentary knowledge was still there. She loved the challenge and the intellectual stimulation. Mr. Abbot spoke to her only when necessary, which wasn’t often.