One Night with the Boss (3 page)

“Ah.” Since she came and went at will, she needed the system code to deactivate. And he had been oblivious to the sound of the front door opening. Time to shift focus. “I was very comfortable giving you a key. You see? That’s how much I trust you. How can you expect the total stranger who replaces you to be entrusted with easy access to not only my home, but my company?”

Her purse strap slid down her arm and she readjusted it to her shoulder. “It’s about time you built a corporate office for O’Keefe Technology, Inc. with state-of-the-art security.”

She was right. He’d been talking about it for a while and had made up his mind to get the project started. The only reason he’d been dragging his feet was because that move would change everything—and he hated change.

“So, how is Maggie?”

“How did you know I saw your sister?”

Apparently helping himself to her computer made her suspicious about everything. “You told me you were leaving early to pick up a pizza to take over there.”

“Right. I forgot.” Wariness faded for a nanosecond before her eyes narrowed. “A slipup caused by the shock of finding you going through my computer.”

“Oh, that.” He glanced at it over his shoulder. “I was looking for your notes on the job applicants we saw today.”

“I’m efficient, but not quite that good. I haven’t input them yet. Why would you want anything that I might have jotted down?”

“Because I’m the boss.”

He shrugged, but that was more about hiding the shudder those words produced. That response was the equivalent of a mother’s final argument against a child who refused to take no for an answer. Plus her implied accusation was true and he needed something irrefutable to cancel out his devious behavior.

“You didn’t like any of the women you interviewed,” she pointed out.

“I might have been a tad harsh.”

“You don’t mean that.” Her tone challenged him to deny it.

She knew him too well. It was both a blessing and a curse. Time to change the subject yet again. “So, what are you doing back here tonight?”

“There’s some work I need to finish up and I forgot the file.”

“Don’t worry about that. It will keep until tomorrow.”

She shook her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I need to wrap up everything I can in the next week.”

“And a half,” he added.

“What?”

“It’s a week and a half until your notice is up.”

“What a relief.” There was a touch of sarcasm in her tone. “And I thought there was nowhere near enough time to tie up a bazillion loose ends before my last day.”

“I have complete faith in your ability to do that.” Brady knew the file she wanted was on her desk behind him. But so was her email. So far he’d kept her from seeing it. “Go home and relax. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“Since when?”

“That’s a cheap shot.”

She sighed. “You’re right. It’s never been your management style to insist on overtime. This is my problem. I have a tendency to obsess about finishing up projects.”

“So, I’m giving you a dispensation. Take the night off and don’t think about the office.”

“Very generous of you,” she allowed. “But I feel an obligation to get as much done as possible for as long as I can.” She moved closer and started to walk around the desk.

Without thinking it through, Brady suddenly stood in her path and she walked into him. She put her hands on his chest and looked up, her eyes opening wide.

His fingers automatically curved around her arms, urging her even closer. She was wearing a coat, but it was unbuttoned and he could feel her breasts pressed against him. The sweet scent of her skin invaded his senses and he had the most insane desire to wrap his arms around her and kiss her until they were both out of their minds. This wasn’t the first time touching her had produced this reaction, but it was definitely stronger than ever before. Her full lips parted and there was a catch in her breathing that pointed toward her feeling the same kind of crazy he did.

She backed up a step and took a deep breath. “What is it you don’t want me to see, Brady?”

Damn. There was that knowing-him-too-well thing again and this time it was the curse part.
Create a diversion.
“What makes you think that?”

“This is me. The innocent act doesn’t work. You’re up to something.” She made a sudden move and sidestepped him.

She wasn’t really that quick; he was simply that slow. It’s what happened even to smart guys when blood flowed south of the belt. In the split second he’d been getting his breathing under control, Olivia was around the desk and staring at her computer monitor.

“This is my email.” There was outrage in her tone.

“It is.” What else could he say when caught red-handed? “But it’s my computer.”

“An employee has an expectation of privacy.”

Again he needed a distraction. “Is there something in it you don’t want me to see?”

“Of course not. But this is beneath you.”

He should have listened to that annoying voice of his conscience when it said something similar. But it was the bruised and betrayed expression in her blue eyes that was his undoing. He couldn’t stand it when she looked at him that way.

“Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done this.”

“How could you?”

“In my defense, I want you to know that this is the first time. And it’s kind of your fault.”

“Oh, that’s a good one. How do you figure?”

“If you hadn’t been so stingy with details about Leonard...”

The glare instantly disappeared, replaced with an expression that was sheepish. Or guilty? “It’s my business.”

“So you said. But I’m concerned about you and what you’re planning to do worries me. Because of my company,” he amended.

“I don’t know whether to be furious or flattered.”

“Probably both.”

“I’d warn you not to do it again, but you
are
the boss. My files are your files.” She picked up the manila folder on her desk and met his gaze. “So what was weird?”

He realized she could teach him something about diversionary tactics. The question caught him off guard. “What?”

“When I walked in you were talking to yourself. Which, by the way, is the definition of weird,” she said. “But that’s not what you meant. You were referring to my messages. So, what did you find that was weird?”

He shrugged as if to say he’d forgotten whatever it was that had brought those words to mind. “Whatever it was is gone now.”

“Okay. And that’s my cue. I’m gone, too.” She turned and headed for the doorway. “See you in the morning,
boss.
And from now on I won’t be doing email here.”

“Okay.” He deserved that. “Night, Liv.”

She walked out faster than he’d thought those short but very lovely legs could go, obviously anxious to get away from him. Perversely, he realized that he was very much looking forward to seeing her tomorrow.

It had a lot to do with the fact that there was now a time limit on morning coffee with Olivia. Her warm smile when she asked how he was every day. The fragrance that she brought into the room with her, a chemical reaction created by her perfume interacting with her skin that made him acutely aware of her presence. Knowing why didn’t make it any less potent when it happened.

But it wasn’t going to happen very much longer, and he didn’t like that one bit.

She had every right to be more furious than she’d been and that made him more curious, if possible. Brady glanced at the list of messages on the screen. There were some from her mom, dad and sister. Maggie had sent her a joke and a link to a cooking site. There was spam from shopping sites she’d browsed, but the weird factor hit him again.

“There’s not a single thing from the man you quit your job for, Liv. What’s up with Leonard?”

Chapter Three

A
t work the next morning, Olivia still couldn’t believe what Brady had done, although they had a nontraditional working relationship and she’d shared messages with him before. And, being a liar herself, she couldn’t afford to be sanctimonious and judgmental. Since she’d arrived an hour ago, the door to his office had been closed, and it was almost never closed. Maybe because she’d caught him in the act, he was sufficiently shamed into backing off.

One could hope. That way all she had to do was work out the remainder of her notice and the unfortunate incident would be behind her. There’d be no reason to speak about Leonard again.

What she had to do was put all her energy into finding her own replacement. Time was getting short and it wasn’t fair to throw some poor, unsuspecting woman into the deep end of Brady’s pool. So to speak.

Then a thought occurred to her. Her boss had found fault with every female candidate he’d met so far. Maybe she should look more closely at male applicants. Olivia threw herself into the search and lost track of time as she browsed internet employment sites and dissected résumés.

When the sound of the opening front door and the subsequent security system chirp drifted to her, she glanced at her clock and realized almost two hours had slipped away. Knowing the visitor was probably Brady’s mother or sister, both of whom had keys, she figured it was time for a break.

A few moments later Maureen O’Keefe appeared in the doorway with her fifteen-month-old granddaughter in her arms. “Hi, Olivia. How are you?”

“Great.” She stood and walked around her desk, smiling at the toddler. “Hello, Miss Danielle. You’re looking very pretty in your pink shirt and denim overalls.”

The baby had dark hair and eyes like her mother and grandmother. But Maureen’s short hair was shot with silver and done in a piecey style with the back flipped up in a saucy shape. She was taller than Olivia and looked trim and attractive in designer jeans, expensive brown leather boots and a trendy camel coat over her thick winter sweater.

“How are you, Maureen?”

“Could be better.”

When the toddler held out her arms, Olivia took her. “Are you okay, baby girl? Why is your nana making that frowny face? You tell her that causes wrinkles.”

“I have a very good reason to risk wrinkles with this face,” the older woman said grimly. “Do you remember Tiffani Guthrie?”

Olivia would never forget the witch who’d dumped Brady when he left college just before finals in his senior year. Instead of supporting him, whatever his reasons might be, Tiffani with an
I
took up with a guy on his way to the Texas oil fields by way of Vegas, where, rumor had it, they married at the drive-through Elvis chapel.

“Brady’s old girlfriend.”

“Miss Fake Boobs and Big Hair.” Maureen’s voice dripped with loathing. “I was at the Grizzly Bear Diner this morning and heard from Cissy Johnson who was talking to Betty Cordoba who’s a friend of Tiffani’s cousin George. Word is that she’s coming back to Blackwater Lake.”

“No.” Olivia couldn’t believe she’d have the nerve to show her face back here after treating Brady so badly. She hugged the baby close. “Why would she do that?”

“No one is exactly sure. And this is just a guess from piecing together snippets of information,” the other woman confided. “But we think she landed herself in a bad situation with that Texas wildcatter. We’re speculating that she’s coming here to look up her old boyfriend—her
wealthy
ex-boyfriend—who can get her out of the whole mess. Can you believe the nerve of that woman?”

“Yes.” Olivia had never liked her.

She’d watched Brady and Tiffani together, hating the fact that she’d been born too late for him to notice her. She’d never figured out what Brady saw in the woman. Well, maybe the well-endowed bosom. Pretty face. Gorgeous red hair. But it was her attitude that was so infuriating. She’d had a way of making a person feel small and insignificant. Once she’d told wide-eyed high schooler Olivia not to hold her breath that Brady would ever give her a tumble. It had never occurred to Olivia that the feelings she thought buried inside were actually there on her face for the world to see. After that she’d worked very hard at making her expression neutral.

When the baby grew restless in her arms, Olivia handed her over to her grandmother. “Maybe you’re wrong and she’s not coming here.”

“Maybe. But Brady needs to be prepared. And so does every other bachelor in Blackwater Lake. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t warn him?”

“I see your point.”

Olivia had never known this woman to interfere in her children’s lives. She was always there with support, advice when asked, a shoulder to cry on when needed and babysitting when necessary. If she felt honor bound to share this rumor with her son, there was probably a very good reason.

“So, is Brady busy?” She settled Danielle on her hip.

“Always.” But she had no idea what her boss was doing. “I can buzz him for you.”

“In a minute.” Maureen set little Danielle on her feet and she immediately squealed in a decibel level that would shatter glass. She toddled around Olivia’s desk toward the closed door of her uncle’s office. Small hands slapped on the door and a few seconds later it opened.

“Well, look who’s here.” He picked up his niece and held her high over his head until she laughed delightedly. “Hi, sweetie pie. Nice to see you, too, Mom.”

“I hope you still feel that way when you hear what I came to say.”

“Oh?”

“It will keep for a minute. I was just about to ask Olivia what’s going on with her these days.”

He walked over to them, holding the baby and looking so comfortable with the child that it tugged at Olivia’s heart.

“I can’t believe she hasn’t told you the breaking news,” he said.

“What? You’re getting married?” Maureen’s eyes grew wide. “You’re pregnant.”

“Do you know something I don’t?” His gaze met Olivia’s as his niece’s chubby index finger toyed with the button at the collar of his white cotton shirt. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

“No!” It was pretty much impossible to get pregnant when you weren’t having sex. Not that she planned to share that personal information.

“What’s going on?” Maureen looked between the two of them, obviously sensing undercurrents.

“Olivia has a boyfriend and she’s given notice that she’s leaving O’Keefe Technology.”

His mother looked more shocked than if a pregnancy had been confirmed. “What?”

“Yes,” Brady continued. “She’s going to abandon me.”

“That’s a tad melodramatic, but essentially true,” Olivia defended. Also true was the need to shift attention from herself before she was forced to lie to his mother. “The problem is that Brady’s showing more than a little resistance to hiring my replacement.”

“I don’t believe it.” There was a puzzled expression on his mother’s face.

“It’s true,” Olivia and Brady said together.

“That you’re being difficult? It’s a given.” Maureen waved her hand dismissively. “I’m surprised your mother didn’t say anything. We had breakfast together this morning and she never mentioned anything about you quitting. Or leaving town. Or even having a boyfriend.”

There were questions in Brady’s eyes when he said, “Olivia is very secretive about Leonard.”

“That’s your boyfriend’s name?”

So much for not having to speak of Leonard ever again. And if Maureen reacted like her son and daughter, there would be a fair amount of teasing about the name. She braced herself and said, “Yes.”

When the little girl squirmed in his arms, Brady set her on the rug and she toddled over to the wastebasket to explore.

“What kind of work does Leonard do?”

“Oh, this and that.” For the first time in her life Olivia wished she’d practiced the art of deceit, because then she’d be better at it.

“This and that in what field?” Maureen persisted.

“Tech.” That was sort of true. She worked in the industry and Leonard was a figment of her imagination, therefore a part of her. It was a stretch, but a case could be made.

“Way to go, Mom. That’s more information than I’ve been able to get out of her.”

“Not for lack of snooping,” Olivia said pointedly. “The thing is, Maureen, this sort of information has a way of spreading around town and I just wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.”

“I’ve known your mother since you were a baby and she’s never been able to keep a secret. The fact that she did now means you’re holding something over her head. It must be
big.
”

“Kind of.” The other woman was assuming her mother knew all about this news, and it was less complicated not to correct the impression. Meaning she’d stooped to lying by omission. If she’d been Pinocchio, by now her nose would have grown long enough to put someone’s eye out.
Mental note: call Mom ASAP.

Maureen looked skeptical. “Are you sure about all this, sweetheart?”

“I’ve given it a lot of thought and this will be good for me.” Finally, a question she could answer truthfully.

“Then I certainly wish you the best of luck and every happiness.”

“What about the part where she’s leaving me in the lurch?” Brady complained.

“You’ll survive.” She glanced at the baby, who had tipped over the wastebasket, and hurried to grab her up. “No, Danielle.”

“I’m not so sure I will survive, Mom.”

“Man up, sweetheart.” She headed for his office. “Hiring someone to replace Olivia will seem like a walk in the park compared to the news I have for you.”

He shot Olivia a questioning look and held out his hands in a what’s-up gesture before following his mother into the office and closing the door.

Olivia blew out a long breath and sat in the chair behind her desk. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”

She glanced over her shoulder and realized this might be her only chance to call her mother before Maureen O’Keefe did. Good news and bad traveled fast in Blackwater Lake, the blessing and curse of a small town.

She picked up the phone and punched in her mother’s number because this news—like the fact that she was moving away—should come from her.

* * *

Maureen’s news about his old girlfriend was a piece of cake for Brady, compared to the interviews Olivia had arranged for the afternoon. He stared at the young man sitting across the desk from him, the one who wanted Olivia’s job. He glanced at the name on the résumé again. Christopher Conway. Along with Olivia, he’d been chatting with the guy for about fifteen or twenty minutes. He was good-looking, articulate and had a sense of humor.

“So, Chris, you graduated from the University of Montana last year. Since then you’ve worked for a large retail chain. Doing what?”

“Workman’s comp.” The blond, blue-eyed applicant looked about twelve.

“Okay.”

He looked at Olivia, who was sitting in the club chair beside the impossibly young kid and thought she looked maybe fifteen. Suddenly he felt old and tired and a little desperate. She’d tried to quit twice before but both times he’d been able to talk her into staying. They’d never gotten to the point of interviews for her job, let alone a second round of them.

On paper this kid looked good, if he checked out. He was moldable. Graduated top of his class with a double major in computer science and business. His current job wasn’t in his chosen field, but he’d probably taken it out of necessity in bad economic times while scoping out something better.

It was actually pretty shrewd of Olivia to recruit a man for the position, and Brady was tempted to make Chris an offer. But his current assistant was still his first choice.

“I know what you’re thinking, Mr. O’Keefe.”

Brady sincerely doubted that. “What is it you think is on my mind?”

“That I’m too young and I don’t have the experience. But I’m smart and a hard worker. If you give me a chance, I promise you won’t be sorry.”

Brady believed him. This kid reminded him of Henry. He still missed his best friend. The two of them had dreamed of starting this company together, but fate had other plans.

“Brady?” Olivia’s voice grounded him in the present.

Of all the interviews he’d done, this guy was at the top of the list, but he hadn’t quite thrown in the towel on letting his assistant get away. He was also a pretty good judge of character and talent and wouldn’t let a smart up-and-comer get away either.

“Okay, Chris. I’ll be in touch.” He stood and held out his hand.

“Thanks for seeing me, Mr. O’Keefe.”

“The pleasure is mine. I’m sure you’ve got a bright future ahead of you.”

That must have been the right thing to say, because Olivia smiled at him as if he’d hung the moon. Her approval always made him feel like a better man than he was.

“I’ll show you out, Chris.”

For just a moment there was the slightest lisp in her voice and that made him smile as he watched the two leave the room. But he couldn’t indulge himself for long, because when she came back the game would be on.

A few moments later, she walked back into the room and sat in the chair where she’d observed the interview. “So what do you think?”

Here goes round two,
he thought.

He moved to the club chair side of his desk and rested a hip on the corner. Her knees were inches from his leg and she angled them away.

“Who are we talking about?” he asked.

“Who do you want to start with?”

Could be his imagination, but along with the lisp there was a breathless quality to her words. “You pick.”

“How about candidate number one? Heather Fontaine.” She glanced at her notes. “Good computer skills. Experience. Qualified. A good fit.”

“Those were your impressions?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t jot down anything about her attitude?”

“No.” Her eyes narrowed and gone was any trace of her approving smile. “I didn’t notice anything about an attitude.”

“Hmm.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. There was just...” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Something. Instinct, maybe. A sense that she could be difficult.”