Marissa
Unlike most, Denise didn’t nod in understanding and move on to the next topic. Her head tilted slightly to the side, her eyes locked on mine. “That’s it?”
I nodded. “That’s it.”
She didn’t look away. “Then why do I sense that there’s more to the story than that lame answer?”
Making sure Annie was out of earshot, I spotted her carefully maneuvering her way along the low crossbars. If she slipped, the ground was no more than an inch below her feet. Satisfied that she was both safe and couldn’t overhear us, I replied to Denise.
“Probably because there is more,” I told her honestly.
As much as I had always dodged the question before, I knew it was time I told Denise everything. She asked, and I wouldn’t lie to her outright. Telling her anything other than the truth now would be lying, and I didn’t want to do that to Denise. She didn’t deserve to be lied to, least of all by me.
I was about to tell her the rest of the story that she had correctly sensed there was, but before I could get a word out, my phone started buzzing in my pocket. After fishing out the phone, which was not an easy task with the thick gloves I was still getting used to wearing, I glanced down at the screen.
The number wasn’t one I recognized, and I sighed, hoping I wasn’t about to interrupt a fairly necessary conversation I had to have with my best friend for a spam call.
Some people I knew allowed numbers they didn’t know to ring until the call ended, or they simply denied the call. I couldn’t do either of those things. Curiosity or stupidity, I wasn’t sure which, was responsible for driving me to answer every call I got, but I preferred the third option.
On or off the clock, I was a dedicated employee, and even though my boss had passed away, I got a lot of work related calls from unknown numbers. Whatever was going on at the office, if anything this soon after the funeral, I wouldn’t make it worse by not answering the call.
If they needed me for anything, I would be there. Even if it wasn’t for much longer. With that in mind, I slid my finger across the screen and was grateful to have splurged on gloves designed with smartphones in mind.
“Hello?”
“Good morning.” A crisp, cultured voice I was pretty sure I’d never heard before said. “Is this Marissa Hughes speaking?”
“It is,” I answered, suddenly nervous. Why, I didn’t know. The voice was deep and smooth. It sent tingles I hadn’t felt for a long time down my spine. “Who is this?”
“This is Layton,” the man said. “I have a job offer for you, but I’d be more comfortable if you would agree to come in for an interview before I make it.”
My ears perked up, the nervousness intensifying. A random call about a job offer when I was so uncertain about my future now that my boss was gone was a gift I wasn’t expecting. But I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Besides, I couldn’t afford to. Annie and I would be screwed if I was without an income, as would Denise. It didn’t really matter at this point what the man’s job offer was. Short of anything unsavory, I would seriously consider it.
If he was calling me, he must have heard about me from somewhere. Heard that I might be without a job soon and was calling on someone’s recommendation. It was the only thing that made sense.
I wouldn’t accept the job until I knew what it was, provided he even made the offer after our interview, but I wasn’t stupid enough to turn him down without even going in for the interview. “Yes, I can make some time for an interview on Monday. Where and what time?”
Denise stared at me, stunned. She mouthed, “What?”
I shrugged. I still had no idea. Layton, whoever he was, gave me the address and told me to come by at noon. “We’ll see you then, Ms. Hughes.”
“Yes,” I said. “Thank you for the opportunity.”
After a brief pause, I could’ve sworn I heard a sigh. “We’ll speak on Monday.”
After saying goodbye, I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and wondered what I was getting myself into. A mysterious call with a job offer, while it was a gift, wasn’t something that just happened.
Too late, I realized I should have asked for details about the company. That way, I could’ve looked it up before I went, and be better prepared for the interview.
Denise let out a little gasp. “An interview? What was that all about?”
“I have no idea,” I said honestly. “But if it goes well, I can stop worrying about my job. I think I might have just found a new one.”
LAYTONMonday came too soon, just like it always did. It didn’t matter too much to me, since I spent the weekend catching up on work anyway. It would have been nice if the weekend had been a day or two longer, though. I could have used more quiet time to catch up.The office was best for me when there weren’t a lot of people around. Fewer interruptions, and fewer other things requiring my immediate attention. When I hired all those people on, I thought getting them to do some of the jobs I had been doing when I was still alone in the firm would lessen my workload, and it had, but only by so much. I still had to sign off and give the final say about most things.I wouldn’t complain about it, though. It meant business was good, and since I’d spent my life focused on building up the business, it meant life was good.The morning passed by quickly, in a haze of pencil lines and paperwork. I was relieved and satisfied to see the number of new projects we were being requested to take on for
LaytonShrugging, I shook my head. “I don’t know. All Clayton Reeve told me was that the only condition placed on my receiving the inheritance was hiring her.”A deep line appeared between his slightly bushy eyebrows. “That’s pretty weird, but it’s a good deal, I think. Hire some woman and get the inheritance?”“Yeah, it’s a good deal,” I agreed. I didn’t have exact figures yet, since I hadn’t gone through the paperwork Reeve sent over, but it was a safe bet that her lifetime salary would be a drop in the bucket of what I stood to inherit. “I’m interviewing her soon. I didn’t want to make the offer flat out without even having met her.”“Good thinking,” he said. “I get it, but just think carefully, okay?”“Will do.” At that moment, there was another knock at the door. Before I could invite her in, a woman swept into my office. I wasn’t used to people coming in before I told them to, but I bit back any comment because this had to be her.A quick glance at the antique clock above my doo
MARISSAThe last thing I expected walking into the interview this morning was to find a guy who looked like this one sitting across from me. I mean, wow. How any of the women in this office got anything done with a boss who looked like him was beyond me.Granted, my last boss was older, so I didn’t have much experience working with men around my age, but this one was bound to make it harder to concentrate for anyone with a pulse and even the vaguest interest in men.He was nothing short of gorgeous, and having seen how hot his eyes grew when he was looking me over when I walked in, I was feeling way more aroused than an interview had the right to make me feel.As inconvenient as my arousal was, I could hardly blame myself. It had been a long time since I’d noticed a man the way I noticed him, the way that made me feel less like a mom and more like a woman. A woman with needs my trusty vibrator didn’t always fulfill as well as it could have.This man looked like he could fulfill those
MarissaThe flush spread from my cheeks down to my neck. I fought the urge to pull the collar of my dress away from the hot skin there. “I’ve been told I can talk an Eskimo into buying ice, and a man in the desert into giving me his last bottle of water.”“Jeffrey told you the latter, didn’t he?” Layton guessed. There was something in his eyes I couldn’t quite place. It had to be sadness. His father had been strict and firm, but fair.I hadn’t been exaggerating when I said I learned a lot from him. He was a good man to work for. A mentor to me, in a way. Losing him as a father must have been a thousand times more painful than losing him as an employer and mentor.I nodded, a fond smile curling on my lips as I remembered the day Jeffrey told me I would be able to talk a man in the desert into giving me his last water. We’d been going over the numbers of a project a large company wanted to commission him for.He wasn’t sure if the work would be worth the money. I told him I would try to
LAYTONLate the next Friday afternoon, I rubbed my tired eyes and looked over a three dimensional mock-up of one of my upcoming projects on my computer at the office. There was something not quite right about it, but I was having trouble putting my finger on what, exactly, was off.“Come on, man. Concentrate,” I muttered, squinting my eyes as I titled the image this way and that. Any minute now, I would see what was bothering me. Nothing jumped out, but I was sure it would soon. I just had to keep going.I was concentrating so hard, I didn’t notice there was someone else in my office until I heard the soft scrape of a chair against my laminate flooring. My head snapped toward the sound. I sighed internally when I saw who it was.Marissa.Of course. She was the only one who just walked into my office. No knocking, no waiting for me to call her in. It was an aggravating habit she had, but I didn’t show my aggravation.No good could come of it. She just wasn’t like the other people here.
LAYTON“I came to check in on that project we’re starting next week. I want to start ordering materials first thing Monday morning with your guys, but I need to know what’s happening with the budget and all that. Overspending on the first day of a project is always a tough fix.”I nodded my agreement, glancing at the file on my desk. “Marissa just brought me the latest numbers she ran. I haven’t looked them over yet, but I’ll do it when you leave. You’ll have the final stuff before you start going to the suppliers on Monday.”“Good man,” Craig said, before frowning. “Who’s Marissa? Oh. The new girl. Your dad’s hire, right?“Yup,” I confirmed.“How’s that working out?” Leaning forward, he’d asked with genuine interest.As my closest friend, he was the only person I would talk to about this. Anyone else, I would’ve told them she was doing fine and left it at that. And she was doing fine so far.It wouldn’t have been a lie, not that I was above lying if circumstances warranted. It just w
MARISSAWhat I was expecting from Layton Bridges, I didn’t know. He seemed nice enough in the interview, but I was so focused on getting a new job and then relieved when he said I had it that I hadn’t given too much thought to the kind of person he was.When I started working there, I noticed that he seemed like the type who worked hard but was well-liked enough and respected by his staff. I hadn’t given it much more thought until earlier, when he so rudely dismissed me from his office.Boy, what a dick. Bosses didn’t have to be nice. I knew that and I was fine with it. But when his dickish behavior started having an effect on my job though, I was not fine with it at all.As his accounting manager, I took my job seriously. I was new there and didn’t quite know the ropes yet, but I was damn proud of what I’d accomplished, despite my relative inexperience in his field.I hadn’t wanted to sit down with him to go over the numbers to get an acknowledgment or a pat on the head, I wanted to
MARISSA “Nobody’s like us,” Denise smirked. “We’re awesome.” “Yeah, but I don’t think they would agree.” Denise was a cup of kindness and two cups of support poured into the shape of a woman, but my reality was my reality and I was starting to wonder if I made a mistake. “I’m not sure I ever should have taken this job.” The remnants of her smirk dropped from her lips. “Why not?” “I’m just not sure if I can work for him.” The way he treated me earlier was rude and dismissive. I hadn’t taken offense to it, but if that was the kind of person he was, I didn’t know if I wanted to put up with it either. “He’s a dick, end of story.” “No one likes their boss, though. They’re not supposed to be your friend,” Denise said. “Maybe he is a dick, but so be it. Let it bounce off.” “I’m your boss and your friend,” I pointed out, smiling as I joked. My day needed a spot of humor in it. “Or are you saying I’m a dick, too?” She stuck her tongue out at me, giggling. “If you had one, maybe you would