Chapter 15
About fifteen minutes ago, Junior had given up attempting to look like he was doing anything else but waiting for Elizabeth Schrock to arrive. At first, he’d tried to tell himself that he was loitering in the reception area because she was his friend.
That excuse didn’t last long. Yes, she was his friend. But Elizabeth was also slowly becoming his crush.
Next, he’d decided that he was waiting for her because she’d looked so upset when they’d crossed paths at the park. He wanted her to have a good day. Not make her life harder.
But, as the minutes passed and nine turned into nine fifteen and then nine thirty, Junior decided that he didn’t need an excuse, after all.
Walden Wax Works was his company, and he could stand or sit wherever he wanted.
He could certainly greet anyone who walked in the door without having to explain himself.
Cherry didn’t agree.
She was glaring at him after he’d signed for a package that had just been delivered. “That’s my job, you know.”
“Signing for deliveries?” When she nodded, Junior was tempted to laugh. “Come on, Cherry. We both know you do a lot more around here than that.”
Her chin lifted, making the ties on her kapp flutter slightly around her neck. “You’re right. I’m the office’s receptionist. I have a lot of responsibilities, all of which center around the reception area.”
“I’m not disputing that.” He was also doing a good job of not rolling his eyes, which he counted as a win.
“Maybe not, but you’re still in the way. You’re in my way.”
“All I did was sign for a package. You should be thanking me, anyway, because I greeted Chad; you didn’t even stand up.”
Twin blotches of color appeared on her cheeks. “It doesn’t matter if I did or didn’t get out of my chair. The point is that I can’t concentrate when you’re watching me and pacing in front of the door like a caged tiger.”
“I’m hardly doing that.”
“I disagree.” Making a shooing motion with her hands, she added, “Go on back to your office and let me take care of my reception area. I’ll escort Beth Schrock to your office as soon as she arrives.” She looked pointedly at the clock on the wall. “Since she is late.”
Junior was just about to finally tell Cherry to watch her attitude when he spied Elizabeth coming up the walk. Today she was wearing a long-sleeved dark teal dress, tennis shoes, and her regular purse that happened to look a lot like a small backpack.
She also seemed to be looking a bit pale.
Was she sick?
Unable to help himself, Junior strode out to meet her. “Gut matin.”
Her blue eyes widened before she regained her composure. “Morning, Junior. Ah, what are you doing out here? Are you about to leave?”
“Not at all. I was, um, talking to Cherry about something when I happened to notice you were on the sidewalk. You looked like you could use a hand, so I came on out.” Ashamed at how easily the lies kept coming, he held out a hand. “How about I take that backpack from you?”
“Usually I’d say that I was fine, but I really would love some help. Thanks.”
When he pulled the pack off her shoulders, Junior couldn’t resist moving her hair out of the way. It was the first time he’d seen her wear it down about her shoulders. Previously, she’d had it either pulled back in a ponytail or secured in a bun at the nape of her neck.
When a strand of hair got caught in a strap, he’d gently freed it. And tried not to think about how the light blond strands felt like silk.
When he felt her shoulders tremble slightly, he paused. “Sorry, but some of your hair was caught. Did I hurt you?”
“Not at all. I was, um . . . just being silly.”
He wondered if her “being silly” was her way of describing the same zing of attraction that he did.
Or, maybe he’d just lost his mind.
Embarrassed at his train of thought, he focused on the surprisingly hefty backpack he was now holding. “Elizabeth, this is heavy.”
“It’s not that heavy.” But the way she was rolling her shoulders belied her words.
“It’s probably too heavy for a pregnant woman to be lugging around, ain’t so?”
“Usually, I’d say that I can carry whatever I want on my back, but today it sure did feel like a lot.”
“What do you have in here, anyway?”
“Lunch. Water bottles. A smaller purse. My phone. A book.” She chuckled. “Stuff.”
“Hmm.” He opened the door and shuttled her inside. Worried that she might be chilled, he glanced at the coffeepot in the corner of the space. “Cherry, how fresh is that coffee?”
Turning to peek at the machine, she said, “Not very, since the pot is off.” After giving Elizabeth a scathing look, she added, “It’s practically lunchtime, you know.”
It still wasn’t even ten. “Isn’t it kind of early to stop making it?”
“Why? Do you want me to get up and make more coffee?” She sounded put-upon.
It was all he could do not to point out that making coffee was part of her receptionist duties. “I want some for Elizabeth.”
Cherry turned to Beth. “How much coffee do you want?”
“Just make a fresh pot,” Junior said before Beth could say a word.
“If you’re going to do that just for me, please don’t bother,” Elizabeth said. “I’ve already had my one cup of caffeine. I probably shouldn’t have any more.”
“Do we have decaf, Cherry?”
“Nope.”
“I promise, I’m fine, Junior,” Elizabeth said. “Thanks, anyway, Cherry.”
“You’re welcome.” Thawing a little bit, Cherry smiled at Beth. “I hope you have a good day.”
“Thank you.”
Just as they turned away, Cherry added, “By the way, do you go by Beth or Elizabeth?”
“Beth.”
“Hmm.” After darting a look in Junor’s direction, Cherry added, “I would offer to show you around and tell you where to stash your stuff, but the boss wants to do it.”
Some of Elizabeth’s smile faded. “Oh. Okay.”
“Don’t mind her,” he said as he opened the glass door that led to the main manufacturing wing. When the door closed behind them, he said, “Cherry’s not real pleased with me right now. I’m afraid that she decided to take it out on you. I’ll speak to her about that.”
“There’s no need.”
“There’s every need.”
“What did you do to get on her bad list?”
He chuckled. “I got in her way,” he said as they headed toward his office. “It seems she’s territorial.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ll make sure to stay out of her way, then.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. Cherry usually only gets snippy with me.”
“I know I was late. Were you waiting on me? Is that why you were in the reception area?”
“Guilty.” Not wanting to dwell on that any longer, he pointed to the work area on the other side of the plexiglass wall. “You might remember that this is where we make the candles.”
Stopping to watch the two dozen men and women melting wax, mixing in scents and colors, and placing wicks, Elizabeth smiled for the first time. “I would never forget this area. It’s fascinating.”
“You know what? I think so, too. It never fails to amaze me that we can take a couple of boxes of wax and change them into something that’s pretty and smells good.
” Seeing that her smile had widened, he blurted, “Sorry. I tend to get a little too syrupy when I talk about the business. I know all we’re doing is making candles. Not changing the world.”
“I didn’t think you sounded syrupy at all. But if you were, that’s a good thing. After all, this is your baby.”
“This place matters a lot to me,but it’s just a business. I think a baby is a little bit more special.”
“I have a feeling all the families who receive a paycheck from here might have something to say about that.”
“Maybe so.” After gazing at the workers, he turned to her again. Noticed how easy it was to get lost in her dark blue eyes.
Then reminded himself that he was her boss. Nothing more, nothing less.
“Let’s get you settled. Since you’re going to be helping me organize all the paperwork, I thought it would be best if you worked in my office.”
“All right.” She followed him down another hall and finally into his office. “So, here?” she asked, pointing to the slightly scarred cherry desk that he’d found in a back warehouse.
“Yep. The computer I ordered you came in over the weekend,” he added as he placed her backpack on her chair. “I unboxed it yesterday and turned it on, but you’re probably going to have to spend some time organizing everything.”
“That won’t be a problem.” Walking to the desk, she ran a hand over the wood before putting her backpack on the floor. “Everything looks great.”
“If it doesn’t, let me know.”
“I will.” After a second’s pause, she added. “I think I’ll get started now.”
He felt his cheeks heat. Yep, he’d been staring at her like he was a kid and she was his new puppy. He turned away, already beginning to regret his decision to have her work in his office when he remembered her queasy stomach.
She likely needed to eat often.
“Wait. I, uh, forgot to show you where to put your lunch. I’m assuming there’s one in your backpack?”
“There is. But it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Do you mind if I just eat here at my desk?”
“You can eat wherever you want, but are you sure? Everyone gets a thirty-minute lunch.”
“I can do that here.”
“All right. That’s, um, fine.”
“Hey, Junior?”
“Yeah?”
“I am sorry that you felt you had to wait for me in the reception area.”
How could he explain that he’d wanted to be the one who greeted her without sounding creepy? Realizing that wasn’t possible, he shrugged. “We already talked about this. I wasn’t waiting. I was in there, anyway. And stop worrying about the clock. I told you that I wouldn’t put you on a punch card.”
“I know. I just wanted you to know that I didn’t mean to come in almost forty-five minutes late. I had to deal with some morning sickness, then my grandmother insisted I eat breakfast, and then my mother called. I hadn’t talked to her in a while and didn’t feel like I could put her off yet again.”
“Are you feeling all right now?”
“Yes, I’m fine now.”
“That’s all that matters, then. I think it’s time you sat down and took a breath.”
Looking relieved, Beth nodded as she sat down. “I think so, too. I might have just gotten here, but it’s been a long morning.”
Junior felt the same way, but not because of anything but his attraction to Elizabeth. He was going to need to find a way to deal with that.
She had enough on her plate without her new boss mooning over her.
He needed to work on that.