Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
“ M orning, Blondie.”
I waved to Violet on my way in. Thankfully, she was more interested in her daytime guard, Angie, than having a conversation this morning. Having an executive parking spot had netted me an extra fifteen minutes before I was due. I wanted to be up at my desk and ready to go before Mr. Carson left his icy gray cage of an office.
He could watch me all he wanted today.
I slapped my badge against the sensor, and the elevator rose to the top floor. I scanned his kingdom. The extended atrium-like vestibule that showed off the cool beauty of the glass. The huge lobby with its tonal seats that made it feel grand and rich.
More proof of how well he was doing. Everything shone, everything showcased what his special glass could do. All of it had bought my grandmother’s house.
I hated it.
My first day had been full of wonder. Today, I only saw everything I didn’t have. Everything his money was taking from me.
When the doors opened, I stalked out of the elevator. I set up at my desk and tried not to stare at the opaque door to his office. I put my headset on and started burning through bottles of soda and my email list.
Blake’s checklist was eternal, but I kept up with him. When I opened my folder—now dubbed The Pit of Despair—and thought I was almost done, there would be more there. Four bottles into my Pepsi Max brigade, I finally cried uncle and took a walk around the executive floor. I found a vending machine and took a much needed bathroom break.
“Blondie.”
I turned toward Jack’s voice and backed up to his doorway. “Hey there.”
“You’ve been a damn machine today. Are you trying to outdo Blake?”
“Maybe.”
He laughed and laced his fingers behind his head as he swayed in his chair. “It’ll never happen. I don’t want to see you burn out.”
“I can take whatever he dishes out.”
“Man, don’t say that out loud to him.”
“I did.” I leaned against the doorjamb. “Yesterday, when he took me to the showroom.”
He tsk ed me. “Not good.”
“We’re getting into a rhythm.” I hated to own up to it, but I was starting to anticipate what he wanted. Some of the things on his checklist I’d already performed before he asked for them.
He didn’t bother me, and I didn’t bother him.
I could almost think of this as just a job. Not a little fib that had snowballed into a much bigger lie that included a damn benefits package.
“What did you actually do before here?”
I shrugged. I didn’t know exactly how much I should say. It wasn’t like I could hide who I was. A background check would show exactly how I’d spent the last seven years since graduating from high school. I’d gotten a fine arts degree and minored in some business courses. Other than that, stained glass and the history of New England artistry was my life.
And I’d liked that life just fine until nearly three weeks ago. I looked at my scuffed toes. “I was an artist.”
“And you’re not now?”
I shrugged again. “Circumstances have changed, and I need to do some juggling.”
Jack sat forward in his chair and rested his forearms on his desk. “Like what? Painting and shit?”
I grinned at him. “I do a little painting, but my medium is glass.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
I nodded. “Do you go over to Marblehead at all?”
“I’m more Nantucket because of the clientele, but I’ve been over there.”
“My biggest piece is the Italian restaurant on the coast. A little place called LoBrocco’s. I did rehab on some old stained glass from a little church and expanded on it.”
“Wow.”
“I do a lot of historical stuff with glass, rehabs, and, of course, my own art.”
“And now you’re here?” Jack shook his head. “That’s a shame.” He lifted a brow. “Or maybe not.”
I laughed at him. Jack would flirt with a paper bag if it talked back to him. “Well, I better get back before Mr. Carson figures out I’m gone.”
“Look at all that work ethic. You both make me sick.”
I huffed out a laugh because he was expecting it. “See you later, Jack.”
I tore back the wrapper on the breakfast bar as I headed back to the main part of the office where my desk was. It tasted like peanut-flavored sawdust, but it was supposed to be chock full of protein to give me energy. I needed all I could get. When I came around the corner, Blake was waiting in front of my desk.
I blocked my mouth with the back of my hand and swallowed. “Can I help you?”
“Where have you been?” His dark brows snapped low over his eyes. They were even darker today. Shadows bruised under his eyes, and his scruff had gone to a light beard. He’d gone home at least.
And right now, I wished he hadn’t.
The traditional gray suit was distracting enough. This ?
No.
I didn’t have any reserves to handle the navy vest, tie, and pants that were created for his body. The lines were perfect, and his tanned skin glowed against the crisp white dress shirt. I swallowed and dropped my gaze.
“I asked you a question.”
I lifted my gaze to his again, focusing on his face and the beard. Not helping.
He pressed his palms to the shiny surface of my desk. “I need the reports for the Lewis account. I can’t figure out your system. If you would just follow the same folders as I’ve already?—”
“Mr. Carson, I have used your folders. Please look again.”
“Did you sync up to the network?”
I blinked. “Of course I did.”
I sat down at my terminal and flicked the system awake, typing in my password. And…no, I hadn’t synced them up. Dammit.
“I take that as a ‘no’.”
Evidently, I’d said that aloud. Great.
“I’m very sorry.” I stared at my keyboard. Stupid mistake. Normally, I had it set up to automatically do it for me, but we’d been working so fast that the files were overlapping. I unfroze the network and watched as the little clouds slowly loaded. “We were working faster than the network was updating, and the files were conflicting.” I held up my hand. “They’re there now.”
He was still looming over my desk. I forced myself to meet his gaze. It was direct and intense as always. I swallowed against the sawdust and saliva that had disappeared. I tapped the half-empty wrapper. “I was getting a little punchy, so I went to get a snack.”
“Make sure you take a lunch and recharge, Ms. Copeland. It’s going to be a late night.”
“Yes, sir.”
He straightened and tugged his vest down as he turned away. His back seemed even more broad today with the vest to follow the lines of his frame. And that ass?
I was not checking out the enemy’s ass, dammit.
I slumped in my chair. Apparently, I would be working very late tonight.
Awesome.