“They specialize in suburban office parks. You’d be designing dentist offices, if you like that sort of thing.”
“Hm. And the other is Caden & Finch. I looked them up online, and they just landed the new Midtown Tower project.”
“If it’s prestige you’re after, you can’t go wrong with Caden & Finch, but you’ll work eighty-hour weeks in that huge firm and never be noticed unless you totally stand out somehow.”
She sighed into the phone. “I appreciate your insights. Looks like this job search will take some time.”
“Of the three, you can’t go wrong with Caden & Finch. But…” I hesitated. My eyes darted to my desktop calendar notifications that just popped up from Matt. In one, he confirmed details with Holden’s people for a weekend visit to Steele Valley. In the other, he set up a call with Camille to discuss the new hire for Caleb’s team. Then I glanced at the new non-fraternization policy on my desk.
Fuck. On my right shoulder, the White Knight sat and cried, “Give her a job!”
While on my left, an animated version of Brier’s pink crocheted penis shouted, “Shut up, White Knight! They’re a perfect match. The end to our dry spell is near.”
Somewhere in the middle were Rex and Richard, waving their fists, and warning me away from either side saying, “We can’t be held responsible if Penny breaks your heart.”
All I wanted was to shield her from bad bosses and horrible career decisions.
I chewed my cheek. “Turns out, we’ve just taken on a new client. I have a position opening up for a junior architect to work on the project. Would you be interested in working for Bellamy Brothers?”
“Are you serious?” The excitement in her voice hiked up twelve notches.
The White Knight won. In no uncertain terms, did I want to see Richard’s face if he found out about this. I buried my forehead in the palm of my hand.
“Very serious. We pay our junior associates more than you’d make elsewhere, offer excellent benefits, and have one of the best CEOs ever. I’m biased, though. I’ll have my assistant arrange for you to meet with HR.”
“Archer, that’s amazing.” She giggled, and I could just imagine the giddy and bright curve of her lips. “I can’t wait to thank you in person Friday night over dinner.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “About that. We have a non-fraternization policy here, which means?—”
She gasped. “Oh.”
Yeah, oh.
She sighed into the line. “I appreciate your offer, but I think I’ll keep interviewing around. Take my chances elsewhere.”
“Pen, if you come to work for Bellamy even for a year, I’ll make sure you have all the training and experience you need to be able to walk right into another elite firm in this city and get hired on the spot. One year.”
“You mean, a year where we won’t be able to…”
Fuck? Date? Prove to me she’s not like Brianne. Make beautiful babies? Make me trust again. Marry on a beach somewhere? Not necessarily in that order. What the hell was I thinking?
“Good thing you and I hadn’t gotten too far yet, right?” I made light of it with a goofy chortle, but it was better this way.No hearts would be harmed, and what I was offering her wasn’t costing me my soul.
An awkward pause of silence came between us. “Archer, I didn’t come to you looking for all of this help. You brought me that letter; I didn’t ask for it.”
“I know.”
“It’s just… if I take you up on your offer, I don’t want you thinking I’m taking advantage of you, like Brianne did. I could never be her.”
I swallowed hard, letting her words sink in, wanting to trust. Still having a difficult time with that four-letter word. “What I’m offering you I would never offer anyone else, Penny. Take the deal. You deserve to work someplace where you’ll be respected and nurtured and given room to grow. Here, I can ensure you get that, setting you up for a bright future.”
The only cost would be the spark that we had started. Easy to snuff out for all the right reasons. Even if it feels so wrong to do so.
The silence in my office stretched until she answered. “I trust you, Archer, if this is what you want. If this is what you think is best for my career. Best for us.”
The last three words stabbed me in the gut. I clicked into my schedule, and slowly, letter by letter, deleted Matt’s words “DINNER FRIDAY NIGHT WITH MYSTERY DATE.” I stared at the blinking cursor, my social calendar empty once again.
NERVES AND SPARKS
