“Is there something else going on I should know about?” Years of training gave Jake the ability to read between the lines of what some people didn’t tell him.
“No. Of course not. As I said, just make sure she’s terminated.”
“And I repeat. If your documentation is in order, it won’t be a problem.”
“I want her out of here by Friday.”
“Send me the file, and I’ll look it over.”
Sterling braced his hands on the desk and leaned over Jake, his voice low and furious. “You don’t want to fuck with me, Axelrod. Don’t think I didn’t hear about you prancing around here last week with another man. Do your job.”
Inside, Jake shook with rage, but on the outside, he maintained a calm demeanor. “I always do. And if you leave now, I can continue.”
Shooting him a death glare, Sterling slammed out of his office.
“Damn,” he said, slumping in his chair. “Happy Monday.”
Maria frowned. “Rebecca Johnson. I’ll bet that’s who he’s talking about.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve heard whispers. They’ve been working late together. He’s been heard raising his voice to her.”
“Something tells me this isn’t as cut-and-dried as we think. I’ll pull her file and see what’s been going on. I’m going to want to know when she was trained last and when Sterling was as well.”
“I’ll see if I can find out anything from her coworkers.” Maria rose from her chair. “I have a meeting, and you need to get back to whatever horror show I spied on your screen.”
“I’ll be taking a week off, beginning August first. Letting you know now, in case you need to make your own vacation plans.”
She paused in the doorway. “Oh? And where are you going?”
God, he knew he was going to regret this. “Texas. I’m taking Stacey to the dude ranch.”
To her credit, Maria didn’t give him shit. “Oh, nice. I bet she’ll love all the animals. I’ll see you at three for the weekly.” She shut the door behind her.
“All right. That wasn’t too bad,” he said out loud. His phone buzzed with a text from Maria:Yee-haw. Ride ’em, cowboy.
Groaning, he tossed his phone on the desk, but he wasn’t too upset. Not with the prospect of seeing Shea again for an entire week.
Who knew what might happen?
Chapter Thirteen
“What time are you goin’ to the airport?” Patty set the bacon on some paper towels to drain, and Shea poured himself a cup of coffee. “I know you’ve been up since five. I heard you out back.”
Shea stared at his cup. “Their plane lands at one thirty. And sorry ’bout that. I wanted to give Rambo a good ridin’, since I don’t know how tied up I’ll be with them all. Plus make last-minute checks, seein’ to everythin’ before they arrive.”
With a smile, Patty motioned for him to sit, and she took a chair opposite him across the wide farm table. “It’ll sure be nice havin’ a young one around again. What’re you fixin’ for them to do while they’re here?”
Shea knew what he wanted. Jake under him or over him. Inside him, even. Getting his mind out of the gutter, he chewed a piece of bacon. “Well, Jake’s daughter loves animals, so I figure she’ll wanna go ridin’ every day. I’ll put her on the pony we got last month. He’s gentle as a kitten. Then there are the donkeys and bunnies to play with and the goats, and little pigs. She can go swimmin’ in the lake, and we can take her for boat rides. Look for frogs and see if we can spot the deer. Pick flowers and take hayrides. Lots to do and see, ’specially since she’s never been out of the city.”
“As long as someone from the ranch is with her. We don’t want a repeat of what happened to your friend.”
“Me, Craig, or Johnny will always be there. Don’t you worry.”
“Sounds like she’ll have a wonderful time. And she has a babysitter coming too?”
“Yeah. I’ve never met her, but Jake said she was a nurse, and that she’s around your age.”
