“It’s Hayden Porter. The PA you recommended?”
“Yeah, sure, what about him?” Trevor sounded surprised. “He’s working out, isn’t he? I heard he’s one of the best.”
“No, he’s doing great. Really helpful.” How to put this without sounding creepy or stalkerish… “Just, I never bothered to call any of his references because I hired him on the spot. I was wondering how much you knew about him.”
Papers shuffled in the background, and he heard the phones ringing. “Not much, actually. I took the info from Janice, whom I trust. Give her a call. Here’s her number.”
Armand jotted it down. “Thanks. I’m sure it’s all fine.”
“I am too. See you Saturday night. Seven thirty. Don’t forget,” he warned.
“I won’t. I promise.”
The call ended, and he stuck the sticky note with Janice’s number into his pocket and wrote one for dinner with Trevor, then tossed the other one out. While waiting for Hayden to return from his lunch, he pulled up articles Martin Price had written, but in the back of his mind, something about Hayden’s past didn’t sit right.
Chapter Nine
“So, Hayden”—big brown eyes peered at him through a thick fringe of eyelashes—“I’m glad you gave me a second chance to make a first impression.” Lucy tossed the shining waves of blond hair over her thin shoulders. Her salad lay untouched in front of her.
“Oh?” Amused, Hayden took a sip of water. He was all about redemption. Besides, Lucy was the key to figuring out Russell Anders.
“I kinda bit your head off the first time we spoke, but I was just protecting my boss.”
“Which is what I’m doing. So I’m glad we understand each other. It will take me a little time to acclimatize to the culture here.”
“Was it different in your previous job?” She scrunched up her nose. “You worked for some shipping corporation?”
“Yes to both. Very different, and no socialization whatsoever.”
Kunoff Shipping was a huge operation with offices across the United States, and even after all the years he’d worked for Boris, Hayden hadn’t met all the directors of the company. There’dbeen little time for sit-downs and chats with other assistants, and none of the directors ever acknowledged his existence, aside from asking him if they could speak to Boris.
“Oh, that’s not how it is here, at all, so you should get used to it.” Her eyes twinkled. “The Kings’ organization is very social. Everyone here likes to be in each other’s business. It’s hard to keep things private.”
That wouldn’t be the case with him. Hayden had spent half his life hiding and wasn’t about to spill his guts to anyone. But in an effort not to alienate Lucy, he forced a smile. “I already know about Mr. Winters. He loves roses and is very kind. What about your boss? Is he married, divorced?” He hesitated. “Seeing anyone from the office?”
Her cheeks pinked.
Aha! Bingo.
“I—Russell’s a great boss. He’s not married, never has been.” She ate some of her salad. “How about you? Do you have a girlfriend?”
He toyed with his fork, pushing the lettuce in the container. “I’m not dating anyone at the moment. The new job keeps me pretty busy. There’s so much to learn.”
“Well, if you ever need help, feel free to pick my brain. I’ve been here five years, and I’ve seen it all.”
“I’ll bet you have.” Not wanting it to seem like an interrogation, he ate a bit more before asking another question. “From what I’ve seen so far, it’s a nice place to work.”
“I think so. I love my job, especially the perks. I get to meet the football players, which is really cool. And sometimes I go to dinners at restaurants I’d never have the chance to if I’d stayed in retail. And, of course, all the tickets to the games are great.”
“And Mr. Anders and Mr. Winters have a good working relationship, I feel.”
“Oh yeah, definitely.” She leaned forward as if to share confidences, and Hayden did the same. “Matter of fact, Russell was always nicer to Armand than his own father.” Her nose wrinkled. “It was awful, the things I overheard.”
A knot formed in Hayden’s stomach. “Like what?”
She peered around the room, but no one was near enough to their table to overhear. “Randolph Winters was a bully. He never treated Armand with any respect. I’m sure it was because he’s gay. Russell was always telling Randolph to try and spend more time with Armand, but Randolph wasn’t interested.” Her lip curled. “He was too busy with Anna to spend time with his son. So Russell did it instead. He and Armand have a great relationship—he always encouraged Armand to lean on him and helped him after the plane crash.”
“Helped him, how?”
