She had little choice but to follow him, the sound of her stepfather’s voice already in her head, griping about her getting fired. “Have a seat,” Roger said when they walked into the office, then sank into his chair with a sigh. “It’s been a long day. I’m sorry you got tangled up in this mess, it really wasn’t your fault. Sandra is…well…having a few personal problems, I won’t go into the details, but she and I both agreed that she needs to take some time off and handle a few of those problems so her head is a little clearer.”
“Oh, I see, I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “I’m sure she’s a nice person.”
“She and I go way back and that’s why I’m willing to give her a chance, that is if you’re willing to help out,” Roger said. “I’d like you to step in as temporary office manager. I know that you’re qualified; I checked before I hired you. It would just be until Sandra comes back, three months at the least, but possibly as long as a year. You don’t have to decide right now, but I wouldlike an answer in the next few days. The position comes with a sizable raise, of course.”
There was no need to think about it. “I’ll do it,” she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. “I mean, I’d be happy to help out until Sandra can come back. I hope this won’t make her hate me even more. I can’t imagine it’s going to make her very happy to know that I’m here in her place.”
“I’ll worry about Sandra,” Roger said, waving her off. “I just want you to bring this place into the modern age. I’ve had the money for new computers stashed away for years; it’s time to make a move. Is that something you can handle?”
“Of course, I’ve always been a bit of a computer geek,” she said, grinning at him. “And it’s always fun spending someone else’s money.”
“Just don’t bankrupt me,” he said, with a groan. “I’m not made of money, you know.”
“Yes, sir,” she said. “Now, if we’re done here, I’d like to get back to work. The accountant still needs those invoices, and I think with Vanessa’s help and the new program, we can get them to him tonight.”
CHAPTER 8
***MALCOLM***
The sun was just beginning to set when Malcolm popped his head into Rose’s office. “Quitting time, pretty lady,” he called, stepping inside. “We’ve got a celebration to get to, remember?”
Rose looked up from her computer. “I guess we do,” she said, grinning at him. “I just sent the accountant the file with all the invoices in it, so we’ve got even more to celebrate.”
“Should we invite Vanessa?” he asked. “She had a hand in all of this, too.”
“Definitely,” she said. “Just let me shut my computer down and we can go ask her.”
“No need, here she comes,” Malcolm said, moving over so he wasn’t blocking the door.
“Hey, boss lady,” Vanessa said, grinning at her. “Can I skip out a few minutes early? I have a date.”
“We were going to ask you to join us for a little celebration, but you get out of here,” she said, smiling at her new friend. “It’s been a long day, I don’t think it would hurt if you got out of here a few minutes early.”
“Thanks, Rose, it’s going to be nice working for you,” Vanessa said. “I’ll get here early tomorrow. I’m sure you’re going to have a lot of questions.”
“Sounds good, I’ll bring the doughnuts,” she said. “Have fun tonight.”
“If you’re bringing doughnuts, I’m going to have to come in early,” Malcolm said, pretending to pout. “If I don’t, there won’t be any by the time I get here.”
“I’ll save you some, you big baby”, she said, shaking her head with amusement. “I just need to check in with Roger and then we can go. Do you want to wait for me out front?”
He pulled the truck up to the front entrance and sat waiting for Rose, wondering what he was doing. He was playing a dangerous game, one that could leave either of them hurt, but he couldn’t stop himself. It was time to admit it to himself, he wanted to spend time with Rose, he wanted to be around her, but he still stubbornly refused to believe that it was anything but friendship. Men and women could be friends, he thought as he sat and waited; they could have close relationships without it being about sex. It was entirely possible, and that’s what he and Rose had, he was sure of it.
When she jumped into the truck, cheeks flushed from the cold, his breath caught in his throat for a second as wave of desire flooded his system. “Pool or bowling?” he finally managed to ask, keeping his eyes on the road in front of them. “It’s your choice.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, clearly surprised. “I thought we were going out to dinner.”
“They serve food in both places,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “But if you’d just rather go to a boring restaurant and make small talk with each other, that’s fine, I just thought you were a bit more adventurous than that, I mean, you faced Sandra down today and all.”
She laughed. “I know what you’re trying to do and it’s working, but there’s only one problem,” she said. “I’ve never played pool or set foot in a bowling alley.”
“Oh, that’s right, spoiled rich girl and all that,” he said, looking over at her and grinning. “You’re too good for that kind of thing.”
Rose was silent for a second, so long that he finally looked over at her, surprised to see her face full of anger. “I don’t know why everyone thinks I’m some kind of princess. I’m not, I don’t have a bunch of money, I’m not spoiled, in fact, up until a few years ago, I was living in a car with my mom and my little sister,” she said, her cheeks flushed with emotion. “Maybe this was a bad idea. You should take me back to my car.”
“I’m sorry, Rose, I just assumed…and that was wrong,” he said. “I know what it’s like for people to assume they know everything about you when they really know nothing. I should have remembered that. Can you forgive me?”
She visibly relaxed, the anger drained from her face, and she let out a long sigh. “It’s okay, I might have overreacted just a little,” she said. “My mom married my stepfather when I was sixteen. He’s loaded, I mean like millions, maybe even billions, I don’t know. Before that we lived in a van, it was pretty awful, but…well…never mind, you don’t want to hear all of this.”
