“Call me Mel.” She drew in a deep breath. “I…Ishould probably go now.” She stood up, gathering her things off the desk.
“Can I help?”
She tried not to sound bitchy when she answered. “Apparently not.”
He frowned. “I could keep my eyes open for other jobs—”
“Believe me, I’ve been through the gamut.” She patted her jacket pocket, checking for her car keys. “I’ll be fine. I’m not your problem.”
“Do you need a loan?”
Her temper flared. “No, I don’t need a loan. I need ajob. And I need it fast because frankly I’m all out of money and it’s just—” She clamped her mouth shut, then squeezed her eyes closed. Damn it. She hadn’t intended to do that in front of him.
She took a deep breath. Then another. When she felt calm enough, she headed for the door again. “Listen, thanks. I understand. I really do. No hard feelings, okay?” She pulled open the door and started to step outside.
“Wait!”
She stopped, turning to look back over her shoulder.
“I’m sorry about this. I really am. But it’s just business. And I’d really like to see you again. Do you think we could do that?”
Every fiber in her body screamed yes, yes,yes. But her head and her mouth knew better, and instead of throwing herself into his arms, she simply shook her head. “No, Kyle. I…I don’t think that would be a very good idea.”
“You’d stay for the job.” There was a note of accusation in his voice.
She met his eyes dead on. “Yes. I would.”
His sigh sounded almost painful. “I’d like to help you. I really would. Against every bit of better judgment I’d actually like to give you a job. Hell, gainful employment would probably be a good thing.” He flashed a teasing grin. “After all, I used to be a cop. I’m all for rehabilitation as a preventative for recidivism—”
Mel glared.
“—but the bottom line is that I have to protect my bottom line. My company is on shaky enough ground right now. I can’t afford to have a thief working here. If word got around…” He let the words trail off, looking thoughtful.
She frowned. “Kyle?”
He held up a finger in a very Harrison Ford sort of gesture. Then he looked up, a huge smile crossing his face. “Sweetheart, I think I might have the answer to both our problems.”
* * *
KYLE WANTED HERto say yes more than he probably should. And not because he could use her help clearing up the Driskell mess—though that was how he planned to convince her to stay—but simply because he wanted Melissa beside him.
“What?” She was looking at him with wide eyes, full of anticipation.
“Do you know anything about my company?”
Her brow furrowed. “Integrated Security Systems. One of the leading home security companies in Orange County. Owners Kyle Radley and Brent Connors. Sponsors a Little League team.”
“Betsy fax you a cheat sheet?”
“Um, no, actually.” She pointed to the Appreciation Award the company had received from the Little League organization. “I saw that on the wall. The rest I just assumed.”
“So you don’t know about our current crisis.”
Her brow crinkled, and she shook her head just slightly.
He took some small comfort in the fact that his company’s travails hadn’t permeated the local news. “Well, the company’s on shaky ground.” He gave her the rundown, describing the Driskell break-in and his unsuccessful efforts to figure out the weakness in the system.
“I had no idea,” she said with some surprise. “I haven’t heard anything about it.”
