Page 9 of The Emma Special

Emma swiveled her chair away from him. “—for calling Anderson and Associates. How may I direct your—” Ring! The sound of an actual call coming through the line startled her so much she jerked the receiver from her ear and juggled it from hand to hand like a hot potato.

Ring!

Conscious of James slowing his walk as he approached her desk, she hovered her shaking hand beside the machine trying to remember which button to push.

Ring!

Then his hand was over hers—covering it completely. He pushed a gray button and slipped the receiver away from her. “Anderson and Associates.”

Oh no. James was saving her. Again. His voice, sure and deep, as if he answered that phone every day was more delicious than she remembered. And the heady scent of leather and expensive cologne filled her senses as he leaned over the desk. He even smelled out of her league.

Mortified, she shrank into her seat. She couldn’t turn away from his gaze as it drilled a hole right into the melted puddle that used to be her confidence.

“Hold, please.” James pressed another button and walked around to her side of the desk. “Alright, she’s calling for Tony, so press his office number and tell him Sarah’s on line one.”

Emma froze under the spotlight, then shook herself into action. “Right. Sorry. Um…”

“His extension is listed on this chart.” James picked up a laminated card. She pointed to the number next to Anthony Bowman.

“Yep, that’s right. It’ll ring through,” he assured her.

She pressed the button, and Tony answered with a brief, “Yes?”

“Hi, Mr. Bowman. Sarah is waiting for you on line one.”

James nodded, then motioned for her to hang up. She placed the receiver in the cradle, then clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. Wow, that should not have been so stressful.

James leaned a hip against the desk and propped one elbow on the high, flat surface. “Well, hello. If it isn’t the pixie. Are the ears hiding under there?” He reached forward as if to move her hair out of the way and check for himself but rerouted his hand to rest back on the desk.

Emma chuckled, already feeling her cheeks heat up. “See?” She lifted her hair. “All normal.”

She was not a shy person. James was just so… helpful. Okay, and her hormones must be out of whack because he was distractingly attractive. Goodness, was she seriously crushing on this man for his looks? How shallow could she be? “Florence is training me to be her replacement. She’ll be right back. How do you know how to work this doohickey? Should I ring one of our attorneys that you’re here for an appointment?”

He gathered his sunglasses from the desk and slipped them into the outside pocket of his shirt. There came that calm smile again. “I’m with the ‘associates’ part of Anderson and Associates. This is me.” He slid his finger down the short line of extensions. “Four-oh-three. Call me if you need to practice some more.”

“Oh, I wasn’t—yeah. You caught me.” Emma had to laugh at herself there.

“So what brought you here? This can’t be nearly as fun as The Primrose Party Princess.”

“James Moore, you’ve done some research since Thursday?”

“Your page is impressive. I bet those kids have a blast.”

“It’s a regular hoot, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, princess gigs aren’t paying into a 401K.”

James smirked. “Well I hope the exchange is worth it.” He opened his mouth as if to say something else, but his gaze snagged on the clock on the wall over her head and he visibly deflated. “I have to run. Mr. Jacobson should be here in ten minutes. Will you buzz me when he arrives?”

“Of course.”

“Nice to see you again.” He raised his hand in good-bye before he sauntered down the hall.

Emma had hardly caught her breath when the phone beeped. A red light glowed beside the transfer button for 403. She pressed it and lifted the receiver. “Hello?”

“Hey! You did it. Good job, Emma,” James said.

“Thanks. I’ll be here all week.”

“Good to know. I forgot to ask you to hold my calls the rest of the morning. I’ll be meeting with clients.”