I smiled as I stood in front of her desk. "You're an amazing businesswoman, Margaret. I meant what I said about being honored to work for you."
She sat back in her chair and cocked her head. "Have my grandsons offended you so much that you won’t possibly consider staying here and helping them out? I am convinced that you are an essential part of their success."
Inside I was feeling grateful that she recognized my contribution to the success of the company. "I'm not sure what I could do. They all have their own assistants."
Margaret shrugged. "There's nothing that says that I can't put you in on an even level with them. Some sort of chief executive supervisor."
I laughed. "The only reason they ever listened to me is because of you. Without you they’re not going to listen to me."
"I would." Noah sauntered in, and I tried not to blush as I watched him and all his swagger walk over to his grandmother and lean over to give her a kiss.
"Why do I feel like you're taunting me, Noah?” Margaret asked him.
"I would never taunt you Gran," he said sitting on the edge of her desk. "I've come to the point where I'm not completely ruling out the possibility of coming here, but my life is enough in flux that I don't want to make any decisions yet."
Margaret looked from him to me and them back to him. "Does my assistant have anything to do with this?"
My stomach clenched as I waited for what he would say. Would she be all right with me and Noah being together? Would he even admit to that?
"Yes, she is." Noah turned and gave me a wink before returning his attention back to his grandmother. "Although I didn't know she'd been considering leaving the company."
"Well, now that the both of you seem to be free of all your commitments, how do you plan on surviving?" Gran asked us.
"Well, there's my trust," Noah said.
I winced because I knew that wasn't the right answer. Yet when I saw his mischievous grin at Margaret, I knew he was just pulling her leg about being a slacker, rich kid.
"Or we can live on the sizable earnings I’ll receive once you pay me for the security program I just installed in all Strong's computers."
Margaret looked over at me. "You never struck me as a woman who would live off a man."
"You would be right in that," I said. I looked at Noah, and those feelings of excitement fluttered in my belly as I wondered what the next step for us would be. "But I've learned so much from you Margaret that I know wherever I end up, I will find fulfilling work."
She nodded. "I always thought the two of you would be good together."
My jaw dropped and when I looked over at Noah's, his had too.
"You did?" We both said at the same time.
Margaret laughed. "I'm pretty sure it was obvious to everyone except you two that you should be together. Just remember that wherever you end up and whatever you do, there's always a place for you here at Strong, Incorporated, and of course with your family."
Noah got up from the desk and he walked over standing next to me, sliding his hand in mine. I squeezed it tight feeling so happy. More happy than I'd e
ver remembered feeling.
"I'm going to try one more time, Noah, to convince you to stay." Margaret looked at me. "Maybe you could show him the office that we'd set up for him."
I nodded. "I can do that."
"If I stay. It won't be because the office," he said.
"Show him, anyway."
I tugged on Noah's hand as we exited Margaret's office and I guided him down the hallway toward the office Margaret had me organize for him almost a year ago, but that he'd never used. There were times I tried to tell him about it or have him use it, but he always had insisted on using Margaret's.
I opened the door and preceded him in. He stepped in and I shut the door behind him.
"This is a nice office, but it's not the thing that's going to make me stay," he said to me