“You let me worry about my own job.” Linda waved her hand dismissively. “Anyway, I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for Simon and Dover. If you’re not the spy, we have to catch the real culprit. Then we can clear your name and put all of this behind us.”
Linda made it all sound so easy. But, deep down, Heather knew that catching the real spy was easier said than done.
Chapter 4
It wasn’t healthy to be this fixated on another person. Heather knew that getting over Simon wasn’t going to be easy, but the past week had been a torture she could barely describe. As much as she liked working with Linda, every day at work was painful. So painful that the aching of being away from Simon didn’t fade. In Simon’s absence, her yearning for him only intensified.
Her hands were hovering over her laptop keyboard, her eyes staring off into space.
“Earth to Heather,” Linda teased. “Hello?”
Linda’s voice made her snap back to reality. “Yes?”
“I’ve been trying to get your attention for the last minute.” Linda chuckled. “Tough day?”
“No, I just got a bit sidetracked.” Heather bit her lip before she could explain what had been sidetracking her all morning. Thoughts of Simon. She had been daydreaming about him. Wondering what he was doing at this exact moment. At this hour, he was probably in a meeting, but without an assistant she wondered how he would manage.
Which had led to her thinking about going to his office to help him. Then, locking the door while she helped him out of his clothes...
She swallowed hard, trying to calm down as her cheeks heated. Her fantasies were getting racier and racier. Heather silently prayed that Linda didn’t figure out that she was thinking the most inappropriate thoughts.
“This past week must have been hard on you,” Linda said. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to be playing catch-up in this department.”
Linda was right about that. The past week had been as exhausting as it had been rewarding. The media relations department was about to launch a new magazine to go along with all the other content they generated. Usually Dover went to various media houses to get the company message out, but with a company magazine they controlled the message.
“Part of the catch-up is my fault.” It was probably not a good idea to be so candid with Linda, but Heather admired her and welcomed her advice. Linda was tough, but she seemed to genuinely care about the staff around her. The way Simon did.
Shoving away thoughts of Simon, Heather shut her laptop.
Linda frowned. “How is this your fault?”
“Well, it’s obvious Dover is getting more aggressive when it comes to the media, and that has to be because of the scandal involving me and Simon. If I hadn’t been so reckless in pursuing him, the press wouldn’t have gotten wind of the scandal and Dover wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in now.”
“We were always going to take on more work when it came to dealing with the media,” Linda said. “The scandal might have sped that plan along, but it was always in the works.”
Reassured somewhat, Heather let out a shaky breath. Linda wouldn’t tell her something that wasn’t true. It was part of why she liked working with her. Linda didn’t pull any punches, didn’t mince words, and was extremely honest. That honesty made Heather feel like she was in good hands, despite the fact that she missed Simon like crazy.
“While I’ve got you here, could you head down to the printer’s office and pick up some of those magazine mockups we need?” Linda asked. “I’d love to have something to send out to advertisers while we’re courting them for the first issue.”
Heather nodded. “No problem.”
It would be good to stretch her legs and get a change of scenery.
She grabbed her handbag and headed out of her tiny office. As usual, the personnel in the department stared at her as she stepped out, and they spoke to each other in hushed tones. With the cloud of scandal hanging over her, she wasn’t exactly the most popular person at Dover. But at least Linda’s support meant that nobody had been outwardly hostile to her. They probably gossiped behind her back, but at least they weren’t cruel to her face.