“My mama did when I was at work. She’s visiting for the holiday.” I finished that plate and then added the remaining cookies to the red plate beside it, noticing that Melanie was gone. I glanced across the room to see her talking to some other girls, her eyes lit up as she stole a glance at me. I knew they were gossiping. I sighed and Barbara touched my arm gently.
“They are all foaming at the mouth for your supervisors. It’s as if they forget that we all work under them.” She giggled as I looked at her and shook her head. “The boys have a reputation and it is just more to talk about around here.” Her voice was soft enough that nobody else could hear us talking and I frowned. I knew that there were two assistants before me from what Breanna told me, as well as the fact that there were rumors about an affair between both and the twins. I didn’t know if I believed it but they were handsome.
I made sure that the cookies were on the table ready to go before I went back to my desk. I sipped my coffee at my desk and glanced towards the door as I wondered where I was working today. It wasn’t going to be as busy as day as the others had been with the all-day party, but there was still time to get some orders in.
“Want to work in here?” Brent called out as I licked my lips and stood up. I walked into the office and he grinned at me as he held a cookie in his hand. “These are fantastic.”
“Yeah, I ate a lot of them last night.” I smiled as I walked over to my desk, smoothing my red skirt as I sat down. “I always gain twenty pounds when she comes to stay with me.”
“I like your curves,” Brandon offered as I blushed, sitting back to look at me openly.
“Thanks,” I replied as I turned to look at the laptop, feeling the electricity in the air all over again from before. I looked at Brent, seeing him looking at me with some of the heat that his brother was vocal about as I turned away. I was in trouble and I needed to find a way out…soon.
We grabbed more coffee on break and stopped in the conference room as the guys looked over the spread. I imagined that they worked out every moment they weren’t at work, from what I’d seen of their perfect bodies as they filled a plate with some pastries and fruit. I got some fruit and walked back to the desk as Melanie watched me leave the room, leaving the guys talking to some men in the corner. I knew that I needed this job and I had to ignore that feelings that I was having. I wasn’t the kind of girl to do anything with any boss of mine and I was a virgin to boot. Did I think that I had anything to offer them?
I went inside the office and sat down to eat as I entered some more orders into the computer, taking slow bites of the sweet fruit. “You haven’t been introduced around her, have you?” Brent’s voice made me jump. “I never took you around for that formality.”
“We were busy. It’s fine. I met a couple women this morning,” I offered as I glanced at him. “There will be time for that after the holidays.”
“Who?” Brent asked as I licked my lips. He wasn’t the flirt that his brother was but he had some power over me with his intense gaze.
“Barbara and Melanie.” He grimaced at the words and I tilted my head.
“Melanie is a piece of work. Just ignore her as best as you can. She’s a good worker and Dad was smart to hire her, but she has her flaws as a person,” he told me as I nodded. He gazed at the open door and licked his lips as I watched. “She’s always wanted Brandon and I, but we never went there with her. Now that we work here, she’s been more aggressive about it.”
“Yeah, I get that.” He looked at me with intense eyes. “I mean…look at both of you. She’s a beautiful girl and it makes sense that she wants you.”
“Is she?” He asked as I nodded. “I hadn’t noticed.” Brandon walked in and Brent walked over to his desk as his brother raved about how much food he was going to eat today.
“Jane, if you come on Friday there will be a ton of food there as well. Monica and Mom cook all night Christmas Eve and we eat all day Friday.” He boasted as Brent looked at him.
“Oh, that. Mama said she’d enjoy that.” In actuality, Mama was very touched by the story I told her about them losing their father and the invitation to Christmas, immediately agreeing to it. She felt like she might help Brenda through the pain of missing her husband somehow, having been through it. “Your mother is so nice for asking.”
“She likes people to be with a family on Christmas. Always did. I’m not surprised that she isn’t changing her game this year,” Brent replied as Brandon nodded. “I don’t know what to expect from the day. She might break down and cry at any part of it or she’ll soak in everyone around her.” He glanced at me. “Mom is a strong woman and she’s cried more to herself than anybody else. We’re all there for her but to be honest, I think that she’s worried about my sister.”
“How old is she?” I asked as Brandon sipped his coffee.
“Sixteen. They were close.” I nodded as my face softened. I was close to my father as well and losing him was devastating. Maybe I could offer her some comfort as well. “I think that Ashley would gladly stay in her room all weekend but Mom is letting her boyfriend come over. We get to meet him for the first time. Can’t wait.”
We got to work and there was a shout outside that the food was here and Brandon rubbed his stomach with a wide smile. I didn’t know where he put it all as I laughed and ran a hand through my hair. Brandon walked out while Brent waited for me, walking behind me as we made our way to the conference room. I knew that he didn’t want me to feel uncomfortable I smiled as we walked together. Brent was a good man and sure to have made his father proud.
I wondered if he would be the one that would take my innocence gently while his brother ravaged me. My face flushed at the images and I coughed as I walked, making Brent look at me. The conference room was half full of people and the door wide open as Brent and Brandon walked to the front of the room, while I hung back. Brent smiled assumingly at me as he gestured for me to join them and I widened my eyes before I looked down and walked forward. They spoke about the great staff and their gratitude they felt for all of them with all the hard work. Brent said that he knew that his father would love to be here with everyone and I felt the emotions in the room as I pressed my lips together. “I realized that we hadn’t formally introduced our new assistant, Jane. She just joined us with a stroke of good luck and I’d like you all to welcome her to M&P.”
I was shocked when people stepped forward to shake my hand, welcome me to the company, and just say hello. Many of them were kind and cordial but there was the group of women that were icy and beautiful as they looked at me frostily from across the room. I knew that we would never be friends, feeling fine with that if they didn’t talk bad about me around the building. Breanna walked in just after the speech and came over to hug me as she smiled brightly. She always made me feel better with her positive attitude and I grinned at her. “Can you believe all of this food? It’s like Christmas dinner.”
We filled a plate with the meats and vegetables, grabbing a water before we went to her desk to eat. I’d had enough of being the center of attention and wanted to just relax. “They introduced me before you came in. It was so embarrassing.” My voice was low as I glanced around.
“That was smart. People gossip like crazy around here and I’m sure the lies were flying, so maybe knowing who you are will slow it down.” Breanna gave me a sympathetic look as she took a bite of turkey. “It’s a really good job, Jane. I swear to that.” She chuckled. “I can’t imagine being so close to those two all day, though. They’re so gorgeous.”
“They are but I’m me. There’s nothing impressive about that.” I shrugged as I took a bite of the mashed potatoes and gravy as she shook her head.
“Have you seen yourself?” Breanna asked me as I gazed at her. “That sweet, country girl look is gorgeous, Jane. The bitches here are jealous.” She leaned over to whisper to me as I giggled. We finished the meal talking about Christmas and what we were going to do, though I hid my plans to go to The Moyens. That was a tough one to explain in my mind and I was still making sense of what was happening with them myself. I told her that I’d be at the restaurant with Mama to meet her later and headed back to work after a tight hug.
We met Breanna and her boyfriend at a diner and Mama talked to them about the holiday. I told her not to mention our plans and she nodded slowly with a frown as she lo
oked curiously at me. I told her that some of the people at the office enjoyed gossip a lot and I wanted to avoid that for the time being.
We worked a half day on Thursday and I went home to have Christmas Eve dinner with Mama. We enjoyed roast chicken and some of the same vegetables that I’d eaten today but everything that Mama made tasted better than anything else. We prayed for the family that was no longer with us and I looked at her across the table before taking a bite. “Would you move here, Mama?”