Just One Thing (The Alexanders 6)

Bennett grimaced and held up a hand. “Bennett, please. If you call me Mr. Alexander, I’ll spend the entire time looking over my shoulder thinking my father is here.”

Katie laughed. “Fair enough.”

For the next hour, Kate opened the different apps loaded on the tablet. There was an app that allowed her to access the shared folder he’d mentioned before and she started reading the first file only to close it right away. It had been written in such complicated language that she figured maybe she’d better work up to that.

There was a books app that had quite a few research books in its library. Her favorite thing was looking through the photos in the device’s Camera Roll. She supposed it must have been Bennett’s former assistant who had taken the pictures because he’d captured not only the little pod things at various stages but also several photos of Bennett at work. He looked so serious, his brow crinkled in concentration while mixing various strange looking liquids together in a glass beaker.

She swiped through a few more pictures and then stopped on an image of Bennett caught with a rare smile on his face. He looked so happy and so young that it took her off guard.

“Everything okay out here?”

Startled, Katie clicked out of the pictures so he wouldn’t catch her staring at a picture of him like a stalker.

“Yes, I’m good. Oh look at that; it’s lunchtime.”

Bennett blinked. “So it is. I think there are cold cuts and other sandwich stuff available. I’ll be just a little longer.”

Katie wandered into the kitchen and discovered that the refrigerator had been fully stocked. She pulled out a tray with thin cut deli meats and found mayonnaise and mustard. The mustard was full while the mayo jar was almost empty.

“Guess I don’t have to ask which he prefers,” she mumbled to herself.

It was quick work to make two sandwiches, mayo for him and mustard for her. She found paper plates in the pantry and then folded paper towels in lieu of napkins.

Bennett looked up in surprise when she entered his office and set the plate to his left. “You made me a sandwich? Thank you. You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I guessed that you prefer mayonnaise but if that’s wrong, you can have this one instead.” She held up her plate.

“No, you got it right.”

He picked up the sandwich and took a big bite. Satisfied that he was taken care of for the moment, Katie took a bite out of her own sandwich and walked back to the kitchen to rustle up some drinks. Again, it was easy to see what his preferences were because there was no soda at all, only almond milk, bottled water and orange juice. She grabbed two bottled waters.

When she walked back into Bennett’s office, he was muttering to himself and patting his shirt pocket. He looked up and smiled his thanks when she set the water next to his plate and then went back to looking around.

“They’re on your head,” Katie said, amused by his bewilderment.

"What?" He peered over at her, his eyes slightly unfocused.

“Your glasses. That’s what you’re looking for, right?”

His hand reached up until he felt the frames sitting on top of his head. Then he smiled.

“Yes. That’s exactly what I’m looking for.”

He pulled them down and slipped them on his face. Then he picked up the tablet from his desk and stood.

Before he could get too far, she picked up the plate and held it out to him. “You should probably finish it now so you don’t have to interrupt your work later.”

He blinked at her a few times but then picked up the sandwich. After finishing what was left in a few bites, he sent her a small, satisfied smile.

“I have a feeling this is going to work out just fine.”

Not the most effusive praise she’d ever received but nonetheless Katie was left feeling like she’d just gotten an A on a test.

CHAPTER FIVE

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The whole way home Katie thought about her strange first day. It had been odd to just sit around looking at a tablet and exploring the place but she guessed it wasn’t so odd for a new employee to not have much to do. Bennett himself seemed at a loss as to what to do with her either. If this job was going to work out, she was going to have to take the initiative and find ways to be helpful.