had ever been inside. The decor was very modern and looked like something out of a television commercial—except it was real—and I was going to be working there. I walked into the elevator and wondered which button I would be hitting every day when I arrived at the office—I didn’t really care; it was just mild curiosity to distract me from the nervous feeling in my stomach. Jon had been pleasant and charming outside of the office, but I was about to meet him in his natural habitat—it felt different—more official.
“Good afternoon, you must be Melanie!” A woman jumped out of her seat as soon as I stepped off the elevator. “My name is Gina—I’m Jon’s assistant. He’s finishing up a meeting but should be here in just a few minutes! Would you like some coffee or water or—anything while you wait?”
Oh my god, she’s talking so fast it makes my head spin—and she so—bubbly!
“Uh, no…” I shook my head back and forth. “Thank you—Gina.”
I guess they really do just use first names here…
Gina kept talking—even while she worked. She literally just talked to herself and grinned while she pondered whatever was on the screen in front of her. She even told herself a joke—and laughed at it. I pretended to laugh, but it was more like a chuckle—it was ignored. It was a good thing that the top floor appeared to be reserved for Jon. If I had to listen to her all day, I might literally go crazy.
I heard the elevator chime, and when the doors opened, Jon walked into view. He didn’t look my way—so he didn’t see me stare—or notice that my jaw kind of fell open when I saw him. My stomach did a little happy somersault, and I felt my face light up. Nobody had ever had an effect on me just by stepping into my line of vision. It was going to be really hard to work at Alcott Inc. and see him every day—but there was a chance I wouldn’t. I doubted that he had time to visit each employee personally on a weekly basis, much less daily.
My pulse is racing—my heart is skipping beats—I’m forgetting to breathe. Why does he make me feel this way?
“Jon, your three o’clock is here…” Gina perked up—as if it was possible for her to perk up more than she already was—and pointed at me.
“Melanie.” Jon turned around towards me with a warm smile on his face—but those piercing eyes made my knees shake when I stood. “Please, follow me to my office.”
Is it crazy to think I’d follow him anywhere? I have to get these thoughts out of my head.
“Gina will give you a tour of the office once you start.” Jon held the door open when we got to his office. “For now, we’ll just take care of your employment contract.”
A contract? I have a contract to sign!
“Have a seat.” He motioned to a chair across from his desk.
“Thank you.” I sat down. “You have a very nice office—the whole building is nice.”
Is that—a Rembrandt on the only wall that isn’t a window? Really? Does everyone in Carson Cove just have priceless paintings hanging everywhere?
“Alright.” He pulled out a piece of paper and put it on the desk. “Let’s talk business—and more importantly—your salary.”
I have to negotiate my salary with a guy I can barely look at without having my stomach flutter. This isn’t going to go well…
Chapter Six
Jon
The most beautiful woman in Carson Cove was sitting in front of me—and she was about to have a very one-sided salary negotiation. I thought the infatuation that seemed to pull me towards her would fade once she agreed to work for me—and agreed to pretend that she was my date for the wedding. I was wrong. It felt stronger than ever. My breath was still getting caught in my throat when I exhaled—I still couldn’t look away from those sapphire-blue eyes without feeling like they were calling for my stare—and being across the desk from her didn’t feel like business—I just wanted to move it out of the way so that there was nothing between us except the clothes we were wearing.
“This is my offer.” I wrote a figure down and slid it across the desk.
“Wow, okay.” She looked at the piece of paper and nodded. “Where do I sign?”
“Seriously?” I blinked in surprise.
I would be committing highway robbery if I hired her for that…
“Oh, right.” She nodded quickly. “We’re supposed to negotiate…”
“Yes, that’s generally how this goes.” I smiled and leaned back in my chair.
“I was thinking…” She leaned forward, wrote down a number, and pushed it across the desk.
“Well now it’s my turn to say wow.” I blinked in surprise. “You would be making more than the Senior Vice President of the company!”
Apparently, this isn’t going to be quite as one-sided as I thought.