“You would be doing just fine if you hadn’t made other commitments,” Christine said through gritted teeth. “Commitments to your hot new boss, for instance.”
“What’s this about a hot boss?” Her mom looked at Jamie sternly. “Are you working for the guy for sexual favors?”
Jamie’s heart sank. What had Stephen been saying to them?
Christine laughed. “She wants to sleep with him.” She gave her sister the once over. “But that’s never going to happen.”
“No,” Jamie glared at Christine. “That’s not the case at all.”
“I thought I had raised you better than that,” her mom said. “It is incredibly unprofessional to sleep with the boss or have any feelings for him that are not platonic. Don’t mess up your career for your love life. It will not go well.”
“I’m not sleeping—” Jamie lowered her voice when a nurse looked up from across the hall. “My job is completely professional.”
“I’ve seen Alex Reid, Mom,” Christine said. “He’s never going to sleep with Jamie.”
“I wouldn’t do it anyways!” Jamie hated that she felt the need to defend herself.
“You wouldn’t?” Christine smirked and Jamie knew she was up to something. She always got the look before she blasted Jamie against their mom. “She’s already slept with her boss’s son,” Christine crowed. “Don’t you remember when Stephen pity-dated her?”
“He was your boss’s son?” Her mother paled and grabbed at the wall for support.
“Now look what you’re doing, Jamie,” Christine shrilled. “You’re going to give mom a heart attack now.”
“I am not!” Jamie
shouted. “I can’t believe you guys! Dad’s in there,” she pointed to the room, “and you guys are trying to blame me for his heart attack and now mom’s? Unfreakinbelievable!”
“It’s always you, Jamie.” Christine glared and glanced behind Jamie. She smirked. “Your fat ass just has to try and tap anything with a dick, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” a quiet male voice said.
A shiver went down Jamie’s spine and she stiffened.
Everyone stopped talking and stared as Alex came up behind Jamie. He held a large, fresh bouquet of flowers in his hand. He looked so out of place, well dressed and incredibly gorgeous. Part of Jamie wanted to laugh. Another part of her wanted to smack him.
“Not at all,” Christine said sweetly, looking Alex up and down with a gleam in her eye. She took the flowers he held. “These must be for my dad. How thoughtful. You must be the Alex Reid I’ve been hearing so much about.”
“Indeed,” he said, as if not sure what else to say. “My secretary filled me in on the situation and I wanted to come down here personally to deliver flowers and offer well wishes.”
He smiled at Jamie. “How’s your dad doing?”
“Ok, I believe. I haven’t really had a chance to find out what’s happened.” She held her gaze to his beautiful blue eyes, even though she wanted to glare at her mom and Christine.
“Why don’t you take the rest of the week off? Spend as much time with your dad as you need. The office can wait till Monday.”
Jamie wanted to cry. He really did mean well, she knew that, but telling her family that she had the week off would just make everything worse.
“That’s very... kind of you, Mr. Reid,” her mother said, shooting Jamie a suspicious glance. “Most bosses never would be so generous.”
Shit. She thinks we’re already sleeping with each other.
“Do you want to help me set the flowers in the room?” she asked lamely.
“Sure.” He looked relieved at the chance to escape her sister and mom.
Jamie took the flowers from Christine, almost having to pry them out of her sister’s hand. She stepped into the room with Alex behind her. Jamie kept her eyes on her father.
He looked up as they came in, his gaze lingering on Alex and then back at his daughter, his eyes narrowing as he glanced behind them. “Mr. Reid, it was very kind of you to let my daughter have a job, especially when the package deal of her family must be very tiresome.” He sighed and caught his breath. “I think it’s in your best interest if you let her go. She’s not, uh, built for long hours and hard work. You’ll break her heart.”