“As in, I’d like to take you out on a date,” Mark said. “If you want to go.”
She looked down at the bottle she was holding, then back at him. “I don’t think so, Mark.”
It wasn’t the answer Mark had expected. She didn’t sound angry.
He set his beer down on the coffee table. “Is it the employer/employee thing?”
“That’s part of it,” she said. She stood, setting her beer on the table beside his. “I think I should get going.”
Mark stood with her. “Of course,” he knew his face was burning but he ignored it, “and I want to make sure that you don’t think your saying no to the date offer is going to affect your job. You’re a valuable asset to this club, and I’m not so petty that I would—”
“I know it won’t,” she said, cutting him off. “But thank you for the reassurance.” She smiled. “Like I said, you’re a great boss.” She stepped around the edge of the coffee table and moved toward the door.
Mark turned enough to watch her go, but didn’t move after her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mark,” she said as she opened the door. “Have a good night.”
“You, too,” he said, and then she was gone, the door swinging shut behind her.
Mark dropped down to sit on the couch again, looking at the two bottles of beer still sitting on the table. A great boss. His first instinct had been right after all. At least now, he told himself, he knew. He could put the whole thing behind him and get on with work. Maybe it was for the best, anyway. Just because Alex and Jamie’s relationship had worked out didn’t mean that workplace romances weren’t usually a bad idea. They were usually a really bad idea. Erica had been smart enough to keep that in mind. He sighed, and picked up the bottle of beer he’d set down.
So much for that.
Chapter 13
THREE WEEKS LATER
BILLIONAIRE TAKES BABY MAMA TO COURT. Alex Reid finally responds to allegations that he abandoned infant son with Lacey Riker.
Jamie dropped the magazine back on the rack with a sigh. Of course it was going to be all over the news. She had just naively hoped that the coverage would actually be in favor of Alex for once, but that had obviously been too much to ask.
They might have been able to keep it quieter if the woman had been reasonable. Alex had sent her an email, offering to arrange a private paternity test and let it all go away without fanfare, but of course she had wanted her day in the spotlight. Which meant time in court. Jamie couldn’t help wondering how the poor child felt about everything that was going on. His mother was using him for fame and money, and no doubt he was having to deal with the fact that most of the country had heard about the case. She hoped that kids at his school weren’t teasing him about it, but didn’t think that he would be that lucky. Even when it died down there, the internet had a long memory. His mother was always going to be the woman who had tried to squeeze money out of Alex Reid, and he was always going to be tied to that.
Lacey had to know that everyone was going to see her lie when the paternity test came through. She was lucky that Alex hadn’t taken his attorney’s advice and sued her for slander. Jamie shook her head, and moved up a little farther in the grocery line.
The twins were at home with the nanny.
Despite her earlier dislike for the idea of hiring one, Jamie was glad they had. Briana was one of the kindest people Jamie had ever met, and it was obvious that she really loved
her job and cared about the twins. Jamie had stayed with them the first few days, getting them introduced, and the twins had taken to her as quickly as she took to them. When she’d left to head to the store, they’d all been in the living room playing with blocks, the twins squealing in delight every time Briana knocked over one of the towers they’d just built.
It was nice to have someone available when she needed to run a quick errand. In the week since they’d hired Briana, Jamie had been getting more sleep, too, and she was looking forward to an upcoming date night with Alex. She wasn’t quite ready to start leaving Benton and Lilliana with Briana for full days while she went to work, but she could get some things done from the home office, and maybe she’d start heading in for a couple of half days a week soon. It would be nice to have a little time out of the house again on a regular basis.
Jamie paid for the groceries in her cart, and took them out to the car. For the first time in months, she turned toward the office. She wasn’t quite ready to go back to working there, but she had some papers that Alex needed immediately, and it would be fun to drop in and say hi to Justin and some of the other employees who might be around. She still hadn’t met Miss Eriksson, either, though they’d exchanged a few emails for work. It was about time she met the new PA.
Walking into the office again after so long was strange. The marble floors felt familiar under her feet, but there were a couple faces she didn’t recognize among the people moving through the building. Maybe they were just clients. She stepped into the elevator, and took it upstairs to Alex’s office.
Justin was sitting at the desk in the front, and he looked up when she stepped out of the elevator, his face lighting with a smile. “Jamie! How are you? How are the twins? It’s been ages.”
“I don’t think that’s proper office protocol,” Jamie joked, stepping forward to take the hand he offered. “But I’ll let it slide.” She looked around the room, which looked the same as it always had. “I’m doing well, and so are they. Growing like weeds, of course,” she said, smiling back at him. “Just here to drop off some papers for Alex. What about you? Still enjoying your job?”
“Loving it,” Justin said. “As always.”
“Look,” a woman’s voice said, just as the person it belonged to came into view. “I understand your difficulties, but we’ve got a business to run, the same as you do. So either you come through on your end, or I look for a new supplier. Clear?”
Jamie stared.
The woman, who had to be the new PA, looked more like a runway model playing at business chic than the kind of person you’d usually expect to find working in an office. The professional-looking skirt suit she wore only highlighted her narrow waist and long legs, and why hadn’t Alex warned her? Had he not told her how good-looking his new PA was on purpose?