She felt bad for Mark, but also for Alex. What could be so bad that you wouldn’t want anything to do with your own family? She had a crazy, overbearing one and yet she still loved them. Not enough to want the stress of being a maid of honor in a wedding party, but she wouldn’t miss her sister’s wedding no matter how mad she was at Christine. Alex wasn’t a mean guy, he was a ruthless businessman, but as a person he was kind and considerate. She’d never heard him talk down anyone, well, except Nicholas and Stephen, but that didn’t really count. Those instances were circumstantial. "What makes you think I can convince him?" Jamie asked. "I'm his assistant. I haven't even been working here that long. I've known him for less than a year."
A ghost of a smile graced Mark's lips for a brief second. "That may be true, but I saw the way my brother looks at you. We might be estranged, but I can still read my brother. I can tell he respects you.” He opened his mouth to say more, but Jamie cut him off.
“I work hard for that respect. He’s asked me to stay out of his personal life and what you are asking of me, isn’t something I feel comfortable doing.” She stared down at her hands, feeling ashamed for wimping out and not being willing to help.
“I've never seen Alex look at a woman the way he looks at you."
Jamie’s head shot up. "I think you're trying for a Hail Mary pass here, Mark. You only saw us in the same room for a split second, and in that second he yelled at both of us and threatened to fire me." Mark had no idea what Alex thought of her.
"Oh, I remember," Mark said and chuckled. "The last time Alex and I saw each other, about a decade ago, wasn't very pretty. So, he was very angry to see me again. But none of that anger was directed at you. He would have hired you back later that day if you hadn't called security." He raised his eyebrows and grinned, looking a lot like his brother. “Probably. He probably would have hired you back.”
"I highly doubt that." Jamie rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try and talk to him. If I lose my job, he probably won’t hire me back again."
Mark smiled, relief clear on his face as he laughed. "Thank you," he said. "From me and my family."
"No promises,” Jamie repeated and stood. "But you’ve totally read Alex wrong. I have little to no persuasive skills when it comes to him, probably even less so if it pertains to his family. But I'll try, for the sake of your father."
"That's good enough for me." Mark stood and moved toward the main office. "My flight leaves in two hours. If he does decide to come back, tell him the address hasn't changed at all, okay?" He hit the elevator button.
Jamie nodded and swallowed. She had no idea if she was even going to see Alex today, or if they would get a chance to talk. “I will." She felt bad making a promise she was likely unable to keep. She held out her hand as the elevator door opened. "It was nice meeting you, Mark. All the best with your father. I hope we meet again under better circumstances."
"You and me both," he said and shook her hand.
After he left, Jamie sank onto Gina’s desk and groaned. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
Chapter 9
Alex didn't come back to the office until after six. Jamie had moved back to her own office by then and was working on printing off the contract. Alex stuck his head into her office. "You’re still here, Ms. Connors?" he said. "Why don't you go home?"
"Just finishing up. Gina was out sick so I had to cover both desks.” She turned her back to him as sh
e spun around in her chair to grab the contract off the printer. When he didn’t respond she glanced back. He nodded and went to close her door. “Actually,” she called out, “I’ve something to talk to you about." She got up from her desk and followed him into his office before he could stop her.
Alex looked at her, a flurry of emotions playing across his face before his unreadable mask slid back into place. "If it's about Friday, then—"
"It's not about Friday," Jamie said quickly, grabbing the chair across from Alex's desk and pulling it around the desk so there was nothing between them but air. "It's not about us or work, actually."
"Then what's with the furniture arrangements?" Alex asked, his eyebrows raised. Thankfully, he didn’t move away. "This definitely feels a little too personal for business matters, and you’re sure it’s not personal?" Even now, Jamie could see a trace of hunger in his eyes. But she didn't let herself grow warm at the sight of it. She knew that it would be gone in a second and it was no use indulging herself in silly fantasies.
"It’s personal, but not about us,” she confirmed. “Mark came to see me."
"Mark? Here?" he snarled. "Dammit! I banned him from this office. Why the hell would he come back?”
“He came to see me.”
“Why the hell would he want to see you?" His eyebrows raised and he pulled his chair back an inch. “You haven’t—”
She realized what he was referring to and quickly cut him off. “No! No. No, not at all.” She rolled her eyes. "He came because you refuse to see him." Jamie wrung her hands together, suddenly not sure how this conversation was going to go. Alex was not going to like her butting into his family business. She was walking a thin line. She swallowed. "He's hoping I might talk some sense into you."
"He's wrong. Whatever it is he wants, I'm not giving." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. “Money?”
“No.”
“I bet it’s money. I told him—”
"Alex, your father has cancer."
He froze. His mouth opened but no words came out. He closed it again and stared at Jamie, stunned. "What?" he whispered finally.