Page 7 of Miss Fortune

Forget awkward and go straight into problematic. Obviously working for the man I’d rear-ended this morning didn’t bode well for this job. And because I’d been doing it as a favor for Doris rather than the money, maybe it was time to throw in the towel. “Um, clearly, this isn’t going to work. I’ll see myself out.”

He finally spoke. “No. I’m sorry. I was momentarily caught off guard. I’m Caleb Morrison, nice to officially meet you.” He reached out to take my hand, but before we touched, he pulled it back. “Excuse me. I seemed to have gotten my hand dirty from touching the car this morning.”

“Oh, here, I have sanitizer. At least it’ll get the germs.” I fished out the small bottle of sanitizer from my oversized purse, flipped opened the top and, taking his hand, squirted a dollop into his calloused palm.

Wow, his hands weren’t all white collar. They were worn and sexy. My gaze reluctantly left them to travel back to his face.

He simply stared at me like I’d lost my mind. Belatedly, I realized I should’ve asked if he wanted the sanitizer instead of treating him like one of the kids I babysat. Ope.

For the longest time, he stood motionless before finally rubbing his hands together and holding his fingers to his nose.

“It’s birthday cupcake scented,” I provided as if my explanation made things better.

His expression was that of a man in the presence of a crazy person. Then he seemed to recover. “Uh, thanks. Take a seat.”

I took my place in a chair across from him and smiled. “What a morning, huh?”

“How about we forget about this morning and move on to the interview?”

“All right.” I watched him read my resumé. It included an eclectic collection of many jobs over the last year, including temporary office worker, nanny, dog sitter, and Etsy entrepreneur.

“You’ve had a number of jobs.”

“I enjoy variety in my days. It’s why temporary work is so appealing to me.”

He scanned the document before both his brows jumped up. “You have a degree in electrical engineering from MIT?”

“I do.”

“And you worked at NASA two years ago?”

“Yes.” It had been the achievement of the ultimate dream until I’d been hospitalized and spent six months recovering from major surgery. Although NASA had been terrific, with leave and medical coverage, I’d decided I was done with corporate jobs once I was recovered enough to return. Well, at least long-term ones.

“I don’t understand. Did something happen?”

Understatement of the year, but my medical history wasn’t something I shared with people. Not even with my closest friends. My family had taught me the information caused people to treat me differently. And that was the last thing I wanted.

“I assure you if you were to call up my supervisor at NASA, he would have a glowing assessment of my work there. I realize my job history over the last year is unconventional, but I’m a quick learner and a hard worker.”

“Doris highly recommended you. If you don’t mind me asking, how do you know one another?”

If Doris hadn’t explained, then I was unsure how to answer. I’d met the older woman fifteen months ago when she’d come out to Iowa for my grandmother’s funeral. She and my grandma had been friends over the years. At the time, Doris had made California sound so different from any world I’d known, I’d had to travel out here to experience it for myself. Of course, one week hadn’t been enough, and I’d taken the leap to move here and start a new life.

When Doris had recently asked if I could do her a favor and fill in at her job while she recovered from surgery, she hadn’t mentioned how handsome her boss was. This morning on the side of the road, I’d been so frazzled I hadn’t fully appreciated the broad shoulders, husky timbre to his voice, and whiskey-brown eyes. The eyes now locked on me waiting for an answer.

Cripes, I’d slipped down a rabbit hole of fantasy. Back in reality, I settled with, “She’s a family friend.”

He cleared his throat, not looking comfortable with the idea of such a personal relationship between us. “Do you have any questions about the job?”

Doris had gone over the hours and would spend the next two days running me through the necessary tasks, but I wanted to discover more about the man across from me. And not just because he was incredibly hot.

“What would you say is the thing you need most from me in order to succeed over the next few weeks?”

He raised a brow. “I need to stay organized and on task. My schedule is everything. Doris can show you how it’s color coded to display meetings, calls, clients, et cetera. She’ll also tell you I abhor being late, which means she often knocks on my door to interrupt a meeting, so I can excuse myself to go to the next one.”

Oh, boy, he couldn’t have requested anything more opposite than my nature. But for Doris, I’d make an effort to stay organized. For exactly six weeks and no longer, I’d put free-spirited Daisy on hiatus and be the perfect corporate citizen. “I will be sure to pay attention to your schedule. Anything else?”

“Yes. I’d prefer you don’t tell anyone else in the office how we met this morning.”