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u have kids?”
“No.” I glanced at the frosty gray glass box that was my boss’s office. Was he going to come out?
“Husband?”
“Definitely not.” I turned back to Jack. “It’s just me. No family.”
He frowned. “No one?”
The pang hit me. No, there really wasn’t anyone except for my small family at the gallery. I had friends, of course, but I’d been so focused on my work that most of them had faded into the Christmas card contact category. My entire world had been my glass and my grandmother.
He cleared his throat. I’d said too much, of course. People didn’t know what to say when you sounded too close to orphan status. I pasted a bright smile on my face. “I guess I don’t have anyone to train me if he chases away all the help.”
The relief on Jack’s face melted into a charming smile. “That’s why I’m the CEO. Blake wants to create, but he’d rather stay behind the glass, so to speak. I make sure people like us.”
“I bet.”
He leaned down and tapped the keyboard. When the system came to life, he pulled up a few screens. “Sit down and make yourself a password.”
I did, then scooted over when he leaned in again.
“This folder? It’s your lifeline.” He tapped it and a whole world opened up. Folders and names, spreadsheets, and a little icon that looked like an old-fashioned phone. He opened the drawer to my right. “Your headset is in here, but you’ll rarely use it. Just when fielding calls for Blake. Most people email or use the message feature through the system.”
I looked around at my desktop and saw a folder marked daily. I opened it and managed not to groan aloud. A to-do list—that looked more like a damn directory—was bulleted with instructions for how my day was going to go.
At least it didn’t look hard.
Jack closed the top drawer and opened the lower. “This is your stash drawer.” A glass cooler filled the space. I lifted the lid and gasped. It was ice cold. “Wow.”
“There’s six bottles in there now, and that cabinet has the rest of your case.”
I took one of the bottles of Pepsi Max out and set it on my desk. “Perfect. I have a week’s worth right there.”
Jack grinned. “When you need to refill, it will chill down in eight minutes.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Of course, you will.” He patted my shoulder. “I’m an IM away.”
“Thanks.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at lunch.”
I nodded and glanced at Mr. Carson’s office. This wasn’t exactly the way I thought my day was going to go.
“Oh, and before I forget, Blake put your contract in the folder marked ‘Grace’.”
“Thanks.”
Six
I was seriously going to hear that chime in my sleep. No, wait…my nightmare. I glanced up from the spreadsheet I was working on to the little red bubble sitting on my iMessenger icon. Blake Carson hadn’t come out of that damn box of an office all day.
But he sure as crap had been sending me orders via the messenger since I sat down that morning. I clicked on it.
Spreadsheet. Now.
No please, no thank you, not even an “is it ready?” Just barking orders through clipped sentences. Kind of like his voice. At least what I remembered of his voice. I hadn’t heard it since the day before.
