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This time she received a response after the room finished laughing. She had managed to break the ice with the group.
“I know you all don’t know me, and I am aware that change is difficult. Please let me assure you, I am here to make your life better. I am looking for people who are passionate about their jobs. If you’ve lost that along the way in your career, let me help you get that back. I am a firm believer that you should love what you do. Since you will be spending more hours here than at home, I want you happy.
“That’s why I will be meeting with each of you one on one today and tomorrow. I want to know about you. I want you to know me and my expectations of you. I am an open book, so feel free to bring your questions. About work, that is. I will not discuss my personal business, as I feel it has no place at work.
“Please check the email I sent to you this morning with the when and where of your individual meeting. I implore you to arrive on time. I have to meet with everyone, and my time is limited. I look forward to hearing your story and sharing mine. Lattimore, the floor is yours.”
PJ took her seat and observed the people around the table. Most avoided eye contact with her. However, Chase was staring a hole in her. Of course he was. The man was too damn good looking to be real. He looked like he stepped off the cover of a sexy romance novel. Men like him were nothing but trouble.
After wrapping up the meeting, Lattimore dismissed the staff and headed back to his office for a conference call. PJ made a b-line to the restroom to relieve herself. She had drunk almost a gallon of water trying to keep her mouth from drying out from nerves. As she was washing her hands a group of women came bursting through the door in a tizzy. They were hyper over something, waving their hands and talking loudly. They didn’t even acknowledge her presence.
“I heard she and Mr. Aston used to sleep together and now he’s hired her to come in and clean house. My boss has a meeting with her at eleven. I sure hope she fires his ass. He gets on my nerve.”
“Really, Beth? If she fires him, they won’t need you anymore. You sound really crazy right now.”
“Whatever. I am a good employee. They would be crazy to let me go. Plus, I said fire that old buzzard, not eliminate his position. Whoever took over for him would need me.”
The ladies continued their gossip as PJ turned to leave. She didn’t let on who she was, just smiled at the ladies and pushed open the door to leave. She was sure to take note what the ladies looked like and would find out just who they worked for. Apparently, they were unhappy in their positions, and she wanted to know why.
Her job was not going to be an easy one, but she was up for the challenge. PJ made her way to her office where her first meeting was scheduled to begin in less than five minutes. She buzzed her assistant asking him to bring her a steaming cup of peppermint tea sweetened with honey. As her assistant Leo entered her office, he announced that Bob Gibson was here to see her. He was on Leo’s hip eager to get his meeting over with. The man clearly found it inconvenient and unnecessary.
“Miss Harlowe or can I call you PJ?”
“Well, since you asked, Miss Harlowe will do just fine. Please have a seat, Bob.”
Making sure he addressed her as Miss and in turn calling him Bob was her way of impressing upon him that she was his boss without saying so. PJ did not like his attitude from the start. He had been one of the ones who avoided her eyes in the meeting and had a sour look on his face throughout the duration. She wanted to find out what his deal was.
“So, Bob, tell me about yourself.”
“You have my file, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. However, I am aware that a person can not be defined merely by what is in their personnel file. I like to give people a chance to show me who they are instead of taking the word of my predecessor. I have found a lot of times these things contain subjective information. Consider this your time to shine. What do you want me to know about you and how can I help you better do your job?”
The remainder of her day continued in the same manner. She talked, listened and came up with action plans for her employees, to help them reach their personal goals. She worked until 9PM before shutting down her computer and heading out for the evening. She would be right back at it, first thing in the morning.
By the time PJ arrived at home, she was too tired to eat that chicken she had been tasting all day. I’ll just save it for tomorrow night she told herself before dragging her tired limbs up the stairs. She took a very hot, but very quick shower before falling into bed. After slathering on lotion she crawled under the covers and turned on the television. She needed to check the weather for tomorrow as there had been a buzz of a hurricane brewing off the Georgia coast.
Remembering that Sunshine was a weatherman, she flicked the channels until she found him. There he was, full lips, trimmed beard and moustache and hair tousled like it was windblown, but she knew it was styled that way on purpose. The man’s gray eyes penetrated the television and bore into her. He may as well have been standing in the room with her.
Damn! How does he do that? She was so entranced by her Sunshine that she didn’t hear a word of the weather report. She saw the big red circle on the screen as he pointed to this place and that. All she could recall was the words doppler radar. However, she could tell you all about that gray suit, white shirt and striped, blue-gray tie that made the color of his eyes more vibrant. She could tell you about that smile that earned him the moniker, Sunshine. She could even tell you about that melodic voice that made her thighs clinch together.
She fell asleep listening to Max’s voice. He was so sexy, and she was so wrong for not giving him her number. What she wouldn’t give for him to facetime her, Hell, she would settle for a text. The last thing she thought before she passed out was the next time he asked for her number, she would give it up.
