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Now the question was how to get her on board?
It wasn’t like I could just waltz over there and offer her a job. No, that wouldn’t reel her in properly. It had to be something that was appealing enough to pull her interest. She already had a job as an aerobics instructor. What more could she want when she was doing what she loved?
I knew it was something she loved because the students in the class she just recently finished had nothing but amazing things to say about their instructor. She was passionate and sweet, accommodating, and charming. Someone like that would boost my business while handling the small tasks that would free up my personal time.
Which could include Sadie too.
That sweet laughter from Sadie cut right through my brain, sending sharp, vibrant signals through my body. Yeah, I had to have her. No matter what it cost, I would have her.
Behind me, the phone rang. Sadie would have to wait until later. She wouldn’t leave until half past four, and that was usually because Bella insisted that she go home and get some rest. Then she’d walk right by my office again, wave cheerfully, and disappear down the lane where she would pick flowers for the evening.
Sadie loved fresh flowers. As I answered my phone, I checked the window facing the front of the building. Clematis and wisteria took over the trellis of the park just across the way. Leo had insisted on the garden. I overheard him speaking to his father excitedly about the plants they could grow, and how the flowers would be nice to see when leaving the gym.
I couldn’t agree more with my nephew. The plants were lovely. Though they were wild, Sadie adored them, and I couldn’t help admiring how much that sweet woman adored those flowers. We had to get more if she was going to enjoy her evening walks home.
Vanilla and honey caught my attention. Sadie hovered in the doorway like she was a miracle sent from a saint. I could have offered her the job right then and there, but she appeared brilliantly patient in her silence as she waited for me to stop talking. I wrapped up the call, set my phone aside, and unbuttoned my blazer, tucking my hand smoothly into a pocket.
Just looking at her made her shoulders wiggle as she glanced around the office. “Got a pen?”
“I might.” I gestured to the cup near my laptop. “Help yourself.”
She stepped toward my desk, and I watched as she seemed to anticipate me moving aside to give her space. No, I wasn’t about to do that, dear girl. Why would I when being near you would give me more of your delicious scent to inhale?
Faint whispers echoed from up the hallway. Bella was talking to someone, maybe on the phone or something like that. Maybe she had been rehearsing something to herself. Sadie barely noticed it while she reached for the pens nearby. She trembled as she plucked one from the bunch, and her trembling did unfortunate things to both my body and the cup.
Pens spilled to the ground. For a second, we just stared at each other, inches away, eyes locked in persuasive battle. Fiery light danced in her eyes, cast from the sun glimmering through the window. They were captivating, those irises, and I couldn’t help leaning forward just the tiniest bit so I could get a closer look.
She hopped back and then dropped to her knees. “Sorry about that. Clumsy me.” She giggled—and hearing that adorable laugh weakened my resolve.
“You should work for me,” I blurted.
Well, there wasn’t any going back now, was there?
Sadie stiffened while clutching a few pens. She sat back on her haunches and gazed up at me, looking so much like a doll with glossy eyes caught in a withering stare. She opened her mouth to speak, shut it, and looked toward the door. “Doing what?”
“I’m an engineer and architect. I spend a lot of time drawing.” I motioned to the other desk near the bookshelf, angled behind a privacy screen. “I lose track of time. I need an assistant to help book my meetings and keep me in line with my goals.”
“You seem pretty successful with that on your own.”
I wasn’t about to agree with her, but she was right. Success wasn’t difficult for me by any means. But this wasn’t aboutbusiness. This was about ensuring her presence in my life.
“I offer competitive wages and a gorgeous benefits package,” I continued. “You’ll never want for anything. You’ll never have to worry about getting healthcare or having your skills go unnoticed, or without praise.”
Her eyes widened.
Yep, that was the ticket. A little bit of praise would go a long way with her. “Bella stated you did a fantastic job with the email list.”
“Oh, she didn’t say that. She actually said—” She paused abruptly. “How did you know what Bella did or didn’t say?”
“These aren’t particularly thick walls. Not yet, anyways.”
She gathered the pens with a small smile. “I suppose you’re the one who’s going to change that, right?”
Good gods, yes. I will. “If we have enough resources to spare once the gym is finished, yes. And you can be a part of that, Sadie. You can bring this place to life with me.”
“But I would just be a secretary.”
“You make the position sound so bleak.”
