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The office was flooded with light, and I had to blink several times to adjust. “This is the casual office line.” I turned slightly so he could see the contours of the clothing I wore.
“It looks good,” he said tightly. I wasn’t sure if he approved or not so I figured it was time to just get down to business.
“You have two meetings today and a conference call.”
“Prep materials?”
“Already in your inbox.”
“You’re on top of it,” he said, finally meeting my eyes.
I gave him a brilliant smile. I didn’t care if he was my boss and I didn’t care if it was inappropriate, I enjoyed his praise. He gave me the one thing I really needed in life, genuine appreciation. Everything else was optional. Food, shelter, clothing, it was all secondary to actual respect. I felt like I won the jackpot with this job, and I didn’t care who knew it.
Returning to my desk, I began sorting through the voice mails. I copied down all the information that people left, putting the messages into emails and sending them to the correct recipients. The messages that were for Nate, I sent in separate communications, each one titled with the caller’s name and date-time stamp.
That was what he preferred. He could call them back or answer me and have me call them back. It was easier than just handing him an entire list of messages. It was almost lunch time when my phone buzzed.
Looking down, I found it was a message from Marcus. Damn him. I thought I blocked his ass. Checking the phone number, I saw he was texting from a different phone. Either he bought a new number, or he had borrowed someone else’s. Another thought crossed my mind. It was possible he was tuned in to some type of stalking software or an app that allowed him to bypass my block.
I couldn’t stop myself from muttering under my breath. Blocking that number too, I turned the phone off. Nate chose that particular moment to come out of his office on his way to the elevator. He stopped, looked over at me, and smiled sardonically.
“Did I just hear you curse?”
“What?” I looked up, mortified. “No. Sorry. Yes. I’m sorry.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s my ex-boyfriend,” I said without thinking. “I thought I blocked him, but he found some way around it. He texted me from a different number.”
“Do you want a new phone?” Nate asked.
I sat stunned, feeling my jaw slide open. He couldn’t be offering me a brand new phone. That was above and beyond the call of duty. I couldn’t possibly accept the offer, considering that depending on the model, we could be talking about upwards of a thousand dollars.
“It’s a business phone,” Nate explained. “I meant to get you one anyway.”
“But I don’t need it for business,” I argued.
“Don’t tell them that,” he advised.
“I can’t accept it,” I denounced his gift.
“It’s not a gift. It’s company property and you have to return it when you leave. It’s just so I can get in touch with you,” Nate explained.
My thoughts racing, I looked down at my desk. Could I really get away with borrowing a new phone from the office? If I just followed Nate’s directions and didn’t tell IT my personal sob story, they would assume everything was legitimate. If it really was a business phone on loan to company employees, then I wouldn’t be putting anyone out of pocket. It wasn’t really a magnanimous gesture, just a mutually beneficial work around for my personal problem.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“Great,” he said. “I’ll shoot them an email when I get back.”
“Thank you,” I called after him.
“Don’t thank me,” he replied. “Just doing your job is good enough.”
I watched the empty hallway as he rode down in the elevator, wondering how I had gotten so lucky. He couldn’t know, but the use of a company phone was almost as gratifying as a roof over my head. There was so much I owed to Nate and his family that I could never repay. I poured myself back into my job with renewed enthusiasm. If all he was looking for was a stellar secretary, then I would be the best damned secretary he ever had. I would make all the other secretaries look like scum. I would prove to him that I was worth every last kindness he had bestowed upon me, making it my singular goal in life to do my best for Nate Brockman and his company.
Chapter 13
Nate
