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“All right.” Tom rose, chuckling. “There is one good thing out of all this.”
“Oh?” Pete got up, too.
Tom offered her a hand. “Strawberry was perfect. If she can handle an armed confrontation, roping a weird critter, and flying gravel, she’s ready for a teenage girl.”
Wiz laughed, the two men joining her. He was right.
Chapter 19
Tom rubbed his eyes, then squinted at the screen again. Nope, not getting any clearer. He sighed and shifted in his seat on Wiz’s comfortable office couch.
“What was that sigh for?” Wiz looked up from her laptop.
“I need an eye exam. Computer work is tough on them. I might need reading glasses.” Tom grimaced. He wasn’t that old, and he’d only been helping Wiz for a month.
“Oh. I didn’t think you’d be anywhere close to that yet.” Wiz frowned.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so either, but I’m squinting. I’ve been mostly working outside the last couple of years. Now, I’m on the computer all the time.” He shrugged. “Not that I mind working with you, so don’t take that the wrong way.”
Wiz nodded. “I trust you to tell me what you’re thinking and feeling.” Her head tilted and her brow wrinkled. “Have you increased the font size?”
He huffed. “Well, yes. But I don’t want to go too big, or I’ll be scrolling constantly.”
She gazed at him, her brows rising, then lowering. He’d learned to be a little wary of that speculative look, since it often meant a lot of work for him. Of course, there was a lot of reward, too, but... “What’s going on in that pretty head?”
She smiled slightly. “It’s time to get you a desk. And some big monitors. I should have done it already, but you seemed pretty happy working on the couch. You should get your eyes checked too, but there’s no reason to stress them. I know they make desks and chairs for tall men. Maybe one that can adjust to a standing position. I like mine a lot.” She clicked and tapped furiously. He knew better than to say no. When she got on the trail, nothing threw her off. Besides, she was right. He’d be better off with a big monitor on a real desk.
She clicked for a while, then smiled at him. “There. Big adjustable desk, best chair available for tall guys, three twenty-seven-inch monitors, and an ergonomic keyboard and mouse.”
She could afford the outlay, but he didn’t need all that. “Geez. Seems a bit much.”
“No, it isn’t. You’ve been working for my company. The least I can do is equip you properly.” Her head tilted. “Actually, I should be doing a lot more for you.”
“Oh, I like my rewards just the way they are.” As they’d worked together, she’d become more and more affectionate, initiating hugs and kisses often. She’d made real progress, and her therapist was very pleased.
Wiz wrinkled her nose and smiled, then sobered. “Still, I should be paying you a salary; you’ve more than earned it. Oh! Maybe you should be a part owner. Yeah, that might work better. Thirty percent?”
Tom held up a hand. “That seems a bit much. I’m not doing that much work.”
She smiled and waggled her brows. “Oh, but you are, and you’ll be doing more soon, I bet. Thirty percent, with opportunity for growth. Hmm.” She tilted her head. “I need to talk to Sam anyway. I’ll ask her to come up for lunch this week, and we can revise all my business paperwork and my will and trust.”
Wiz had an excellent point. He needed to add a trust for his nieces and nephews; it’d been years since he’d updated his will. “I should revise my will, too. Can you ask her if we could do that at the same time?”
“Sure.” She glanced at her screen, then scanned the office. “The furniture will be delivered this week, so we’ll have to move some stuff around.”
Tom groaned. Last time Wiz rearranged the office, it had taken them hours, and in the end, nothing really changed.
“Don’t worry, it will be easier this time. I downloaded an interior decoration program, and I’ve already put in the existing furniture. I just need to add your new desk, and we’ll arrange it virtually first.” She winked. “I’ll give you a back rub after.”
Tom mock-scowled. “The back rub better not be virtual.”
She rose and walked—no, strutted, to him. “Oh, there will be nothing virtual about that. Nothing at all.” Wiz pulled the laptop from his hands, setting it on the end table next to him, and sat sideways on his lap.
He wrapped his arms around her. Nothing better in this world than a cuddle with Wiz. Even better when she initiated without any prompting from him. She’d made so much progress. “Oh, yeah. You know I’ll work hard for that, baby.”
Wiz stiffened. “Don’t call me that.”
Tom loosened his arms immediately, but he was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
