she rasped. It sounded even worse out loud than it did in her head.
“Isn’t he some millionaire oil tycoon?”
“Yes.” She closed her eyes.
“Is he, like, fifty years old or something?”
“No, of course not. He’s thirty-two.” And handsome. And irresistible.
And he despises me.
“So, jeez, is this like, a relationship?”
“No.” She tugged at the phone cord, her eyes starting to sting. She bit the inside of her mouth to stem any tears. “It was a one-night thing. A mistake.”
She heard Erin blow out a deep breath. “Wow. That’s just so…not like you.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve worked my butt off to get this job, and you know how much we need the money. But there was something about him…” Her voice trailed off and she sucked in a breath.
“He must be hot. What’s his name?”
“Elan.” Just saying his name made her face flood with heat. Guilt.
“Wow. Is he married?”
“No! Do you really think I would sleep with a married man?” A rush of indignation made her shove her hand through her hair.
“I didn’t think you’d sleep with your boss.”
Me neither.
“You haven’t told him yet, have you?”
“No. You’re the first person I’ve told. He’s not going to be happy, and that’s an understatement. After it happened he said we should never mention it again.”
“You could sue for sexual harassment.” Her sister’s voice was low, serious.
“I can’t. He actually predicted something like this might happen. He didn’t want a young female assistant for that very reason and he tried to get me transferred on my first day. I told him that if my behavior was at all unprofessional—” She sucked in a breath. “He could fire me on the spot.”
“Oh, Sara.” There was a pause. Sara heard her little nephew say something and his mom whispered a quick reply, then came back on the line. “Don’t tell him. Seriously, you don’t want to lose your medical insurance at a time like this. Trust me on this one. Been there, done that. I don’t know what I would have done without Derek helping me out.”
“Derek’s going to have a cow, isn’t he?” Derek, their oldest brother, had been like a second father to her. More of a father than her real one. He’d worked so hard, taking a second job to help the family through one crisis after another. They’d all been blindsided by Erin’s unexpected pregnancy followed by their mother’s diagnosis with lymphoma. Sara cringed at the thought of dealing him another blow.
“Derek is a rock. He never said a single negative thing when I got pregnant. He’s been there for me every step of the way. We’ll all support you. Kristin can look after your baby while you work. She’ll be able to have her entire in-home daycare be our kids—it’ll be fun. I’ve missed you so much. You are going to move home, aren’t you?”
A question that had zinged around her mind from the moment she learned the news. How could she not move home and be with her family?
But then again, how could she?
“There are no jobs in my field there.” She looked out the window at the harsh desert landscape, mountain peaks dark against the shimmering sky. So beautiful.
“Bates Electronics will take you back.”
“But I won’t make enough to pay down Mom’s hospital bills. I know we’re all trying to contribute, but my salary is by far the highest. And then there are my college loans. All of you have your own responsibilities to deal with.”
“You don’t always have to be a superwoman, you know? It’s okay to be human.”
No, it’s not. I made that mistake one night in the desert.
“I don’t think Elan will fire me. If he was going to, he’d have done it already. I promised him on my first day that I wouldn’t so much as flirt with him. I guess he has women throwing themselves at him all the time, I just can’t believe I turned out to be one of them.”
“He sounds like a piece of work. I’d like to get my hands on him.”
Erin’s gritty threat almost made her laugh. “That’s how this whole thing got started, I’m afraid.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to tell him about the pregnancy tomorrow.”
“Oh, Sara.” Her spirited sister’s voice withered. “You know Gavin dumped me when I told him.”
Sara rubbed her eyes. “I know. I just hope I can be as strong as you.”
Okay, this is it. You’re going to march right into his office and say it. I’m pregnant.
Sara inhaled a shaky breath as the elevator climbed. She’d deliberately come in late, so he’d be there and she wouldn’t have time to sit around at her desk and think of reasons not to tell him. She’d even bicycled here in a smart pantsuit so she’d be “dressed for the occasion.” Unfortunately, there was now a black chain print smudged near the inside of the right ankle. She’d deal with that later.
The elevator doors opened, and her anxiety turned to chilling surprise.
Her desk, which had sat right in front of the elevator, was now moved to one side, sharing the space with a second identical desk. The piles of papers covering her workspace threatened to keel over onto the stark gray surface of the new desk pushed up next to it.
“Sara.” Elan’s large form dominated even the cavernous space of the foyer. His greeting caused her heart to pound louder.
I’m pregnant.
But she couldn’t tell him now because there was another person in the room.
“This is Mrs. Dixon,” Elan said. A satisfied smile roamed across his mouth. “She’s a new member of our team. Her title is Executive Assistant.”
Sara’s blood froze. Was she being replaced?
“Mrs. Dixon will perform the secretarial duties that were your responsibility. Answering my phone, preparing my correspondence, filing my papers and such.”
Sara struggled to keep her face expressionless. And what will I do?
“You will focus your time and energy on special projects I assign you. This arrangement is somewhat inconvenient,” he indicated the two desks with a sweep of his hand. His gold watch glinted beneath a starched cuff. “But it’s temporary. I’d like you to gain more experience in the field, to become familiar with the day-to-day operations at our job sites.”
Sara blinked, the lights suddenly too bright for her eyes. She glanced at Mrs. Dixon. Steel-gray hair sprayed into a bouffant, mouth pursed into a prim line, the stiffly suited older woman regarded her with what looked like distaste.
I prefer my executive assistant to be a woman with decades of experience, and preferably gray hairs on her head.
Elan’s words on that first day flew into her head.
She was being replaced. And banished. He meant to be rid of her, and since she wouldn’t quit he planned to send her away to “gain experience.” And he’d installed her replacement before she was even gone.
“Your salary will increase, of course.” Elan’s words jerked her attention back to him. He surveyed her through narrowed eyes. “Commensurate with your new responsibilities and the inconvenience of frequent travel.”
Frequent travel. On a plane. Her gut clenched at the prospect. Is this how he meant