With that arranged, Adam put on his coast and went home.
Next morning Adam walked swiftly along the corridor to Arthur’s office. His secretary nodded as Adam walked in, indicating Arthur was waiting for him.
‘Adam, come in! Come in!’ Arthur was effusive as always.
Adam grinned. ‘Morning Arthur,’ he said as they shook hands. Adam dropped into the chair in front of the desk as Arthur returned to his chair.
‘You wanted to talk to me?’
‘You know, of course, that Shirley’s been unwell.’
Arthur nodded.
‘Well, she’s finally succumbed to Jim’s request that she stop work. She handed me her resignation yesterday, effective immediately. I’m therefore in need of a new secretary.’ Arthur was nodding as Adam continued.
‘Shirley did mention that Marie Shephard in accounts knows her job fairly well now, as she’s been helping Shirley out for a while now. Perhaps she’d be a good fit?’
Arthur was smiling like the cat that swallowed the cream. ‘Well, lad I can do much better than that.’ He reached across and pulled a file from his in tray. ‘An old friend rang me a couple of days ago. John Dawson, over at Westmead. I’m sure you know him, or of him at least.’
Adam nodded, wondering where Arthur was going with this.
‘Well, he has a niece who needs a fresh start. Some sort of office shenanigans, apparently.’ His grin and wink told Adam what sort of shenanigans. He noted Arthur was well and truly part of the old boys’ club. A place in which it was fine to get rid of an errant secretary once you tired of her. He felt a brief wave of pity for the unknown girl. Arthur continued, serious once more.
‘John assures me she’s top notch, but, as you can imagine, personal issues make it impossible for her to stay where she is. He wanted me to find somewhere for her as a personal favour to him. I told him we had no openings, but he was quite insistent that I at least consider her.
“I was going to ring him today and tell him sorry, we just have no place for her and here you come, needing a new secretary. Well, it’s just perfect timing.’
‘How do you know we’re not being sold a bill of goods?’ Adam asked. While he may feel for the girl, he didn’t want to be saddled with a dud just because some executive in another firm liked to play away.
Arthur looked offended. ‘John Dawson is one of my oldest and closest friends,’ he spluttered. ‘I can assure you he would not recommend anyone, nor ask me to take them on, unless he was sure she was good.’
‘But if she’s his niece, he may be a little biased.’ Adam wasn’t worried about what was probably an office romance gone wrong. Those happened everywhere, he wouldn’t judge. But he needed a decent secretary and didn’t want to end up with someone who couldn’t do the job.
‘What about if I take Marie from accounts, and you replace her with the new girl? Give her a chance to settle in and give me someone I know can do the job!’ Adam considered it a reasonable solution to the problem and was surprised when Arthur shook his head.
‘That would probably be a good solution, except, you know Jill Adams is pregnant?’ Adam nodded. It had been a surprise to everyone, most of all Jill, as she’d thought she couldn’t have children. She and her husband Neville were over the moon.
‘She’s just been put on bed rest for the duration. So, Marie has stepped up to supervisor of accounts. It wouldn’t be fair to deprive her of this opportunity, she’s worked very hard to learn the job.’
Adam nodded. No, it wouldn’t be fair. Much as he’d prefer a secretary that was familiar with the work it didn’t seem that was going to happen.
Arthur watched Adam consider his words. He knew Adam hated change, but he was actually the best one to take this girl. He did want to help his old friend, and something in John’s voice had told Arthur this was important to him. Adam was such a straight arrow and so devoted to his wife, there would be no issue of further troubles for this girl. After giving Adam a moment to think things through, he offered, ‘How about we give her a month’s trial? If she’s no good, we’ll cut her loose. Does that satisfy you?’ He wanted to be able to help his friend, but Adam had a point: he needed to protect his company as well.
Adam thought for a moment. ‘I guess that’s fair enough, but it needs to be made clear she’s on trial! And if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Okay?’
Arthur was happy with that. ‘I’ll ring John and let him know.’ His friend would be pleased too, Arthur knew. It was nice to be able to give good news, he had been dreading the phone call.
‘I’ll call you later with the details. I suppose you want her to start as soon as possible?’
‘That would be good, yes. In the meantime, you okay if I borrow someone from accounting?’
Arthur nodded his assent, he was already on the phone before Adam left the office.
‘It’s Arthur Benham, put me through to John, please, love,’ Adam heard as he closed the door behind him.
He headed back to his office, stopping in accounts on the way to request Marie’s help until his new secretary arrived. She told him she could spare someone part time, and she would help where she could, but that was the best she could do. Adam told her any help would be appreciated, thanking her sincerely.
He still wasn’t sure if taking on this person as a favour was a good idea or not. But Arthur was the boss, and he wanted to help a friend out. He’d go along with it for now. But if she turned out to be a dud, then all bets were off. He headed back to his office to sort his work into piles, ready for the help that came.
It as mid-afternoon the next day when Arthur knocked on Adam’s door. He sauntered in looking well pleased with himself.
‘All sorted,’ he said. ‘John is very happy that we were able to place his niece. Her name is Eliza Roberts, John assures me she really is an excellent secretary. He says we’ll be happy we gave her a chance.’ Arthur was clearly pleased with himself. He seemed to believe they were getting a good deal. John Dawson had, it seemed, managed to convince Arthur this was a good deal. Adam wondered what the catch was. Then gave his head a figurative shake and told himself to stop looking for trouble.
Arthur was speaking again, and Adam cleared his head to listen
‘She’ll start on Monday. I said that would be fine. Yes?’
‘That works for me,’ Adam replied. ‘I’d like a look at her resumé before she starts, please.’
‘I’ll have it brought down to you,’ Arthur said as he stood and headed for the door. He stopped before he exited. ‘It’ll turn out to be a good move, you’ll see.’
Chapter Three
Monday morning saw Adam at work early. He was, he had to admit, a little apprehensive. He hated the thought of a secretary who wasn’t Shirley. They’d been together so long. She had trained him to her ways and they had worked well together. She had been anticipating his needs for years. Yes, he was well aware he’d been spoilt.
He knew he needed to be fair and give Eliza Roberts a proper go, so he had to put Shirley out of his mind.
Arthur had told him he’d see Ms Roberts through the induction process. He said he’d promised his friend he would do so. John had been anxious that she be made welcome.
Adam hadn’t been best pleased about that. He pointed out to Arthur that perhaps it would be more appropriate that he, Adam, should handle her induction, since Arthur insisted he take the girl. Arthur had just restated that he’d promised his friend, and Arthur was the boss, so he let it ride.
Arthur entered Adam’s office mid-morning. Adam looked up at his entry. Arthur had the air of a man well pleased with himself. The induction had obviously gone well, and Arthur was convinced Ms Roberts would be an asset.
‘Your new secretary, Adam,’ he announced with a flourish. ‘Eliza Roberts.’
He stood aside to let her enter and Adam got his first look at his new secretary. Adam noted she was a petite, rather pretty woman. She had long black hair which she wore loose. Adam had a brief if, he acknow
ledged, old-fashioned thought. He felt she would look more professional if her hair was up, not loose around her face. He immediately chastised himself for the thought, it was none of his business how she wore her hair, as long as she did the job. He had of course been comparing her to Shirley, who always wore her hair in a neat chignon.
Adam dismissed his thoughts and looked again at his new secretary. For a brief moment she seemed familiar, but Adam quickly ousted the fleeting thought. Perhaps he’d met her somewhere recently, but if he had she hadn’t made enough of an impression to be memorable. Never mind, she was to work for him: it wasn’t a friendship.
Arthur turned slightly to her. ‘Eliza, my dear,’ he beamed. ‘This is Adam Sullivan, you’ll be working for him.’
Eliza smiled prettily and held out her hand. Adam accepted and shook her hand. She held his hand a little too tight and a moment too long. She smiled into his eyes, and Adam felt a fission of unease. He noted her slightly heightened colour. She seemed a little excited. Perhaps she was keen to do well, given her recent history.
A shiver ran down Adam’s spine as he finally looked into her eyes. They seemed to be rather cold and calculating. He got the distinct feeling she was assessing everything around her. Deciding how best to make things work for her.
He pulled his hand free and pushed it into his trouser pocket. He couldn’t work out why, but he was edgy.
‘I’ll leave you to it then.’ Arthur gave him a sly smile, no doubt where his thoughts lay, as he moved out of the office.
Once Arthur had gone, Adam showed Eliza to her desk. He briefly explained what was required of her, showing her Shirley’s cheat sheets. He told her any questions would be best referred to Marie in accounts, showing her the Rolodex with all the internal numbers.
He then went back into his office and closed the door behind him. He went and stood unseeing at the window. He knew he needed to reserve judgement, but there was something that didn’t feel quite right, which surprised him. He’d never been one to have “feelings”. He had to admit, however, he felt distinctly uncomfortable.
The first week with his new secretary went by quickly. Adam still wasn’t entirely comfortable in her presence, but he had to admit she did an excellent job.
She was quickly at home with Shirley’s system. It almost seemed that she was already familiar with it. Maybe it was a standard system after all, and not, as Adam had thought, Shirley’s own.
Eliza was bright and personable. She handled everything that came across her desk, and everyone who came to his office, with the same pleasant efficiency.
Keith came by on more than one occasion and Adam knew the attraction was his secretary. He was pleased to see she kept her mind on her job and didn’t respond to, or encourage, Keith’s flirting. Instead maintaining her same pleasant efficiency. So, she had learnt from past mistakes. That boded well for her future here, surely.
So why did Adam still feel there was an undercurrent?
At the end of the week Adam was compelled to admit Eliza had been an asset. He was pleased with her work, even though he still wasn’t entirely comfortable in her presence. He couldn’t put his finger on why, she’d not put a foot wrong all week.
When he told her that she had acquitted herself very well in this her first week, her response surprised him somewhat. While the words themselves were okay, the tone in which she delivered the statement was just slightly off kilter.
‘Why, thank you for that, Mr Sullivan. Adam. I knew we would make a good team.’ He could swear she had just batted her eyelashes at him, but the moment passed so quickly he wasn’t positive. But her voice when she carried on speaking had developed a breathy quality. ‘Together we’ll be unbeatable.’ Her smile seemed genuine.
He thought perhaps she was just trying hard to make an impression. He shouldn’t be looking for problems, he really couldn’t understand why he was. His thoughts had been so out of character this past week. He decided he was just being paranoid, that he had been lucky to get an efficient secretary to replace Shirley and he should just wait and see how she went next week.
On Saturday morning Adam, Gabe and Lucy decided to make a day out of their weekly shop.
First, they took Gabe to the park. He enjoyed racing his father around the fort, with Adam playing the monster. The game ended when Gabe defeated the monster and slumped down on the seat next to his mother for a necessary drink. He then allowed the more sedate pursuit of Adam pushing him on the swing. Lucy said she was not sure which one had more fun.
They then called into a local café for lunch. Gabe enjoyed these outings with his parents. He selected his lunch carefully after watching Adam choose.
While they ate lunch, he kept them all entertained with his stories. He went into great detail with each tale, causing Adam and Lucy to exchange amused glances over his head.
Once they got to the supermarket Gabe commandeered the list. Gabe loved to hold the list and tick off items as they were placed in the trolley. He was very strict and if something wasn’t on the list, he’d give the third degree until the item was either put back or they managed to convince him it was necessary. It was an exercise in family unity and always ended with them all in fits of laughter.
They were in the middle of one such discussion when Adam’s phone signalled a message. He pulled it out without thinking and opened the message. He looked at it for as moment. It as an unknown number and was a strange message.
I really enjoyed my first week with you. Now that we’re finally together you’ll soon understand how important I am to you. Can’t wait for tomorrow.
It took him a moment to realise it was from Eliza Roberts. Strange, he thought. As Adam looked at it again he thought he must be misreading it, she was just grateful to have been given the chance. He showed the message to Lucy. She frowned as she read it.
‘That’s a bit off, Adam. She does know you’re married, doesn’t she? Did you know her before she started this week? Cause she sounds like she’s been waiting to get back with you?’
‘Of course she knows I’m married. At least I should imagine she does, it’s common knowledge. I thought when I first met her on Monday there was something familiar, but I think she must just have one of those faces, because I really can’t recall ever meeting her before.’ He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘You know, now that I think about it, I don’t think she means it the way we’ve taken it. That makes no sense. I think she’s just grateful for the chance and wanting to make a good impression.’ He looked hopefully at Lucy, willing her to say there was nothing to it. She looked at the message again.
‘Yeah, I guess she could just have a strange way of putting things.’ She looked thoughtful. ‘You need to be careful though. Make sure you don’t give her any reason to think she’s any more than a secretary.’
Adam looked at Lucy for a moment, then burst out laughing. ‘Oh yeah, cos I’m so irresistible to women, a regular Casanova, that’s me. So full of charm and wit.’
‘Half-wit, darling, half-wit,’ Lucy retorted
‘What’s a cask-nova?’ Gabe piped up, making Lucy and Adam start laughing all over again. The text was forgotten.
Sunday morning saw them eating breakfast on the patio, enjoying the sun. Gabe was in front of the television, having his weekly fix of cartoons and Adam and Lucy were sharing the Sunday paper.
Adam got up and headed into the kitchen to get them both a coffee refill. When he returned Lucy was holding his phone, a puzzled and slightly disturbed look on her face. She looked up as he put her coffee in front of her and silently handed him the phone.
Good morning, Adam. I’ll be in early in the morning. I can’t wait to get back into the office and with you.
‘Okay, that’s just weird,’ Lucy said quietly. ‘I think perhaps you should have words with Ms Eliza Roberts. You’re her boss. I hardly think it’s appropriate for her to be sending these sorts of texts. In fact, she shouldn’t be texting you at all!’ Lucy was slightly riled.
; Adam looked at the text. ‘It is off, isn’t it?’ He frowned. ‘I’ll have a word with her tomorrow,’ he promised seriously. Then a twinkle appeared in his eye, and he added, ‘Apparently she’ll be in early.’
Lucy looked up sharply, about to vent when she caught Adam’s eye. She realised that it wasn’t something they should be worrying about. Everyone knew they were happily married, and she knew Adam loved her as much as she did him.
She trusted Adam implicitly. She started to laugh ‘Okay, I know! I know!’ they laughed together. Once they had sobered again. Lucy said softly, ‘You will have to talk to her, though!’
I know love. I will, first thing.’
Chapter Four
Monday morning and Adam was running late.
There had been a problem at the centre, meaning Lucy had to take of early. That left Adam to get Gabe up and going and then drop him off. Consequently, it was past nine when he arrived at the office. He was usually there before eight. With the hours he worked, being late once in a while didn’t worry him. He hadn’t bothered to call the office as he’d had no meetings scheduled for this morning.
He walked into his office, running through in his head what he had to do this morning. He was taken aback to be confronted by Eliza, standing in front of him, blocking his way, hands on hips.
‘You’re late,’ she snapped. ‘I’ve been here ages waiting for you.’
Adam stopped short in front of her. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts, as he took in her stance and her angry countenance. Okay, this had to stop.
‘Not appropriate, Ms Roberts,’ he all but snapped. ‘The correct way to greet your boss would be something along the lines of, “Good morning, Mr Sullivan”, I would have thought,’ he said firmly.
‘Where have you been?’ she asked now plaintively, recognising she needed to change tack. ‘I’m sorry, Adam. But I’ve been worried. I expected you in early. I told you I’d be here early. I’ve been looking forward to this morning all weekend. I expected you would be here to greet me, but instead I found an empty office. You didn’t even call to say you’d be late. Where were you?’ She gave him a wounded look.
Stalker, Stalker Page 2
