by Linda Kage
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by Linda Kage
Letting out a small sigh, she reached for the secretary's phone and pressed line two.
"EarthNet," she answered. "Boston Kincaid's office."
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Chapter Twenty-Two
As soon as Ellie set the phone on the cradle, it rang again.
Someone had wanted to cancel an appointment. Since Boston's planner had been sitting right there in front of her, Ellie had twisted it around and penciled in the cancellation.
She then wrote down a note to inform Boston of the news.
Gritting her teeth as the phone rang again, Ellie leaned forward to peek through the opened doorway into Boston's office. He was still busy with his first call. The phone kept ringing.
"Oh, all right," she muttered. "I hear you. EarthNet." She changed her tone to "pleasant secretary" as she picked up.
"Boston Kincaid's office."
There was a pause. Then, "Ellie?"
She frowned. "Yes? Who is this?"
The male on the other end chuckled. "It's Cam."
She felt herself flush from the base of her neck all the way up to the top of her head. Busted. "Oh...uh, hi," she offered, not sure how to explain herself.
"Hello again," he returned cheerfully. "Whatcha doing?" His tone had lowered to a husky pitch as if to ask, Whatcha wearing?
"I...uh, well...Boston's on the other line and..." Hmm.
"Well, the phone was just ringing and..."
"You thought you'd just answer it, hmm?" he finished for her. He sounded more amused than he did annoyed about the fact she was answering Boston's phone, so she shrugged.
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"I thought I could take a message just as well as an answering machine, and his customer's would be more pleased with a more personable...uh, human voice."
"Mmm hmm," Cameron replied as if he didn't buy such an excuse.
Not sure what he really thought her ulterior motive was, Ellie shifted uneasily and scratched at the back of her neck.
"So, uh...can I leave a message for you?"
"Actually, I was just being snoopy. I wanted Bos to give me the dirt on what you're doing here. But...since you're still there, guess I'll just have to pry later."
Ellie laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't even gotten to speak to him yet. First there was a client, then a phone call. I'm just sitting here, twiddling my thumbs and waiting my turn."
"Want me to come over and keep you company? I just finished what I wanted to get done tonight. Maybe I can get you to tell me what your visit's all about."
She couldn't help it; she laughed again. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I can only say this once, so I'll let Boston fill you in later."
He sounded disappointed. "You sure?"
"Positive."
"Okay, fine. Suit yourself." Thinking he was going to hang up with that, Ellie was surprised when he changed gears and conversationally said, "So...ah, Cassidy tells us you're a secretary at a law firm."
Ellie frowned. "Yes," she said, cautiously. Oh, God, did he knew know she'd been fired? Did Boston already know?
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"Well..." He drew out the word as if he were a used car salesman preparing to make her the ultimate pitch. "Due to an unfortunate incident, we've recently lost our legal secretary and are in dire need of a new one...like, immediately."
"Boston lost his secretary?" She frowned, glancing around the deserted secretary's desk. No wonder he'd looked so flustered when the phone started ringing, and his client wanted to make an appointment.
"Yeah..." Cameron's voice echoed in her ear. "Livy sort of, uh, tried to claw her eyes out, and then she fired her...on the spot."
" Olivia did that?" she asked, burrowing her eyebrows even more. She couldn't picture the petite blonde she'd met being so violent.
"Uh huh," Cameron added. "She kind of caught Boston's secretary coming onto me."
Ellie's mouth dropped into an "O" formation. "Oh my God.
Seriously?"
"Truly. But, hey, you've met me. So you should understand why women find it nearly impossible to resist my charms. Honestly, I really can't blame the girl for wanting a sample."
"Yes, I found myself having just that problem when I met you too," Ellie reported dryly.
Cameron paused. Then, sounding totally stunned, he said,
"Really?"
Ellie could only laugh.
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When he realized she was joking, he chuckled as well. "I guess she tried to get it on with Boston first," he continued, picking up his tale where he'd left off.
Ellie immediately stopped laughing. The smile dropped from her face as she tried to picture Boston kissing some faceless woman behind this very desk.
"But since Kincaid doesn't have a significant other to beat the woman off, he had to let her down himself," Cameron unknowingly reassured her. "And ever the diplomat, he turned her down so gently she didn't quit...but rather moved on to take a try at me."
"Hmm," Ellie answered. She couldn't help the leap of jealousy she felt at some secretary she'd never even met. Not that she could blame the unknown woman, but she thought Olivia had a good idea with the scratching-the-eyes-out thing.
"So, anyway, Boston really needs a good assistant now.
And I know you probably love the job you have, but I'm willing to double your salary if you want to come here. I mean, you're making, what, thirty, forty thousand a year where you are, right? I can easily—"
"Wait a second," Ellie said when it finally struck her what Cameron was saying. " What?!"
"Yeah, I know we'd have to sell Bos on the idea. But if you moved to town to work here, then Cassie would be moving to town as well. And he'd just love that. And—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ellie cut in. "Slow down. There's no way I could..."
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It would be emotional suicide to work for Boston. Seeing him every day and not being able to have him? No. Uh-uh.
That wasn't going to happen.
But before she could finish the sentiment, she glanced up and caught Boston leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, giving her a curious, single-arched-brow look. The words dropped from her mouth and her face immediately went scarlet. There was no way he could know what Cameron was trying to convince her to do. But she blushed anyway.
Holding out the phone to him, she said, "It's Cameron."
He paused a moment before snagging the phone from her hand. "What?" he asked impatiently. His eyes shifted toward Ellie as he answered the next question, "I have no idea what she's doing here. People keep calling, and I haven't gotten to talk to her yet."
Whatever comment Cameron made caused him to roll his eyes. "No, I'm not going to tell you," he said then and hung up. As soon as the receiver settled into its cradle, the silence in the room filled Ellie with instant trepidation.
Boston shifted his gaze her way. She wasn't sure what to say.
Boston puffed his cheeks with air and blew out a long breath. "So..." he said. "What brings you by?"
"Actually, you're busy." Ellie turned toward the door, ready to flee. "I should've just waited until later and called—"
"Whoa," Boston said, taking her elbow and tugging her back. "You didn't come all the way from Lawrence just because you were in the neighborhood. And if you did just 311
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happen to be in town, I doubt you'd stop by merely to answer my phone for a couple of minutes. What's going on? I know it must be about Cassidy. Unless...you changed your mind about us?"
She
lifted her face. When his piercing blue eyes drilled into hers, she was forced to look away. "No, I...it's not about Cassie either. I mean, not directly. Because of her maybe, but not—"
She realized she was rambling and took a brief moment to let out a long breath. Then she looked up and decided to get straight to the point. Just spill it out Band-Aid fast. "I've decided I'll take child support from you after all," she blurted out.
For a moment, he merely stared at her. She could tell it was the last thing he expected her to say.
Then his face cleared. "Ah...okay. I mean..." He glanced away, and she wondered if that was a wince she saw. "Okay,"
he repeated, his voice a little softer.
She blinked. "That's it?" she said wearily. "You're just going to say okay?"
He shrugged. "I can afford it. And I owe it, so...yeah, that's all I'm going to say."
"Well, okay, then," Ellie said, blowing out another breath, relieved this time. "That was easier than I thought it'd be.
I..."
She looked up and met his gaze. All thought seemed to seep from her head.
Clearing her throat, she forced her stare away. "So, are you just going to talk to Helena and get it...figured out then?"
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"That's exactly what I'll do," he assured her with a nod.
"You'll have your first check to you by the end of the week."
"Thank you," she said quietly and turned toward the door, more than ready to get out of there.
But Boston caught her arm. "Are you going to tell me why?" he asked, his voice curious and not at all upset.
Ellie laughed, hoping he didn't hear the nervous trill behind it all. "Why?" she repeated incredulously. "Isn't it obvious? I'd be a fool if I didn't snatch up all that money. That's why."
"I guess that means you're not going to tell me," he murmured.
"I just did," she argued, spinning around to frown at him.
But he shook his head. "No, you didn't. I know you, Ellie.
And I know it took every ounce of pride you have to come in here and ask this of me. You don't want my money. You'd go broke before you ever accepted a penny from me."
She laughed again, and this time she knew he could hear the desperation. Tears filled her eyelashes. "Well...I have gone broke, so...there you have it."
When she risked a glance toward him, he just stared at her. "What happened?"
She sighed and closed her eyes. There had never been any intention for her to tell him the truth, but for some reason the words just spilled out of her. "I lost my job today."
He pulled back in surprise. "At the lawyer's office?"
She nodded.
"Why?"
"I, uh..." She blew out a breath. "Do you remember the man I went out with this weekend?"
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He frowned, confusion in his crinkled brows, but nodded.
"Ted?"
"Yes. Well, he, uh, he's a...a client of my boss's, which you already know. But, anyway, when our date didn't...end well, he called Winston. And here I am."
"Didn't end well," Boston repeated, still scowling. "What do you mean, didn't end well?"
There was no way in hell she was going to tell him that part. But when she refused to speak, he moved closer and took her hand. "Ellie," he said in a soft, stonily serious voice.
She looked down at their connected fingers. And melted.
"Okay," she relented. "It pretty much followed the same pattern you and I followed the night you kissed me on the porch, but ah, when I pushed him away, he didn't take it as gracefully as you did."
"What are you talking about? I didn't take it grace—" The meaning of her words finally seemed to dawn on him, and he about broke her fingers when his hand suddenly clenched around hers. "What did he do?"
"Well..." she hedged, hoping he'd just drop it already. "He, uh, he kept trying to kiss me."
" I kept trying to kiss you, Ellie."
"Well, I didn't like it when he did it," she snapped.
"You didn't like it when I did it," he returned. When she let out an irritated sigh, he gripped her hand again. "Ellie, what...did...he... do to you?"
"Nothing!" she said impatiently. "He just didn't want to stop until I kneed him...between the legs..." She winced before adding, "And then in the nose."
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Boston shot to his feet. "I'll kill him."
"What!? Boston, no." Ellie popped up after him and had to grab his arm to keep him from leaving the office right then and there. "Are you crazy?"
When he turned back to her, she took a reflexive step away. Good Lord, he actually looked crazy.
"He hurt you," he hissed.
"No," she said quickly. "He just scared me a little."
"And there's no way in hell he can get you fired," Boston went on as if he hadn't heard her. "What happened to you is sexual harassment, and it's illegal."
"But I don't work for him. I work for Winston, and he's never—"
"My God, Ellie." Boston broke in incredulously. "You can't lose your job because you refused to have sex with someone.
That's all there is to it."
Ellie blew out a breath. "I don't know what else to do."
"Sue his ass," Boston growled, reaching for the phone. "In fact, I'll get started right now. You'll have your job back in five minutes."
"Boston." Ellie reached for his hand to stop him from making his call. "Stop, please. I just..." She took a step back and cradled her head in her hands. "I don't know if I even want my job back," she finally admitted. She couldn't see herself working for Winston again after knowing he'd never support her.
Boston hung up the phone. "Ellie, If you don't want the job back, fine. It's the principle that matters. I'll get you the biggest severance pay you've ever seen—"
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"No...Boston." She sighed. "I don't want to sue anyone. I just want to forget this ever happened."
"Screw that," he snapped. "This guy isn't going to get away scot-free for doing this to you. And your boss...I'm going to nail his ass to the wall."
"That's not what I want, Boston. I—"
"Well, I don't care!" he exploded. "No one messes with the woman I love and gets away with it. I have to avenge you somehow."
Ellie pressed both hands to her chest. For a second, she was afraid she couldn't breathe. Then the air came in a rush and she gulped for oxygen gratefully.
"Why do you keep saying that?" she demanded on a hoarse gasp.
For a moment, Boston looked confused. Then he said,
"What? That I love you?" He shrugged. "Probably because I do."
"But..." Words failed her for a minute. She could only gape at him like he'd lost his mind. "But I just came here asking for money," she argued.
He frowned. "So?"
"Well, you should hate me. I kept your daughter from you, and now I'm demanding money. You can't love me."
Boston studied her quietly for a moment, then smiled gently. "Ellie," he sighed out her name. But she lifted her hands to stop him.
"No," she said. "You're a wonderful father. You're there for Cassie. You love her, and you make an effort. I see how much you try." She smiled again, with encouragement this time. "I 316
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see Keller watch you and Cassie together whenever you come pick her up, and I see the envy in his eyes. His father doesn't pay attention to him the way you do her. You listen to what she says, and you're attentive."
Her eyes filled with tears. "I feel so awful that I kept that kind of love from her for nine years. You should hate me. I should've never told you I'd miscarried. You'll never know how sorry I—"
"Don't," he said softly. "I'm not upset about that anymore.
&n
bsp; To tell the truth, in some ways, I'm kind of glad it worked out this way. I mean, I'm not glad I missed so much of her life, but I really wasn't ready to be a dad then, not like I am now.
Yes, I would've stayed around and been her father. But I think—I mean I'm pretty sure—I would've ended up just like Keller's dad if I had. I was too young and stupid to appreciate what I do now. I probably wouldn't have stopped to pay attention to her. I probably would've just turned into some pompous, self-serving—"
"Shh," Ellie said, lifting her hand to set two fingers over his lips. "Please don't let me off the hook that easily," she nearly begged.
"I would've taken you for granted too," he murmured softly, gently taking her wrist and tugging her away from his mouth. He didn't release his hold but merely moved his hand until his palm was sliding against hers. Their fingers interlaced.
"You're so different," he whispered. "You were amazing at nineteen. You made me want things I'd never wanted before.
But now...now, you're so much more."
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"You're different too," Ellie said quietly.
Boston glanced away, unable to keep eye contact. Then he took a step back, releasing her hand as he blew out a breath.
"Let's make a deal," he said. "How about I keep my hands off you. I stop trying to molest you on your front porch and you stop flaunting your dates in front of me, okay? I'm going stir-crazy enough as it is seeing you so much all of the sudden. I already see a mini-you every time I look at Cassie.
And it makes me ache like..."
His words faded off, but Ellie had already caught the gist of his meaning.
"I can't stand being around you both together without thinking how nice it'd be if we could just be one happy little family. But I realize that's not going to happen. So, if you could just, you know, totally hide the fact from me that you date other people, I can at least hold the insanity at bay. I can't handle the thought of another man touching you..."
Once again, he stopped talking and let the rest of his sentence hang. He glanced up at her, and Ellie stepped closer. His chest heaved as he sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes dilated, and she almost purred.
"Sure, we could do it your way," she said and reached out to run her finger up his chest. She smiled when she felt how defined his pecs were under the cloth of his shirt. Oh, yeah, he'd definitely improved over the years. "Or we could try my way?" she offered huskily.
