Ready for Romance

by Debbie Macomber

  She straightened and folded her hands in her lap, wondering if Damian would take a chance and hire her. She was a risk, too, fresh out of school, with no job experience.

  “You’re sure you want to work here?” he asked, studying her with a discerning eye.

  “Very much.”

  Damian didn’t immediately respond. His silence made her uncomfortable enough to want to fill it with something, even useless chatter. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said breathlessly. “In your eyes I’m a love-struck fourteen-year-old, convinced your brother and I are meant for each other.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what to say to convince you I’ve grown up, and that nonsense is all behind me, but I have.”

  “I can see that for myself.” A glint of appreciation sparked in his eyes. “As it happens, Jessica, you’re in luck, because the firm could use another legal assistant. If you want the job, it’s yours.”

  Jessica resisted vaulting out of the chair and throwing her arms around Damian’s neck to thank him. Instead she promised, “I won’t let you down.”

  “You’ll be working directly with Evan,” he replied, still studying her closely.

  “With Evan?”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “No…No, of course not.”

  “Just remember one thing. It doesn’t matter how many years our parents have been friends. If you don’t do your job and do it well, we don’t have room for you here.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to keep me on if I didn’t pull my weight,” she said, trying hard not to sound defensive.

  “Good.” He reached for the intercom and glanced at her. “When would you like to start?”

  “Now, if you want.”

  “Perfect. I’ll ring Mrs. Sterling. She’s Evan’s secretary, and she’ll show you the ropes.”

  Jessica stood and extended her hand. “You won’t be sorry, I promise you.” She pumped his hand enthusiastically until she realized she was overdoing it.

  Grinning, Damian walked around to the front of his desk. “If there’s anything I can help you with, let me know.”

  “I will. Thank you, Damian.”

  She hadn’t meant to call him by his first name. Theirs was a professional relationship now, but it was difficult to think of him as her boss. A personal bond existed between them, but until this interview Jessica hadn’t realized it was there. To her surprise she found she had no such problem regarding Evan.

  She and Damian walked out of the office together and down the corridor to a door with Evan’s name engraved on a gold plaque.

  Damian opened the door for her and allowed her to precede him. Jessica’s gaze fell on Evan’s secretary. The woman was middle-aged, with sharp, but not unattractive, features. She seemed to breathe efficiency. One look and Jessica was confident this woman could manage Evan’s office and the entire law firm if necessary.

  “Mrs. Sterling,” Damian said, “this is Jessica Kellerman, Evan’s new legal assistant. Would you show her around and make her feel at home?”

  “Of course.”

  Damian turned to Jessica. “As I said earlier, come to me if you have any problems.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No, Jessica,” he said cryptically on his way out, “thank you.” The door made a small clicking sound as it shut.

  Mrs. Sterling rose from her chair. She was a small woman, barely five feet, a stark contrast to tall and slender Jessica. Her salt-and-pepper hair was cropped short, and she wore a no-nonsense straight skirt and light sweater.

  “I’ll show you where the law library is,” Mrs. Sterling said. Jessica glanced toward the closed door, wondering if Evan was in. Apparently not, otherwise Damian would have made a point of letting his brother know Jessica would be working for him.

  The secretary led the way out of the office and down the hall. The library was huge, with row upon row of thick dusty volumes. Long narrow tables with a number of chairs were scattered about the room. Jessica knew she’d be spending the majority of her research time here and was pleased by how pleasant it was. She noticed the faint scent of lemon oil and smiled as she saw various types of potted plants set here and there, including a speckled broad-leaved ivy that stretched across the top of one large bookcase.

  “This is very nice.”

  “Mr. Dryden has worked hard to make sure our work environment is pleasing to the eye,” the woman remarked primly.

  “Damian’s like that,” Jessica murmured.

  “I was speaking about the younger Mr. Dryden,” came the surprised response.

  “Oh, of course,” Jessica said quickly.

  BY THE END of the first day, Jessica felt as though she’d put in a forty-hour week. She’d been assigned a small desk in the corner of the room and her own phone. Mrs. Sterling seemed to feel it was her duty to keep Jessica occupied with a multitude of tasks which included taking lunch orders, organizing file cabinets and hand-delivering messages throughout the office.

  Just when she was about to think she wouldn’t even lay eyes on Evan her first day, he breezed into the office, stopping abruptly when he saw her. He was as tall as Damian, at least six-two, with chestnut hair and dark soulful eyes. To Jessica’s way of thinking, it wasn’t fair that any one man should be so breathtakingly handsome.

  “Julia,” he whispered, as though he’d stumbled upon a treasure chest. His eyes suffused with delight. “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s Jessica,” she corrected him, refusing to be offended by his failure to remember her name. “I’m here because I’m working for you now.”

  “Your brother hired Ms. Kellerman as your new legal assistant,” Mrs. Sterling explained.

  Evan stepped forward, gripping Jessica’s hand in his own. “This must be Christmas in July! Why else would Damian present me with such a rare gift?”

  “Christmas in July,” Jessica repeated, having a difficult time not laughing. What she’d heard about Evan was true, she decided. He was a flirt, but such a pleasant lighthearted one that it didn’t seem to matter. She knew he wasn’t serious.

  “There are several matters here that need your attention,” Mrs. Sterling said stiffly from behind Evan.

  “I’ll be with you in a few minutes,” he said.

  “I know you will,” Mrs. Sterling said. “Just don’t leave before these letters are signed, and while we’re at it, there are a few items we need to discuss—when you have the time.”

  “I promise to get to the letters first thing,” he said as if he had no interest beyond studying the young woman who stood before him. “Just put everything on my desk and I’ll look through it before I leave.”

  “You won’t forget?”

  Evan chuckled. “My, my, how you love to mother me.”

  “Someone has to look after you,” his secretary said, her eyes crinkling above a bright smile.

  Jessica watched in amazement as Evan charmed the older woman. Mrs. Sterling had been the picture of cool efficiency until Evan walked in the door. The minute he did she turned into a clucking mother hen. Before Jessica had a chance to analyze this reaction, Evan grinned. “You love me, Mary, and you know it.”

  “It’s just that you’ve been a bit forgetful of late,” Mrs. Sterling said with a concerned frown. She reached for a stack of letters and leafed through them. “It doesn’t hurt to offer you a little reminder now and then, does it?”

  “I suppose not,” Evan said and, taking the letters with him, walked into his office as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  “Have you been working on the brief for the Porter Corporation?” Mrs. Sterling asked, following on his heels.

  “The Porter Corporation,” Evan repeated as if he’d never heard the name before. “It’s not due anytime soon, is it?”

  “Yes, it is,” the secretary said, and Jessica heard a hint of panic in her voice. “First thing Friday morning.”

  “I’ll have it ready by then. What day is this, anyway?”

  “Mr. Dryden, you’ve got to s
tart coming into the office before closing time!”

  “Don’t you fret. I’ll have everything ready the way I always do,” he said as he ushered his secretary out the door. He paused when his gaze fell on Jessica and he winked. Then the door closed and Evan disappeared.

  Mrs. Sterling shook her head and glanced toward Jessica. “Mr Dryden’s been going through some rough times lately,” she explained.

  “How long has he been without a legal assistant?”

  “Quite a while now. He didn’t seem to think he’d need one. Damian’s cut his work load and, well, things just haven’t been the same around here for quite a while.”

  Jessica was leaving for the day when she happened upon Damian. Looking dignified and businesslike, he was talking to his secretary. A few silver hairs at his temple added a distinguished air. He made a striking figure, and she wondered briefly why he hadn’t married. Tagged onto that thought came another. One that took her by surprise. She realized she was happy Damian hadn’t married.

  He must have seen her in his peripheral vision, because he straightened, smiled and walked toward her. “Well, Jessica, how’d your first day go?”

  “Really well.”

  “Mary isn’t working you too hard, is she?”

  “Oh, no, she’s great.”

  “Mary’s one of the best secretaries I’ve ever worked with. She may be a bit abrupt, but you’ll get used to that.” He was walking with Jessica now, their steps matching, his hands clasped behind his back. Mary was abrupt perhaps, Jessica mused, but not with Evan.

  “I’ll always be grateful to you for being willing to take a chance on me,” she said conversationally.

  Damian’s smile was rueful. “You may not be thanking me later. My brother can be a handful, but if there was ever someone who could get him back on the straight and narrow, it’s you.”

  “Me?” she asked, not understanding.

  Damian broke eye contact and looked away. “Everybody needs to be looked at with wide worshipful eyes now and then, don’t you think?”

  “Ah…” Jessica didn’t know how to respond. One thing was becoming abundantly clear. Damian hadn’t hired her because of her high test scores at business college.

  Two

  “You actually got the job?” Cathy Hudson said over the telephone line, her voice raised with astonishment. “You were hired, just like that, by one of the city’s most prestigious law firms?”

  “It helps to have friends in high places.” Jessica was excited about this job, but she felt mildly guilty knowing the only reason she’d been hired was that their families were such good friends. However, Damian had made it plain she’d need to pull her own weight. Jessica was determined to prove herself; she’d be the best legal assistant the firm had ever hired. It was a matter of pride.

  “Why is it everything comes so easy for you?” Cathy lamented. “You set your sights on something that would give Norman Vincent Peale second thoughts and—”

  “Me? You’re the one trying out for a lead in Guys and Dolls. Talk about setting your sights high.”

  “All right, all right,” Cathy said with a dramatic sigh, “you’ve made your point.”

  “So how did the tryouts go today?”

  “I…don’t know. It’s so hard to tell. I would kill for the part of Adelaide, but then I watch the others, and they’re all so good. I came away today thinking it’s just a pipe dream. David, the director, is wonderful. Working with him would be one of the highlights of my career, but I don’t dare hope I’ll get the part.”

  “I have faith in you. You’re a natural, Cath.” It was true, her friend had a knack for the dramatic, and that had always made their friendship so interesting.

  Cathy laughed softly. “How can I fail, when both you and my mother are convinced I’m destined for stardom? Now, before we get off the subject, how did the interview with Damian go?”

  “Really well, I think.” Damian had dominated her thoughts all afternoon. He’d changed, she decided, or perhaps she was the one who was different. Whichever, she found herself enthralled by the man. The thought of working with him excited her.

  “What about the younger brother?”

  “Actually I’ll be working directly for Evan.”

  Cathy must have noticed the hesitation in her voice because she asked, “Does that worry you? What’s the matter? Do you think you’re going to make an idiot of yourself over him—again?”

  So much for Jessica’s delicate ego. “No way. I was fourteen years old, for heaven’s sake.”

  After she’d hung up, Jessica slipped a CD into the player, choosing an invigorating medley of jazz hits, and set about fixing her dinner. She whipped together a hot chicken-and-spinach salad and stood barefoot in her kitchen, humming along to the music, her heart singing its own melody.

  Later that evening, she relaxed with the paper. Despite her best efforts, her thoughts drifted to Damian. The last thing she wanted was to make a fool of herself over another Dryden.

  To the best of her knowledge, the source of which was her mother, Damian wasn’t currently involved in a relationship. Joyce Kellerman said that Lois Dryden had complained that her elder son didn’t take enough time for fun in his life. What Damian needed, Jessica decided now, was to fall in love with a woman who would take his mind off his work. Someone fun. Someone who would make him laugh and enjoy life. Someone who appreciated him.

  An hour later, as she was getting ready for bed, Jessica realized she’d spent most of the evening thinking about Damian. Well, quite understandable, she rationalized. After all, he was head of the firm she was working for.

  THE FOLLOWING DAY, Evan didn’t show up at the office until well after eleven. As she had previously, Mrs. Sterling fussed over him as though he were the prodigal son the moment he waltzed in the door.

  “Good morning, Mr. Dryden.” Mrs. Sterling gushed, nearly leaping from her chair. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

  Evan seemed to need time to think about this. “I hadn’t noticed, but you’re right, it is a gorgeous day,” he said as he reached for his mail and leafed through the envelopes.

  He was on his way into his office when he noticed Jessica sitting at her desk. She felt his scrutiny and was pleased that she’d dressed carefully, choosing a smart-looking flowered silk dress with a blue jacket. In her heels, she was nearly as tall as he was.

  “Good morning, Mr. Dryden,” she offered.

  “Evan,” he insisted. “You can call Damian Mr. Dryden if you insist, but I’m Evan.”

  “All right. Good morning, Evan,”

  “It is a good morning, isn’t it?” he asked, giving her a roguish grin. Jessica couldn’t help but respond with a smile of her own. She hadn’t noticed it so much the day before, but there were definite changes in the Evan she remembered. He was thinner and his smiles didn’t quite reach his eyes. Another thing she couldn’t help noticing was the way everyone walked on eggshells around him. Mrs. Sterling had made a point of letting her know Evan’s work load had recently been cut, and Damian had said Evan hadn’t yet recovered from a broken relationship. It must have been pretty serious, she mused.

  “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a chance to talk, hasn’t it?” Evan asked, walking over and sitting on the edge of Jessica’s desk.

  “A very long time,” she agreed, praying with all her heart he wouldn’t resurrect her girlish antics. It’d been embarrassing enough to have Damian do it.

  “I think we should make up for lost opportunities, don’t you? Tell you what—I’ll treat you to lunch.” He checked his watch and seemed surprised at the time. “We’ll leave in half an hour. That’ll give me enough time to clear whatever’s on my desk.”

  “You want to take me to lunch?” Jessica asked. “Today?”

  “It’s the least I can do,” Evan said with a shrug. “I’ll have Mary make reservations.”

  “But—”

  “That’s an excellent idea,” Mrs. Sterling interjected, clearly pleased. />
  “I…I’ve only just started work,” Jessica said. “I’d enjoy lunch, perhaps in a week or so, after I’ve settled into the job.” The last thing she wanted was to give Damian the impression she was already slacking in her duties.

  Evan pressed his thumb to her chin and gazed deeply into her eyes. “No buts, and no arguments. We’re going to lunch and you can fill me in on what you’ve been doing for the last five or six years.”

  Mrs. Sterling followed Evan into his office, looking inordinately pleased with the turn of events. She returned a few minutes later, casting a delighted look in Jessica’s direction as she picked up her phone and called the restaurant to make reservations. Evan chose Henri’s, one of Boston’s finest, well-known for its elegant dining. It also happened to be a good fifteen-minute drive from the office, which meant they were going to be out for lunch much longer than usual.

  “I doubt we’ll be back in an hour if we have lunch at Henri’s,” Jessica felt obliged to say.

  “Don’t worry about it. You’ll make it up another time, I’m sure.”

  “But this is only my second day. I don’t want to give the wrong impression.”

  “My dear, Mr. Dryden is your boss. If he wants to take a leisurely lunch with you, don’t argue. You should be counting your blessings, instead.”

  “I know but—”

  “From what I understand, you two are old family friends,” Mrs. Sterling interrupted. “It’s only natural for him to want to personally welcome you into the firm.”

  It seemed the reservation had barely been made when Evan reappeared. “Are you ready?”

  Jessica blinked back her surprise. “Yes, of course, if you’ll give me just a moment.” She finished typing her notes into the computer, stored the information and pushed back her chair.

  Evan took her elbow and told his secretary, “We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

  They were on their way through the corridor leading to the front of the office when Damian appeared. His gaze shifted from Evan to Jessica.