by Susan Meier
“What?” he mumbled himself awake, running his hand down his face.
She shot out of bed. “It’s morning. We slept here all night.”
He dragged her back. “We’ve done worse things.”
She laughed and he kissed her. “Is it so bad waking up with me?”
No. It felt glorious. But she couldn’t tell him that. This wasn’t part of their deal. If the joyous feeling careening through her was any indicator, she didn’t just like waking up with him. Her feelings for him were growing with leaps and bounds.
He kissed her again, and she melted under his hands. This morning’s kisses were different. Soft and sweet. Filled with the warmth of emotion that she imagined married people shared when they woke together.
When he broke the kiss, she wasn’t quivering with longing…well, maybe a little. She was filled with something so incredible she almost didn’t dare let herself name it. But she couldn’t stop the acknowledgment that trembled through her brain.
She more than liked him.
And if she didn’t stop these feelings, she’d end up hurt. Even if she did have an out in the Myrtle Beach flower shop, she didn’t want to start a new life depressed.
She pulled away. “It’s after nine.”
That made him move. “Crud!” He jumped out of bed and raced down the stairs to get his clothes.
Isabelle followed him. While he scrambled into his pants and shirt, she took a more leisurely stroll to gather hers, which were mostly scattered in the kitchen.
He kissed her. “We had fun last night.”
She smiled, but inside her heart kept doing funny, indescribable things that scared her to death. “Yeah. We did.”
“See you in about twenty minutes at the office?”
“At least give me time to go home and get a shower.”
He winced. “Right. Okay. Stop at Buds and Blossoms before you come to work. That way when you get to the house, if my mom’s there, you have an excuse for being late.”
She nodded.
He kissed her quickly and raced out.
Clothes in hand, she fell to the sofa, not sure why she was suddenly melancholy. It was not a bad thing to “more than like” the guy you were sleeping with.
Except he didn’t more than like her.
He’d laid this all out for her right from the start. They were having an affair, nothing more, and she had to get a hold of herself.
An hour later she drove to the Donovan mansion, got out of her car, and walked inside through the back door near the offices. The scent of bacon hit her immediately, and her stomach rumbled.
Not seeing Devon at his desk, she dropped her purse in a desk drawer and headed to the kitchen—where she found the entire Donovan clan sitting at the table, laughing.
LuAnn saw her first. “Hey, Izzy.”
“Morning, LuAnn. I just got here because of some Buds and Blossoms business and I wondered where Devon was.”
The way she fumbled over her explanation made her face turn red. But Devon shoved his chair out from the table.
“Food’s still warm. Grab a plate. I’ve got to get to work anyway.”
She tried a smile but it barely worked. She was embarrassed and not quite sure how she felt about him leaving when she arrived, although no one seemed to notice but her.
LuAnn muttered, “Grab a plate? Devon, that’s not how you treat a guest.”
As he walked down the hall, he yelled, “She’s not a guest, Mom. She’s an employee.”
“That’s no reason to leave your manners behind.” She faced Isabelle. “Honestly, that boy. You sit. I’ll fix you a plate.”
Isabelle walked to the round table in the breakfast nook next to a bay window overlooking a piece of the patio.
Rubbing her belly, Ellie said, “I hope this baby is born soon.”
Finn patiently said, “You still have ten days.”
“But think how great it would be if she came early. I’d be in much better shape for the wedding.”
LuAnn set a plate of bacon and eggs and home fries in front of Isabelle.
With the scent of breakfast wafting to her, she said, “What was the occasion today?”
LuAnn returned to her seat. “I wanted to put Devon in a good frame of mind when I talked to him about the wedding. So I made breakfast, but when he didn’t show, I realized he wasn’t home so I called Ellie and Finn to come over and eat. Then I realized I might as well call Cade and Piper and have them bring the baby.”
As if understanding they were talking about him, black-haired, brown-eyed little Richie cooed.
Finn shook his head. “Then Devon showed up. He tried to sneak in the back way, but we heard his car.”
Cade’s deep laugh filled the room. “He must have stayed out all night with a woman. I know the walk of shame when I see it.”
Unspeakable terror rattled through Isabelle. But Ellie’s eyes were sympathetic.
“I’m sorry, Isabelle.”
Finn said, “Why should you be sorry? It was damned funny.”
Piper gave her a pitying look, too, and she realized they didn’t know she was the woman Devon had slept with the night before.
A laugh bubbled up. The feeling of melancholy burst. Not only were she and Devon successfully hiding an affair, but suddenly sneaking around did seem really fun.
Squelching her laughter, she quietly said, “It’s okay.”
Cade looked from his wife to Isabelle then back to Piper again. “What’s okay?”
“I had a crush on Devon,” Isabelle said, realizing rolling with this actually worked in her and Devon’s favor. Still, not quite able to out and out lie, she added, “But since I began working for him, my feelings for him are very different.”
Finn reached for his coffee. “He can be a slave driver.”
“I do have a lot on my plate.” She shrugged. “But once I hire new staff for Buds and Blossoms, I’ll be fine.”
Piper rocked little Richie to her. “You know what? I could take care of that for you.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Right now I’m not working and I have tons of free time. At first I slept when Richie napped. Now I’m just bored. I’d actually enjoy having some contact with adults.”
Isabelle sighed. “I’d appreciate it.”
Cade said, “First time—swear to God—very first time, we’ve ever caught him.”
Standing, Piper laughed. “You’ve got to get over this, Cade. It’s not that funny.”
LuAnn said, “No, but it is good. My God, this time last week he nearly bit my head off about my wedding. Today he offered—offered—to walk me down the aisle.”
Isabelle blinked. “He did?”
“Yep,” Finn said as he rose and helped Ellie to stand too. “Cade and I will be Bob’s best men. Devon will give Mom away. And it was all his idea.”
“Wow.”
Ellie bent and kissed Isabelle’s cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay with all of this.”
“I’m fine.”
Piper said, “We’ll have a girls’ night one of these days and find you somebody else.”
Not knowing what else to say, Isabelle said, “Okay.”
After family hugs were exchanged, Finn and Ellie, Cade, Piper, and little Richie left.
LuAnn said, “Eat your food before it gets cold.”
She eyed her eggs and bacon greedily. “Thanks for this.”
“Oh, it was nothing. I love having my family together and, Izzy, working for us, you’re becoming family.” LuAnn sucked in a breath and took her hand. “I want to make sure you really are okay with Devon dating someone.”
She almost choked on her bacon. “Yeah. Seriously. I’m fine.”
“I’m so glad because whoever this woman is, she’s a godsend. I can’t explain the shift in Devon, but it’s a good one. He’s happy.” She shook her head. “It’s a terrible thing for a mother to know one of her children isn’t just unhappy, but that he may never have known happiness at all in his life.”
>
Though she’d always recognized Devon was a serious-minded person—because he’d had to defend himself and his brothers from their dad—Isabelle had never quite understood the ramifications of that, until LuAnn spelled it out so clearly. “That is sad.”
LuAnn sucked in a breath. “We were in a terrible situation. I swear Devon wasn’t more than twelve when he started stepping in when his dad would come home drunk. Between the two of us, we kept Cade and Finn relatively safe, until they were older. Then no one was safe.”
“I’m sorry.”
LuAnn patted her hand. “It’s all gone now. And I don’t even want the memories. I don’t know if Devon will ever be able to have a relationship the way Finn and Cade have. But I’m glad he found the woman he’s found. He needs her.”
LuAnn suddenly brightened. “Now, about the wedding. I’ve got the dress. We have the Dinner Belles and the fire hall. The girls are going for their dresses next week. I’ve decided I want the short square vases with short-stemmed flowers. All bright colors. Maybe some aqua?”
As LuAnn went on and on about her beautiful wedding, Isabelle paid attention, but she also basked in the warm glow of the fact that she was good for Devon—a guy who clearly deserved something happy in his life—and he needed her. As an only child, Isabelle didn’t really know what it felt like to have someone need her until that moment. It felt pretty damned wonderful. As if her life had finally found some meaning. So what if it was just an affair? It was a good thing. Even if they only had the rest of the time before she moved to Myrtle Beach, she was helping him.
And, dear God, she couldn’t say she wasn’t benefiting. They always had a wonderful time together. She might have been melancholy this morning, but all that vanished in the wake of the fun of her naughty secret. She simply had to keep her wits about her and stop having thoughts like the ones she’d had before. She was not falling in love. That was not the plan.
What was important now was that Devon was happy. He needed her.
Devon had been in his office for an hour before Isabelle came back. He expected her to sit at her desk and start working. Instead she picked up the stack of files he’d given her the day before and walked to his door.
She knocked once. “Can I come in?”
He sat back in his chair, admiring the way her butt looked in the sensible pants she wore. He also liked the pink top, if only because pink made her look happy.
And for what he needed to discuss with her this morning, her positive mood was a necessity.
“I think I’m done going over this file.”
“That can’t be good.”
“Actually it is good. This business is great. After a few phone calls with the staff yesterday, it was easy to see the CEO just doesn’t have a grip on how to handle the money they earn. With a little bit of corporate restructuring, this company could shoot for the moon.”
He leaned a little farther back in his chair. “How would you restructure?”
“The CEO, the guy who invented the app, shouldn’t be CEO. He might ‘know’ financing, but he doesn’t like dealing with it. When I spoke to him on the phone yesterday, all he could talk about was his next project.”
“Which is good. He needs to continue to innovate. One or two apps does not a company make.”
“Exactly. But because he’s always thinking about inventing, he doesn’t have his eye on the money. Which is why they’re facing bankruptcy.”
Devon inclined his head in acknowledgment. “You’re right.”
“So if you give them an influx of cash, he’ll use it to pay expenses while he develops his next app.”
He sat up. “Isn’t that what he should do?”
“Yes and no. With smart budgeting, the money you invest could take this company through the next seven years, giving him the opportunity to develop several apps and get some cash stashed away for the years ahead. That way he’d never again face what he faced this year.”
And she’d just passed phase one of the first real test of her abilities. He might have only hired her to fool his brothers into thinking he was getting help, but for some reason or another he really trusted her, and he’d decided to give her a shot at becoming his true apprentice. Still, it was one thing to run a florist shop, quite another to deal with high finance. Hence, the test. “Let me see your report.”
She handed him the papers on which she’d detailed figures.
“You’re saying he should keep salaries the same for seven years?”
“I’m saying he should be careful with raises and instead give bonuses based on performance.”
He sucked in a breath, stared at her across the expanse of his huge desk, suddenly seeing something else to consider if he really let her do the job he’d hired her to do. They needed a division between her working for him and their sex life. Not so much for him as for her. He could see her warming to him. Treating him better. If he didn’t give her a reason to hold a strict line, she was going to slip up one day. And if she did, or if she made a mistake and he fired her, he could be facing that sexual harassment suit after all. She might be sweet and nice—sometimes damned close to wonderful—she might have also made all the first moves in their romance, but if there was one thing he’d learned in life, it was trust no one.
“What do you say we make this your first project?”
“My project?”
He slid her report across the desk to her. “You have all the numbers. You have a strategy. Your next step is to call the CEO and tell him your plan for how our money should be spent. If he’s not on board, then we walk. If he is on board, I draw up papers, wire him the money, and this is your first company.”
She gasped. “I’d manage them?”
“You’d advise them. There’s a lot that works in this company. We don’t want to screw with that. Still, you’d be the one with the final say. Every important decision would have to go through you. But one word of advice. Don’t force the CEO out of the office of CEO. Just change the job description. Give all financial responsibility to his Chief Financial Officer. That way the CEO doesn’t lose face, but we free up his time for inventing.”
She lifted her report off his desk. “I’ll call him now.”
“Good. But also let them know you’ll be visiting next week.”
“I will?”
And this was the dividing line. When she stepped into the shoes of this job for real, she would travel. She wouldn’t be at his beck and call, and he wouldn’t be at hers. Their affair really would become an affair. Sex only when their schedules allowed it.
“Yes. They get the money Friday, but we also want to give them time to think about what it means to have an investor come in and take fifty percent of their baby. Give them time to realize they will be working for someone else, taking orders. Then go in as your pretty, sweet, smart self and show them it’s all about teamwork. Not just with each other but with us.”
Dumbstruck, she said, “Okay.”
Seeing her shock, he laughed. “Isabelle, I wouldn’t put you in charge if I didn’t have complete faith in you.”
“Thanks.”
“But there’s more to it than that.” He opened the top drawer and pulled out a document. “I really do need help.”
She inclined her head.
“My brothers believed I wouldn’t be able to actually delegate any of this work. They know that giving someone access and responsibilities usually isn’t my style. And to tell you the truth, it is tricky.”
“Tricky?”
“Yes. When you reach this level of management, it’s about more than producing flowers or making sure the books balance at the end of the night. There’s a high level of skill and an element of trust involved. I’m giving you control of a big chunk of money.” He slid the document across the desk. “Plus, you’re going to know things about us that no one else knows. So I drew this up. It’s an employment agreement.”
“Oh.”
“Basically, it says that you will keep everything you hear he
re absolutely confidential.”
Her brow furrowed. “You need an agreement for that?”
“This isn’t about trusting or not trusting a friend. This is a normal business protocol.”
She took a quick breath. “I know.”
He didn’t think she did. She might have heard about employment agreements in her MBA work, but he didn’t believe she had the clear picture he wanted her to have.
“Look, I had about thirty epiphanies yesterday. My mom’s getting married. My brothers have moved on. The job of managing this fortune is too big for one person. And you are capable.” He paused until she met his gaze. “I believe we can keep our business and personal lives separate. This agreement ensures that. But I also want to keep you. I don’t want you to feel that if we have a personal fight it’s going to ruin your employment with us. I also know you’re going to be great in this position, and if we fight, I wouldn’t want to lose you over that.”
Her somber face slowly brightened. “You really need me?”
“Yes.”
She smiled an odd smile that might have confused him, except he knew the idea of working for someone other than herself was new to her.
“And you think I can do this?”
“That’s the one thing I don’t doubt at all.”
She looked at the document then back up at him.
“And there’s one more reason to sign. Ultimately, as stated in the agreement, you’ll be getting a percentage of the profits.”
She gaped at him. “A percentage of all profits?”
“Of all the projects you manage. If you do a good job, in a few years you could have a very nice sum of money saved.” And she could grow accustomed to living a very comfortable life. If the thing between them soured, she might be sad or even mad, but she wouldn’t quit. And there’d be no risk of a sexual harassment suit. She’d be getting far more money from her job. “But for the next five years, you’re mine.”
Happy confusion washed over Isabelle. The presentation of the employee agreement on the same morning they’d awoken in bed together and kissed good morning, sweetly, like a couple, did give her pause. But she’d read case studies of companies that hadn’t had agreements with key employees and how they’d gotten screwed. That, she understood.
