Oh Crumbs

by Kathryn Freeman

  ‘I asked where you were and someone said Teddy had asked you to sort out a problem with his room.’ The desire to sit next to her, to hug her slight frame against his, became almost overwhelming. He raked a hand through his hair and moved himself away from temptation, leaning against the door. ‘Immediately I sensed trouble. He’s got a reputation for preying on young ladies.’

  ‘Well, no surprise there. I guess it’s a relief to find out I’m not special.’

  ‘You are special.’ For a man who always thought carefully before speaking, the words slipped out far too easily.

  As her dark eyes widened his body tingled with an awareness he could no longer ignore. He found his personal assistant attractive. Not necessarily a bad thing, he reasoned. Since her arrival his working day had become a heck of a lot pleasanter. And it wasn’t like he was going to act on the feeling. God forbid he dragged a sweet, happy woman like Abby into his shitty life.

  The room still echoed with his words. You are special. ‘Everyone who works for me is special,’ he added hastily. Inaccurately. ‘Do you feel okay to come back down? The meeting’s almost over and I could do with you recording the last minutes.’ She hesitated and he smiled. ‘Teddy won’t be there, I promise.’

  Abby checked her face in the bathroom mirror for the second time, very aware that Doug was waiting for her outside. She looked, frankly, terrible. And that was despite washing her face with cold water and refreshing her make-up. Yet her handsome boss had told her she was special. A warm, mushy feeling settled in her stomach and it didn’t seem to matter that he’d hastily corrected his statement. The mushy feeling remained.

  Oh heavens, please don’t let her fall for her boss.

  There was a cough on the other side of the door. ‘Abby?’

  Taking a deep breath, she walked out. ‘I’m ready.’

  His eyes skimmed over her face. ‘Better.’

  He held the door open and Abby slipped out, her heart racing. Doug’s nearness, or the thought of bumping into Teddy again?

  They didn’t speak in the lift, though she was hyper aware of him: the warmth of his big body, the physical power she sensed beneath the polished suit. And heaven help her, he smelt as delicious as he looked – expensive, subtle. Sexy.

  The moment they opened the door to the meeting room the lively chatter stopped and all eyes turned their way. Abby felt acutely self-conscious as she walked to her chair. Did she look like she’d been groped? Or been crying?

  ‘Taylors have backed out of the deal,’ Doug announced baldly into the silent room. ‘Let the minutes state that Edward Taylor spoke to me directly during the break and told me he felt the price we were looking for was too high.’

  Shock shot through Abby. After all this, Taylors had backed out?

  ‘What do you mean, it’s off?’ Charles Faulkner shot a death stare first at his son, and then at her.

  Dread pooled in her stomach and Abby wanted to slink under the table. Please God, let this be nothing to do with her. How could it not be, though? And the way Faulkner senior was staring at her, as if he wanted to put his hands round her neck and squeeze really hard, he guessed she had something to do with it, too.

  Ignoring his father, Doug addressed the room. ‘This meeting is now officially over. Anyone with a room registered for tonight is welcome to stay and dine at our expense. I wish you a pleasant evening.’

  Charles hauled himself to his feet and stared darkly at his son. ‘You will stay right where you are. I’ve not finished with you.’

  Flinching at the harshness of his tone, Abby darted a glance at Doug. His face held a carefully blank expression, giving no hint as to the humiliation he must surely be feeling. How could his father talk down to him like that? In front of not just Crumbs employees, but Taylors, too.

  And it was all her fault.

  She tried to catch Doug’s eye to offer a silent apology but his attention was fixed on his father. Hurriedly she collected her things and began to follow the others out.

  ‘And where do you think you’re going, missy?’ Abby’s heart thumped as she turned to meet Charles’ glare.

  ‘Abby’s finished for the day,’ Doug cut in. ‘This is between you and me.’

  ‘Protecting your little floozy now, are you?’ he thundered at Doug. ‘You think I don’t know she must have had something to do with all this? One minute we’re about to start negotiations, the next the pair of you waltz in late and tell me the deal I’ve been nurturing for months is off. Oh, and Teddy is nowhere to be seen. What has that trollop done to screw this up?’

  Anger flashed through her and Abby’s hand twitched with the urge to slap Faulkner senior hard around the face. But Doug was speaking again.

  ‘I advise you to watch your language,’ he told his father coldly. ‘You’re embarrassing yourself. As for what Abby has done, she made the mistake of going to help a man who only wanted to get his grubby hands on her. I have no desire to negotiate with people like that.’

  ‘You believe the words of a jumped up secretary over a long time friend and businessman?’

  ‘I believe what I saw with my own eyes,’ Doug countered evenly. ‘You can disagree with my decision, go over my head as I know you want to, but be warned, I won’t let this drop. If you continue to work with Teddy, I’ll take this matter straight to the police.’

  Abby stifled a gasp. Oh God, this was all getting so out of hand. ‘I told you, I don’t want to cause any problems,’ she began, but Doug shook his head.

  ‘Teddy is the one who’s caused the problem.’ He glared at his father. ‘Are we done now?’

  Charles let out what Abby could only describe as a growl before swinging round and stalking out.

  As the door clicked shut and the adrenaline seeped from her system, Abby felt her knees tremble. ‘I’m such a stupid cow,’ she said, clinging to the table for support. ‘If I hadn’t been dumb enough to follow Teddy up to his room, none of this would have happened. You’d still have your deal. Your father wouldn’t be angry with you.’

  Doug glanced sideways at her. ‘He’s always angry with me.’

  ‘I’m starting to see that and I’m trying really, really hard not to ask you why. The trouble is, as well as being a stupid cow I’m also a nosey one, so the question might jump out anyway.’

  He dipped his head slightly, his bearing so very poised, so in control. ‘Consider me forewarned.’

  She shifted so her bum was resting on the table, supporting her jelly legs. ‘I’m still sorry I mucked up your deal. I expect deep down you’re pretty annoyed, aren’t you?’

  He didn’t reply, just shot her a gorgeously bemused look.

  She shook her head at him. ‘How on earth does anybody ever work out what you’re thinking?’

  He let slip a small sigh. ‘Right now I’m thinking I could do with a drink. Would you like to join me?’

  Her heart gave a huge thump. It’s casual, she told herself. A wind down after a long, crappy day. Still, it carried on thumping. ‘Yes.’ It came out like a whisper so she coughed and added a slightly louder, ‘Please.’

  For a few moments he stared down at her, the blue of his eyes swirling with a myriad of emotions she had no clue how to decipher. Then he raised a hand and gently touched her cheek. ‘Are you really okay, Abby? What that man did to you, I can’t bear to think about it.’

  It was the first time she’d seen any real emotion on his face and her heart began beating even harder. ‘He only had a quick grope. Nothing that hasn’t happened before.’

  For a split second Doug’s jaw tightened. ‘If he, or anyone else, ever tries that again, I want you to tell me.’

  ‘Why, are you going to beat them up?’

  She meant it as a joke. Of course this mild-mannered man wasn’t going to attack anyone, but his eyes flashed. ‘Something like that.’

  There was enough menace in his voice to make her wonder if his quiet demeanor was actually all an act. That beneath the outward calm lurked a far more turbulent perso
nality.

  They found a seat in a corner of the bar and Doug ordered a large whisky for them both. He’d been shocked when Abby had asked for one, but then he’d laughed at himself. As if he could possibly ever second guess what she was about to say, or do.

  When they were settled with their drinks he asked her the question that had been bothering him. ‘Are you enjoying the job so far?’

  ‘Of course.’ A small frown settled on her face. ‘Why, don’t I look happy?’

  ‘Looks can be deceptive. I’m aware that you’re over qualified for this role. I want to make sure you get out of it what you need.’

  She seemed to take in a breath, an unusual occurrence because in his experience she said what she wanted without pause or thought. ‘I’m just settling in, which is fine. In time though …’ Another hesitation. ‘… in time I’d like to get more involved. Only in the areas you think I can manage, obviously. I don’t want to muck up anything important.’

  The humour in her eyes tugged a smile from him. Usually he found it hard to smile. When talking to Abby, he seemed to find it hard not to. ‘I’ll bear that in mind.’ Taking a long sip of whisky he searched for another topic. ‘How is your family? No more sickness, I hope?’

  ‘No, we’re all good, thank you. Ellie’s up to all her usual tricks again. She’s the precocious one, which I guess comes from being spoilt because she’s the youngest. She was only one when Mum died, so she doesn’t remember her.’

  ‘It must have been really tough for you all, losing your mother so young. I’m sorry.’

  She shrugged, as if it was just one of those things, rather than the devastating, life defining trauma it must have been. ‘It was a long time ago now. We managed to get through it and mostly we’ve grown up okay.’

  ‘I’m guessing you’re the oldest?’

  ‘Yep, that’s me. Big sister and mother figure all rolled into one. Not that I’m much good at the mother part, or the big sister part sometimes, come to that. Still, you muddle through, don’t you? Work with what life throws at you and hope you come through the other side. In my case life threw me a curve ball when I lost Mum, but I have a dad and sisters I love to bits, and living through Mum’s death made us all a lot closer, so how can I complain?’

  Doug was mesmerised by her attitude. He was so bitter, but really, what had life done to him other than give him parents who didn’t care much? Nobody had died. He’d not had to struggle to bring his siblings up. He had a snazzy car, more money than he knew what to do with, a prestigious job. In most people’s eyes he was bloody lucky.

  ‘I think you’re amazing.’ When she looked like she was about to choke on the whisky she’d just swallowed, he amended his words. ‘What you’ve done is amazing. Being a mother figure to your siblings when you were only, what?’

  ‘Thirteen when Mum died, but please, I’m not amazing at all. Dad was around so it’s not like I had to do everything myself.’

  Considering that same father had left Abby in charge of collecting her sick sister from school last week, Doug had a feeling Abby did do most things herself. ‘You haven’t talked much about him. What does he do?’

  ‘He’s a mechanic and he owns a garage which demands a lot of his time, though we’re all used to that by now.’ Suddenly she stopped and eyed him suspiciously. ‘You’re good at this, aren’t you?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Asking lots of questions so you don’t have to answer any yourself.’

  ‘Ah.’

  She grinned playfully at him. ‘Yes, ahh.’

  ‘So this is where you’ve been hiding.’

  The hint of expensive perfume heralded Geraldine’s arrival before her words reached him.

  ‘We’re not hiding anywhere,’ he replied, annoyed that he sounded defensive. ‘Just enjoying a quiet drink.’

  ‘It looks very cosy.’ She deliberately looked from one whisky glass to the other. ‘I don’t remember you ever sharing a drink with your last PA. Joanne, wasn’t it?’

  He gave Geraldine a warning glance. ‘Don’t presume to know everything about me.’

  Reaching over, she gave his shoulder a proprietary pat. ‘Oh, I don’t. But I do know that what I have in mind for you back in my room is something you’ll enjoy.’ She whispered her room number into his ear and then glided away, her hips swaying provocatively.

  He was a single man, he reminded himself. Geraldine a single woman. He had nothing to feel ashamed of, and yet … and yet. A flush worked its way up his neck. He darted a quick glance at Abby, who was staring at Geraldine’s retreating back, all laughter gone from her face. He wanted to forget the interruption and carry on talking to her because she didn’t just intrigue him, she made him smile. The atmosphere had changed though, shifting from relaxed and easy to uncomfortable and awkward the moment Geraldine had come into view.

  ‘You can do a lot better,’ Abby said after a while, her eyes still fixed ahead, though Geraldine had long gone.

  His pulse tripped, but he had no answer to her softly spoken words. Was she simply speaking without thinking again, or was there a hidden meaning behind her statement?

  In one motion she swigged back her whisky and stood. ‘Well, I’d better go. I’ve a quiet room with a big television waiting for me. No sisters, no crying babies. I need to make the most of it.’ Finally her eyes swung to his. ‘Enjoy your evening.’

  Doug wanted to reach out and stop her. Tell her to spend the evening with him instead, but his hand remained firmly clenched round his glass. She was his employee. Warm and loving, where he was cold and bitter.

  Besides, he had enough on his plate with Geraldine.

  Long after Abby had left Doug remained at the bar, sipping at his whisky, trying to drum up the enthusiasm to knock on his lover’s door.

  Chapter Seven

  It was the end of April, and Abby had been at Crumbs for two months. It didn’t seem possible that time could zip by that quickly. She felt she had a pretty good handle on the processes and the people now. Well, most of the people. She still didn’t know much more about her boss than she had eight weeks ago. He was polite, considerate and … quiet. She’d worked with bosses who ranted and raged, and bosses who laughed and joked. Doug was simply – there. A handsome but distant face at his desk.

  He did listen though, and today she was due to present back to him on a project he’d given her, looking at updating the current packaging. That’s if she managed to get to work on time.

  She raced down the stairs and into the kitchen. After hurrying Ellie and Holly up, and almost tripping over the dog, she packed the computer she’d been working on last night into her briefcase.

  ‘You look tired, Abs,’ Mandy observed as she jiggled the weighty George on her hip. ‘What time did you get to bed last night?’

  ‘After the two phone calls and the midnight visit from Roger.’ Abby frowned at her sister. ‘What are you doing, giving that good for nothing waster the time of day?’

  ‘He’s George’s father. What do you expect me to do? I can’t just wipe him out of my life. He has rights.’

  ‘Only if he earns them,’ Abby countered. ‘The sole contribution Roger’s made to fatherhood so far is the donation of his DNA. Thankfully George was created from the good bits.’ She waggled her eyebrows at her nephew and he let out a gorgeous chuckle. Yes, the boy certainly had his father’s good looks and charm. Please God, let it be all they shared. Turning her eyes back to her sister, she noticed Mandy fussing with George’s sleep suit. ‘What’s wrong? What happened with Roger?’

  ‘Nothing. It’s cool.’ She blew a raspberry against George’s cheek, making him giggle again, then maneuvered him into his high chair. All the while avoiding Abby’s eyes.

  ‘You know I can read you like a book, don’t you, Mandy? Tell me what’s going on.’

  She heaved out a sigh. ‘Lately Roger’s been a bit … moody. I know he’s not good for me, that I should leave well alone, but it’s easier said than done. He’s been pestering to see me
and last night …’ She dropped a gentle kiss on her son’s head and lowered her voice. ‘I’m worried he’s got in with a bad crowd. When he came round last night he was wild eyed and out of it.’

  ‘All the more reason to keep well away from him.’

  ‘Says you, who’s never been in love.’

  Abby frowned, studying Mandy carefully. ‘And that’s what this is? Love?’

  Instantly Mandy shook her head. ‘Of course not. I’m not going to fall for a douchebag. I’m not totally stupid.’

  The way she chewed at her lip and wouldn’t hold her gaze told Abby something different though. ‘I don’t like the sound of this, Mandy. We need to tell Dad about it tonight. Meanwhile I want you to promise you won’t open the door to Roger if you’re by yourself.’

  Mandy let out a snort of dismissal. ‘Come on, Abs, I can take care of myself.’ She eyed the clock on the wall. ‘Isn’t it time you were going to work, anyway? You spent most of the night putting that stuff together. Better make sure you’re there when your boss wants to see it.’

  Abby was torn, the sister in her wanting to talk more but the professional needing to leave. ‘We’ll catch up later,’ she promised.

  She had one foot out of the door when Mandy called her back. ‘Hey, wait a minute.’ Mandy ran after her, clutching at a slightly forlorn looking plant in a bright yellow pot. ‘We bought this a few weeks ago but totally forgot to give it to you, which is why it’s looking so sad. The girls wanted you to have something for your desk. Sally chose a plant, because she said it would give off oxygen which would help you concentrate. Plus she knows how obsessed you are with the pots outside the house. Holly chose yellow because it looked happy and Ellie picked a Peace Lily because she said it would remind you of her. I think she was being funny. Oh, and I paid for it.’

  Unbelievably touched, Abby stroked the slightly drooping leaves. ‘It’s lovely, thank you.’ She started to laugh but the emotion clogged at her throat and the sound came out strangled. ‘I’ll think of you all every time I look at it.’