Unable to resist finding out what was behind the call, she broke down and answered. “Hello.” She tried to hide the displeasure in her voice, but failed.
“Emma! Hey, this is Tim.”
“I know.”
“Do you have a second to chat?”
Emma sighed. “Not really, Tim. I’ve got an interview with Sandlin-Kline Financials first thing in the morning. I’ve got to pick up my suits from the cleaners before they close,” she lied. She hadn’t even submitted her résumé anywhere yet. She wasn’t about to let Tim know that, though.
“Well, then I’ll be brief, Emma. The truth of the matter is that I think I acted prematurely the other day in firing you. I was upset about being left out of the loop and I came down too hard. I shouldn’t have let you go for that.”
Emma slowly lowered herself down onto her living room sofa. Was Tim apologizing? Tim never apologized. There was something fishy about this. “I’m glad you recognize that,” she said. She wasn’t about to read any more into it, though. She hadn’t known of a single person cut from the company that ever returned.
“Things have been pretty chaotic the last few days. I think I underestimated how much work you actually managed here. There’s no way we can handle this workload without you. I know I’ve made a terrible mistake. I’d like you to come back, Emma.”
Her jaw dropped silently as she tried to absorb the information. He was giving her the chance to come back. “Are you serious?”
“I am. I really shouldn’t have blamed you for Flynn’s actions. There’s no way you could’ve known what he was doing. He’s a very charismatic and persuasive man. You did everything I’d asked you to do.”
Emma paused. This didn’t sound like the manager she knew. “Tim, did Jonah talk you into giving me my job back?”
There was a long silence on the line.
“Tim,” she pressed. “Did Jonah Flynn call you and tell you to give me my job back?”
Tim sighed heavily. “He did. He came into the office in person this morning. He explained about the kidnapping and how the management at Game Town wasn’t holding FlynnSoft accountable.”
“Kidnapping?” Emma was suddenly very lost. “What kidnapping?”
“Flynn’s nephew. That’s what the three million was for. Did he not tell you that? Anyway, he said the whole situation was entirely his fault, that he pressured you into going along with it and that I was a damn fool if I let you go.”
“A damn fool?” All she could do was repeat what Tim was saying because she couldn’t grasp the conversation at all. Jonah’s nephew was kidnapped? What nephew?
“Yes, that’s a direct quote. And since I am not a damn fool, I decided I needed to call and ask you to come back. What do you say, Emma?”
She didn’t know what to say. The fact that Jonah had gone to Tim and stood up for her was amazing. And unexpected. She hadn’t heard a word from him since he left her apartment. After throwing him out like that she didn’t really expect to hear from him until it was time for the baby to be born. He hadn’t had to do this for her. And yet he had.
Perhaps he’d meant what he said that day.
Emma had been too upset in the moment to really listen to his protests. As far as she was concerned it was all just excuses to cover up the fact that he’d been caught. But if he’d really been sincere once he knew who she really was... If he really truly cared about her and their baby... He probably thought she wouldn’t believe him, so he did what he could to at least undo the damage he’d caused.
Jonah knew this was important to her. But the job and her reputation suddenly weren’t as important as they used to be. In that moment, they shifted to a distant second to the future of her family. Her future with Jonah.
“Emma?”
“What?” She realized she wasn’t listening to her phone conversation like she should.
“Will you come back?” Tim repeated.
Emma thought about it for a few moments, but she already knew her answer. “No thank you, Tim. I appreciate the offer, but I think it’s time for me to move on to other things. Good luck to you. Goodbye.”
She hit the button, disconnecting the call before she could lose her nerve. And she did almost instantly. The second she dropped the phone on the couch beside her, she felt the panic well up inside of her. She’d just turned down her job. It frustrated her, but it was a good job. It paid well. What the hell was she thinking?
Was she thinking she didn’t need it because Jonah loved her and wanted her back? If that was the case, she’d just taken a huge gamble. He may have only been trying to be nice. Or to put things to rights. And she’d tossed that gift back in his face. Now what was she going to do?
The chime of her doorbell drew her attention from her worries. What was the point of being in a building with a doorman when people could just trot up to her apartment unannounced? Who could it be, now? People just seemed unwilling to take the hint. She approached the door cautiously and peered out the peephole.
It was Lucy and Harper. As expected.
“What do you want?” Emma shouted through the closed door.
“What do we want?” Harper repeated. “It’s Tuesday at seven, Em. What do you think we want?”
“I’ve called three times today, Emma,” Lucy chimed in. “If you’d answer your phone this wouldn’t be a surprise. It’s girls’ night!”
Shoot. Emma had totally and completely forgotten about girls’ night. With a groan, she unlocked the door and pulled it open. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve lost track of the days, apparently.”
Harper’s appraising gaze ran over Emma’s sloppy bun, oversize T-shirt and Eeyore pajama pants. “I can see that. Lucky for you, Lucy picked up everything for dinner tonight, so we won’t starve.”
Emma stepped back to let them in the apartment. “I don’t know if I feel up to this tonight, you guys.”
“Well, too bad,” Lucy quipped. “Alice refuses to pay for cable despite her millions in the bank, so I don’t get this channel at my place. I need to know what happens this week on our show. So I’m not leaving.”
Lucy and Harper pushed past her and started setting up in her kitchen. Apparently this was happening whether she wanted it to or not.
“I’ll go clean up a bit while you guys are getting dinner ready.” Emma cruised through the living room, quickly snatching up tearstained tissues and empty snack cartons, and tossing them in the trash before she headed to the bathroom. She opted for a quick shower. By the time she emerged about fifteen minutes later, she felt a little more human and dinner was ready.
They gathered in the living room as they always did. This time, they each had plates of Greek food from a restaurant down the block from Lucy’s place. Emma took a few big bites, savoring the first real food she’d eaten in days. It was so good it took her a moment to notice the other girls were looking at her with expectation on their faces.
“Where is Violet?” Emma asked, hoping to shift the discussion away from her for the moment.
“She’s been MIA the last couple of days,” Harper explained.
“I think she and Beau had another blowup,” Lucy added. Violet had been dating an investment banker named Beau on and off for the last three years. “Who knows with those two? What’s more important is what’s going on with you and Jonah?” Lucy asked.
Emma told them about the phone call and how she’d just turned down the job offer from Tim. Lucy looked as stunned as Emma felt, but Harper seemed pleased by her reckless decision.
“Good girl,” Harper said. “Tim deserves to suffer for turning on you like that. I bet he’s up to his ears in your work right now.”
Emma wasn’t quite as convinced. “You think it was the right thing to do? I wish I was that certain. I mean, what the hell am I going to do now? I’ve got to work.”
Harper nodded with a wicked glint in her eyes that made Emma uneasy. “Of course you have to work. And I have the perfect job in mind for you.”
Twelve
Jonah eyed the tiny Tiffany blue box on his desk. Today was the day. He’d made things right with Tim and hopefully Emma had gotten her job back. He’d talked to Carl Bailey at Game Town and Noah had been right—things were smoothed out there. All the broken pieces from the last week had been glued back together except for one.
Tonight, when Emma got home from work, he was going to her apartment. He would beg her forgiveness, swear his love for her and their baby, and then present her with the shiny two-and-a-half-karat Soleste emerald cut ring set in platinum that he’d picked up on Fifth Avenue yesterday evening. He would ask her to marry him—the Big Move as Noah had suggested—and hopefully, the last piece would fall into place.
Hell, he’d even worn a suit and a tie for the occasion. A classic, black Armani suit with a green silk tie that reminded him of her eyes. Every employee he passed in the hallway made a joke about him having a job interview somewhere today, as though he didn’t own the place.
A soft knock at the door caught his attention. Jonah snapped the box closed and scooped it off the desk and into his pocket. “Come in,” he replied.
Pam stuck her head into the room. “I’ve got the stack of résumés for your interviews today.”
Jonah had forgotten about that. He’d agreed to interview a few candidates for the financial director position. His human resources team had already narrowed it down to the top three candidates for him to talk to today. Fine. Whatever. If they could keep his brother from stealing from him again, they were hired.
Pam carried the papers into his office and set them down on the blotter. “Today is the big day, isn’t it?”
Jonah nodded. Pam always knew his business because she made his business possible. She’d called Tiffany’s and set up a private, after-hours appointment to select a ring. She’d made sure a car picked him up on time so he didn’t miss it. She was the one who saw to it that his suit went to the cleaners so he’d have it to wear today. She was pleased as punch to be part of such a big moment for her boss.
“She’s going to love it,” Pam insisted. “Don’t be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous,” Jonah said with a smile, but Pam didn’t seem to buy it.
“Of course you’re not. You’ve just got to keep it together through a couple of interviews and you’ll be fine. The first candidate should be here at ten.”
Jonah looked down at his watch. He had about ten minutes. Just enough time to scan the résumé, finish his coffee and think up a couple of intelligent-sounding questions for the interview. He hated doing this kind of stuff. Hiring smart, capable people was his goal. It was also his goal to do so well at that, that the smart, capable people could handle hiring more smart, capable people without him.
This was a director-level position, though. After the minor scandal with Noah, he needed to be really cautious about who he chose to head up the finance department. He needed Carl and any other CEO who might want to work with FlynnSoft to be completely confident in their decision.
With a sigh of resignation, Jonah took a big sip of his coffee and picked up the first résumé. As his eyes scanned the top, the coffee spewed from his mouth, coating the paper in mocha speckles.
Emma Dempsey.
Jonah reached for a napkin and wiped up the coffee, dabbing her résumé carefully so he could still read it. Never in a million years did he expect her to actually apply for this job. He’d offered it to her more than once and she’d turned him down. Of course, now the Game Town audit was over, maybe she felt freer to make that decision.
He tried to scan over her qualifications and education, but the only thought that kept running through his mind was that Emma was going to be here. In his office. In five minutes. He had her engagement ring in his pocket. Could he hold on to it for the entire interview and not give it to her? Play it cool?
Yeah, no. He was pretty certain he wouldn’t make it through the meeting playing the coy interviewer and interviewee.
How was it that no one mentioned Emma applying before now? Someone had to have known. At the very least, Pam. Perhaps that was behind the twinkle in her eye earlier. He’d thought she was just excited about colluding over the engagement, but perhaps she knew something he didn’t.
Another knock sounded at the door. It was exactly 10:00 a.m. and that meant she was here. “Come in,” he repeated, and stood up at his desk.
Pam pushed the door open with a devious grin and behind her was Emma. At least it looked a bit like Emma, but not in any way he’d ever seen her at the office before. The stuffy suit and severe hair bun were gone. Her hair was down in loose brown waves around her face like it had been on their date. She was wearing a pair of dark denim skinny jeans with comfy-looking ballet flats and a T-shirt with a navy corduroy blazer over it.
It was the perfect mix of dress and casual, as though Emma had merged her style with his and finally found her niche here at FlynnSoft.
It looked good on her. Amazing. It made him want to reach out and stroke the waves of her hair between his fingertips. But he knew better. First and foremost, this was an interview and even if she had forgiven him, Emma would want to keep things professional.
“Jonah, this is your first applicant, Emma Dempsey.” Pam grinned and disappeared from the office as quickly as she could manage.
He smiled and reached out his hand to greet her properly. “Hello, Miss Dempsey.”
“Call me Emma, please,” she said with a soft, knowing smile as she shook his hand.
It took everything he had for Jonah to let her go, but he had to. “Please have a seat,” he said, indicating the guest chair she’d sat in many times before.
Once they were settled, Jonah picked up her résumé and tried to think of something intelligent to say. He decided to continue as though they’d never met before and start with his basic opening question for any interview. “So. Emma, please tell me a little about why you want to work here at FlynnSoft.”
Normally, this question would help him pinpoint whether or not the applicant had the same core values as most FlynnSoft employees. A love of gaming and graphic design, joy for their work, hell, even an interest in free coffee was worth a mention. People who appreciated his workplace innovations before they even started would be much happier and more productive employees later on.
“Well,” Emma began, “I recently had an opportunity to work with some of the FlynnSoft family as part of an audit I conducted for my previous position. It was not at all what I was used to in a corporate environment, but after I adjusted, I really learned to appreciate what FlynnSoft offers their employees.”
“And what is that?”
“Freedom to work at their own pace on projects that excite them. All the tools they need—traditional or otherwise—to get their jobs done. Time and amenities to recharge and maintain their enthusiasm for their work. Also, an owner and CEO that truly cares for his staff. At first I thought he was all about the money, but I realized that so much of what motivated him was the success of his company for the benefit of the employees that depended on him.”
“So you understand that despite how things might look, he was just trying to protect them?” he asked.
Emma nodded.
“And you realize that he would never deliberately hurt one of his employees, even if they were just on a temporary assignment?”
Emma looked at him with her big green eyes and he was happy to see no hurt hiding there. “Yes. I can see that now. At first, it was hard to believe, but I’ve had a little time to think about it and I’ve really come to appreciate what he was willing to do.”
She understood why he did what he did. Jonah wanted to sigh loudly in relief and thank his lucky stars, but
he wouldn’t. Not yet. “Okay, great answer. Now, what skills and experience do you have that would be an asset to FlynnSoft if we were to bring you on board?”
At this question, Emma grinned. “Well, I am very structured and organized. I like to keep things professional in the workplace, but I also know when to let my hair down. I think that with my experience, I am the perfect candidate to keep not only the FlynnSoft financial department in line, but to keep the CEO himself in line, as well.”
“Oh really?” Jonah’s brows rose in curiosity. Now things were getting interesting.
“Yes. He has some weaknesses that I can exploit when necessary to keep things on track.”
“What kind of weaknesses?” Jonah asked.
Emma’s soft pink lips curled into a smile. “Me, for one thing. I happen to know that the CEO has a soft spot where I’m concerned.”
Jonah leaned forward onto his elbows, getting as close to her as he could with the massive furniture between them. “That’s true. You could probably negotiate an amazing benefits package with that kind of leverage.”
“I’m mostly interested in maternity leave,” Emma responded. “Flexible schedules and telecommuting are always good with little ones, as well. If my office was big enough, I would also like to be able to bring my daughter in to work with me.”
Jonah opened his mouth to respond, but found there were no words. He had been following along until suddenly—wham! Did she just say daughter? They were having a girl? How could she know so soon?
Emma reached into her portfolio and slid a grainy black-and-white photo across the desk to him. He’d seen normal ultrasound pictures before, but this one had amazing detail.
“I had a 3-D ultrasound done yesterday. Fourteen weeks is still a little early to be absolutely sure, but the technician was very confident that I, we, are having a little girl.”
Little Secrets--Secretly Pregnant Page 15
