Baiting the Boss (15 page)

As the first guests began to trickle into the ballroom, Grace made herself stand up, but her legs felt shaky and her stomach bilious. The ramifications of what she’d just done began to sink in. She’d lost her job, the job she’d had for more than three years, the job she’d thought was secure for as long as she wanted it. Sure, she hadn’t been too thrilled to be stuck in the slow lane, but that was infinitely preferable to being tossed on the roadside. What if she didn’t land another job soon? What would she do then? Suddenly all the foundations of her life were rocking on quicksand.

She forced herself to walk forward, to concentrate on the outstanding tasks at hand. If Lachlan had effectively fired her, did she still have to remain here at the ball? Maybe she should drop everything and go home. Louisa would have a fit, and the ball would descend into shambles. Served them right, too. But she couldn’t abandon her post. She was too boringly conscientious.

She busied herself ticking names off lists and showing people to their tables. She’d just returned from the bar with a bottle of organic wine someone had requested when she spied Jack standing in the center of the ballroom, surrounded by a crowd of elegantly dressed guests. The sight of him, dark and captivating in a tailored black tuxedo, brought her to a sharp halt. As she stood there, he turned, as if he felt her scrutiny, and the glint in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine. It felt like weeks since she’d last seen him. She’d missed him, and it was all she could do not to run up to him and fling her arms around his neck.

He walked toward her, his gaze taking in her flowing chiffon and her softly curling hair. “You look beautiful,” he said with something almost like awe in his tone. “Red suits you.”

“Thank you.” She felt herself coloring, taken aback and thrilled by his admiration. She studied him, appreciating the contrast between his deep tan and the snowy whiteness of his shirt. The tuxedo highlighted his rugged good looks to aching perfection. “You look wonderful, too. I’ve never seen you in a tux before.”

“It’s not my preferred attire.” He cocked his head toward Lachlan, who was standing apart from the crowd with shoulders hunched, a ponderous scowl weighing down his forehead. “Any idea what’s got into my grandfather? He’s been snapping at everyone since I arrived.”

“I’m afraid it must be my fault. I know it’s not the appropriate occasion, but before the ball I had a talk with Lachlan about my job. I told him I wasn’t happy and, well, the upshot is he wants my resignation tomorrow morning.”

Jack inhaled sharply. “What? You mean he’s fired you?”

Several people turned their heads at Jack’s explosive tone. Glancing around impatiently, he took her by the elbow and steered her to a less crowded part of the ballroom. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

“There’s not much more to tell. I should have known it wasn’t the right time to broach the subject but, to be honest, your aunt was driving me batty, and I was at the end of my tether, so I was less than tactful. Lachlan feels betrayed. He thinks I should have brought my complaints to him sooner, and he thinks I’ve been sneaky in looking for a job behind his back. I tried to set him straight, but once his blood is up, he won’t listen.” She blew out a sigh. “So now I’m out of a job.”

“No, you’re not. Lachlan will calm down and realize he’s acted rashly.”

“In your case it took him three years, didn’t it?”

Jack clamped his jaw hard. “He can’t treat you like this. I’ll talk to him.”

“No,” she jumped in. “I shouldn’t have told you in the first place. This is something I have to deal with myself.” She hesitated a moment before adding, “Besides, you’re flying out tomorrow. After all the effort you’ve gone to with him, I don’t want you leaving your grandfather on a sour note.”

A muscle in his taut jaw flexed in and out. He didn’t stop staring at her. It seemed he was struggling with himself, as if he wanted to say something to her but couldn’t decide if he should.

Before he could speak, a thin woman dripping with diamonds pushed between them. “Excuse me, but is that the wine you were supposed to fetch me?” she asked Grace querulously.

Grace glanced at the forgotten bottle still clutched in her hands and silently handed it to the woman. The ballroom was getting more crowded by the minute, and people were milling about as they searched for their places.

“I’d better go and help people find their tables.” She turned to leave.

“We’ll talk later.” His chin was set, and he looked austerely unflinching.

…

Jack bided his time. He waited through the dinner and the speeches, all the while simmering beneath the surface. He conversed with people and responded to questions, but didn’t remember what he’d said or who he’d spoken to. Eventually, his grandfather got up to visit the restroom, and Jack followed him, waiting outside the ballroom until Lachlan returned a few minutes later.

“We have to talk,” he said as soon as Lachlan was within earshot.

“Business?”

“Yes.”

He led his grandfather down to the hotel lobby and found a couple of armchairs in a quiet corner. A dogged tenacity had settled over him, and Lachlan seemed to sense this as he took a seat.

“I take it from your expression you haven’t had a sudden change of heart about rejoining?” Lachlan asked.

Jack shook his head. “I want to know why the hell you fired Grace.”

“Humpf. So she’s already gone bleating to you, has she? Those rumors about you two must be right, then.”

Jack gouged his fingers into the arms of his chair.
“What?”

“Oh, come on. You think I don’t hear the gossip around the watercoolers? You two are having some kind of affair. You know I don’t approve of office shenanigans. It’s bad for employee morale, and worse than that, you’ve stirred Grace up, making her think she’s been hard done by in her job, and now you’re moaning because I called her bluff.”

Jack’s head pounded under his explosive anger. He didn’t know which aspect of his grandfather’s words offended him most.

“Grace
is
hard done by, and she’s come to that conclusion all by herself. But you’re too wrapped up in yourself to listen to her. All these years you’ve taken her for granted, but she deserves better. And she sure as hell doesn’t deserve to be given the sack just because she’s said she’s unhappy with her job!”

“She went behind my back. She let me down.” Lachlan barked out the words, radiating pugnacious arrogance.

“You’re sacking her for
thinking
of leaving.” Anger twisted through him, anger and deep disappointment, too. Tomorrow he was leaving, and he’d wanted to part with his grandfather in amity, but how could he feel benevolent toward such a vindictive autocrat? “Even though you’re domineering and dictatorial, I always believed that you were essentially a fair and decent man, but now I know better. You don’t deserve someone like Grace.”

And neither did he. Like his grandfather, he had used Grace selfishly, conveniently forgetting her needs while satisfying his own. He stood up, bitterness souring the back of his mouth.

“Wait.” Lachlan shot to his feet. Something akin to alarm flickered through his bloodshot eyes. “Don’t go. Not yet.”

Jack paused, halted by the rare hesitancy in his grandfather. “What is it?”

Lachlan shuffled his feet and studied the patterned carpet. “You’re right. I behaved badly toward Grace.”

“Damn right you did,” Jack couldn’t help growling out. “You behaved appallingly. You were a complete bully.”

“Okay, okay. No need to rub it in. I’ll, er, apologize to Grace.”

In all his years Jack had never seen his grandfather so repentant, but it wasn’t enough. Not this time. “That’d be a start.”

Lachlan pulled on his lower lip, visibly reluctant. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do about giving her different duties, but I’m not sure what, and it’ll be a blow not having her to rely on.”

Jack shook his head slowly. “You don’t even realize what an asset Grace is. She’s far too talented to remain as your gofer.”

“You know that for a fact, do you?”

“I do. In fact, I think you should offer her a position in the Macintyre Foundation. She has some great ideas about philanthropic work, and she’d make an excellent program manager.”

“Humpf,” his grandfather grunted, still stubbornly contrarian. “I’ll think about it.”

“Don’t take too long, or she’ll be snapped up by someone else.”

“Ah, jeez.” Lachlan tugged at his earlobe. “First you, now Grace. It feels as if everyone’s deserting me.”

Jack held his silence, bracing himself for another bout of haranguing and emotional blackmail, but it didn’t come.

“Sit down, won’t you.” His grandfather waved him back into his chair. “There’s something I want to say to you.”

Lachlan waited until they were both seated. For several moments he kneaded his age-knotted hands in silence. When he spoke, his voice was unsteady and unrecognizable. “I want you to know that I accept and understand your reasons for not coming back to Macintyre’s. I know I’ve harassed and pestered you ever since you came back, and that hasn’t been fair to you. I apologize for that.”

Jack sat up, his eyes widening. “Granddad, I expected you to harass and pester me, so you don’t have to apologize.”

“No, I do. I’m a cantankerous bastard, but you’re one of the few people really able to stand up to me.” His voice quavered as he reached out and clamped Jack’s arm. “Boy, I want you to know that I’m proud of you. Very proud.”

Jack drew back as a wave of amazement hit. Proud of him? This was the first time he’d ever heard that from his grandfather.

“I’m proud of you believing in yourself and going your own way,” Lachlan continued. “That takes a lot of guts. I just hope it won’t be another three years before I see you again.”

Emotion rushed through Jack. He felt as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. “Thank you,” he managed to say.

“And another thing. About the way I told you to get back to work after Becky died, that was wrong of me. You see, after your grandma died, and after your mum and dad died, that was how I coped. Work saved me, but I shouldn’t have tried to force the same thing on you. I’m sorry.”

“That…that’s okay, Granddad,” Jack choked out.

Lachlan shuffled to his feet. “Well…that’s all I wanted to say.”

Overwhelmed, Jack stood and put his arms around his grandfather, who hesitated before reciprocating. It was an awkward embrace. They slapped each other on the back, then broke apart with an embarrassed laugh, both pretending there was dust in their eyes.

“You should come and visit me sometime,” Jack said, his voice still gruff. “You’ll enjoy it there.” The thought of Filemu Island was bittersweet. Would he be able to regain the calm he’d once enjoyed there, or would he forever be haunted by memories of Grace?

“I’d like that.” Lachlan scratched his chin and examined his shoes.

They took another minute to straighten their jackets and gather their thoughts. A curious tenderness for his grandfather welled up in Jack. Lachlan had taken him in when his parents had died, and had looked after him as best he could. He’d been curmudgeonly and dour, and in all the years he’d never told Jack he loved him, but what he’d just said was tantamount to the same thing. Somehow it made all their past arguments not so gut-wrenching.

“I’ll go straight in and talk to Grace,” Lachlan said as they approached the ballroom.

“You were wrong about me and Grace having an affair,” Jack blurted out.

His grandfather halted. “You’re not?”

“We like each other but…no. I’m just passing through, and Grace isn’t the type for a casual fling.” He made himself stop, wondering why he was confessing so much to his grandfather.

“Well, it’s a pity. I think you two would make a fine couple.” As Jack’s head jerked up, Lachlan raised his hands. “But I’m not one to give advice on romantic relationships, so I’ll shut up on the subject.”

The door to the ballroom swung open, letting out a blast of noise as several people stepped out, laughing and chatting loudly. Jack followed his grandfather back into the ballroom.

The charity auction was in full swing, and Grace was occupied assisting the emcee and the celebrity auctioneer. Jack sat down with his grandfather, and they both waited for the auction to end. As soon as the last item was sold, Lachlan approached Grace and drew her aside. The band began to play, and people surged onto the dance floor, obscuring Jack’s vision. He started to push his way through the throng. All night he’d caught tantalizing glimpses of Grace’s red-clad figure, and now, after his confrontation with his grandfather, his thirst to be with her became insatiable.

The crowd thinned, and he saw her standing alone. Again his innards jolted at the sight of her. The red dress she wore flowed like water over her body, curving over her rounded breasts, clinging to her trim belly, and cascading past her hips and thighs. Soft amber waves of hair fell around her shoulders, framing her pensive face. Her solemn expression brought him up short. What had happened to that luminous, unforgettable smile of hers? He hadn’t seen it in ages, he realized.

“Has Lachlan spoken with you?” he asked as soon as he was within earshot.

She nodded, looking stunned. “He apologized to me. Can you believe that?” Her expression turned dry. “I suppose you told him to, even though I asked you not to interfere.”

“I can’t stand by if something immoral happens.”

Her expression grew concerned. “I hope you two didn’t argue over me.”

“On the contrary. In fact, we’re much better friends now.”

“I’m so glad.” She drew in a breath. “Lachlan offered me the position of program manager at the foundation. Or, if I didn’t want that, a transfer to whatever position in the company that I’m qualified for.”

“And?”

“I told him I’d think about it.”

He rocked back on his heels and let out a low whistle. “So you’re learning how to play hardball now.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “I don’t know about that, but I do need time to think about it.” She picked up a wrap from a nearby chair and drew it around her shoulders. “Thank you, Jack, for everything you’ve done. I’m glad you’ve made peace with your grandfather, and—and I wish you all of the best in the future.”