Covet (22 page)

Andrew nodded. “It
will
be a very pleasant surprise for him, that’s for sure. We had actually discussed hiring an outside contractor to handle this project, so he’ll be quite pleased to realize it’s all taken care of. Thank you for your diligence, Tessa. I’m already convinced that my decision to hire you on here was definitely the right one.”

He left just as quickly as he arrived, not giving her an opportunity to reply, and she was just about to resume working on the spreadsheet currently displayed on her monitor when she glanced over at Shelby. The other girl was in tears, practically wringing her thin hands in despair, and Tessa took pity on her.

“Anything I can help with?” she asked gently.

Shelby shook her head. “N-n-no. It’s my fault, I know it is. I was in a hurry to meet my sister for lunch yesterday and didn’t check my work, just like Andrew said. I should know better, I guess.”

Tessa nodded sympathetically. “My former boss used to make me re-check everything I did three or four times, no matter how simple it was. It was a good lesson to learn.” She paused before offering, “If you’d like, I can look it over once you’re through making your updates. It never hurts to have a second pair of eyes.”

Shelby brightened some, wiping her eyes. “Really? I mean, I know you’ve got your hands full with all of those horrid spreadsheets. I don’t want to bother you.”

“Can one of the others look it over? Gina or Alicia maybe?”

Shelby snorted. “You’ve got to be kidding. Gina would just say it’s not her job, while Alicia would be mean enough to say everything was fine even if she caught a mistake.”

“I’ll be happy to give it a lookover then. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

Shelby smiled. “You’re really nice, Tessa. I’m glad Andrew hired you. And Mr. Gregson is going to like you a lot. Not just because you can do all of those fancy Excel functions he wants, but, well, you’re quiet and don’t gossip and work really hard. He’s the sort who admires all that.”

“I hope he’ll like me,” agreed Tessa. “I know Andrew was a little hesitant to give me this job because I don’t have a college degree or much experience. But I didn’t think any of us really had a lot to do with Mr. Gregson on a regular basis.”

“We don’t. Not really. But he’s the sort who never misses a trick, you know? When he looks at you, it’s like he knows everything about you. Kind of eerie in a way. But of course he’s so yummy that you never mind him looking your way, no matter what the reason.”

They both returned their focus to their respective projects then, but Tessa couldn’t help wondering for the remainder of the day if Shelby’s words would prove to be true. Would Mr. Gregson in fact like her and admire her work? Or would he concur with Andrew’s initial impression and think her too inexperienced to work at this level?

With a renewed focus, she attacked the next of the spreadsheets on the list, pleased to see that she now had fewer than ten to go.

It was already half an hour past her normal quitting time, and once again she was the only one remaining of the team still working. But as she began to shut down her computer, it was with a sense of tremendous satisfaction, since she had done the near-impossible and finished every single report update in time for Mr. Gregson’s return tomorrow morning.

She was tired, albeit pleasantly so, and as she gathered her things up she debated on whether she wanted to fit a workout in or simply head straight home. Tessa had been delighted to discover that there was an employee fitness room located three floors below the executive level, and that it was well equipped with various cardio machines, free weights, exercise balls, and other equipment. She’d already made use of the facilities several times, and had brought along a set of workout clothes with her this morning.

There was no reason for her to rush home, acknowledged Tessa glumly. Peter had left town three days ago, flying out to his first official assignment in Beijing and then Shanghai, and wouldn’t be back home for almost three weeks. She’d resolved to stay as busy as possible during his absence, knowing that it was something she was going to have to get used to quickly. Spending as little time as possible alone in the tiny apartment was one of her coping mechanisms, so as she made her way towards the elevators she decided to go ahead with her workout.

But she stopped short just prior to entering the elevator lobby, shuddering a bit as she overheard Jason Baldwin’s voice. Tessa quickly ducked behind the archway leading to the elevators so that he wouldn’t see her as he continued chatting on his cell phone. She waited nervously until she saw him step inside an elevator car, and then breathed a sign of relief as the doors closed behind him.

Even so, she waited another full minute before pressing the down button to call another car, not daring to take the chance of encountering the man. Almost from the first day she’d started working here, Mr. Baldwin had been giving her
very
interested looks and equally suggestive smiles. She grimaced now to recall how tightly he’d squeezed her hand when they had first been introduced, and how he had told her “It’s a great pleasure to have you here with us, Tessa. And it will be an even greater pleasure to work with you –
frequently
, I hope.”

The innuendo in his deliberately sexy voice had been unmistakable, even to someone as relatively naïve as Tessa, and she’d learned quickly to avoid him as much as possible. Her resolve had strengthened when Kevin had told her about Sarah – her predecessor – and how a seemingly innocent flirtation with Jason had evolved into outright harassment, and Sarah’s eventual transfer out of the corporate office.

“
So watch yourself around him, sweetie pie,” Kevin had cautioned. “Especially since you’re a whole lot prettier than Sarah was. A shark like Jason Baldwin would eat you up alive
.”

Tessa had frowned upon hearing what had happened to Sarah. “I don’t understand why Sarah was the one who had to leave. Didn’t she complain to HR or Mr. Gregson? I mean, it sounds like she had grounds to file a sexual harassment suit
.”

Kevin had shook his head. “Don’t you know? Jason is part of the Gregson family, at least through marriage. His father-in-law is Richard Gregson, the co-CEO of the company. No way is the old man going to have his grandkids’ daddy put out of a job. Rumor has it that this isn’t the first time the company bigwigs have swept this sort of thing under the table for lover boy Jason
.”

“
He’s a married man?” Tessa had been aghast. “And he flirts like that with all these women?
”

Kevin had assured her that she was far from the only attractive female in the office that Jason had targeted. He’d hit on both Alicia and Gina multiple times, but the two of them had been careful never to let things progress beyond a very mild flirtation. Kevin had gone on to share the conjecture that Jason slept off and on with Morgan Cottrell, in addition to other women here at the corporate offices
.

Kevin had laughed at her outrage. “Sweetie pie, I’ve really got to meet this husband of yours one day soon, because I’m not at all sure that you actually have one. You have got to be the most naïve married woman I’ve ever met. Yes, Jason is definitely married and has three kiddies. Doesn’t seem to stop him from hitting on most anything in a skirt and high heels, though. Too bad he doesn’t play for my team, ‘cause he is awfully cute. Reminds me of David Beckham, minus the tattoos. Though of course he still doesn’t hold a candle to the boss man. Then again, I can’t think of too many men who do
.”

The fitness room was nearly empty when she walked inside a few minutes later, occupied only by a couple of women who were using the elliptical trainers. Tessa headed for the Stairmaster, exchanging a polite smile with the other women as she did. She worked out for over an hour, switching over at some point to the stationary bike before using the free weights, slant board, and pull-up bar.

She’d always liked to exercise in some form or another, even though her mother had never been able to afford the various fees and equipment involved in playing organized sports like soccer or softball. Not to mention the fact that Gillian could never be counted on to actually pick Tessa up from practices or take her to games. From the time she had been a small girl, Tessa had more or less been responsible for getting herself to and from school, in addition to all of the other daily tasks she’d had to perform for herself.

At least she’d had the good fortune to attend some highly rated public schools over the years, all of which had offered excellent physical education classes and facilities. P.E. had always been one of her favorite classes, perhaps because it was one that she excelled at, and didn’t feel far behind all the other students in class. Whether it was swimming, tennis, basketball, modern dance, or running, Tessa had looked forward to her P.E. class every day.

Having this room at her disposal was a godsend, for there was no way she could have afforded a gym membership with the exceptionally tight budget she and Peter had set for themselves. She was extremely disciplined about working out, rarely missing a day. She planned to research hiking trails and walking paths in her new city so that she’d have someplace to walk or jog on weekends, and was hoping to find a yoga class that wasn’t too exorbitantly expensive.

She took a hot shower after her workout, reveling in the spacious, tiled stalls that were so much bigger and nicer than the ancient one at the apartment. She’d already discovered that the water pressure at their new place was almost nonexistent, and that the water temperature never got much above warm. The office even had dispensers of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel inside each stall, as well as thick, fluffy towels, and all of it was of a much higher quality than the stuff she had at home.

It was already twilight by the time she got off the bus a block away from the apartment, and she quickened her pace, remaining alert and aware of her surroundings as she did so. It was going to take some time, she realized with a sigh, to get used to her new city and how different it was from anywhere else she’d ever lived. In this neighborhood in particular there were people of numerous different ethnicities, both old and young, some who looked to be working people like herself or even students, but unfortunately quite a few who appeared to be either mentally unstable or vaguely threatening. Peter had cautioned her multiple times so far about not venturing out at night alone, and also about keeping their front door securely locked. The crime statistics in their neighborhood weren’t terrible, but they weren’t the best, either, and she resolved to exercise caution whenever she went out alone.

The apartment itself was dark and silent when she entered, little surprise considering that Peter was half a world away right now. He’d sent her a quick email when his plane had landed in China three days ago, but she hadn’t heard from him since. Tessa told herself it was just because he was so busy, that this was his very first assignment, and he was especially anxious to do a good job. They had already ruled out the possibility of calling each other during his trips, the expense more than they could afford, though Peter had promised to check out the cost of Skype for future trips.

She ate her solitary dinner – a chicken and broccoli casserole that had lasted her three nights already and would likely be enough for one more. Her cooking skills had improved by necessity over the years through a lot of trial and error, though making anything much more complicated than baked chicken or beef stew wasn’t in her repertoire quite yet. After cleaning up the kitchen, she watched TV for a bit, thankful that it was a weeknight with some good programs on the basic cable channels that were all they could afford.

But it was when one of the shows that she usually watched with Peter came on that the loneliness she’d held at bay all day swamped her. Tessa scolded herself, knowing she was being the worst sort of needy, insecure baby, and that she was being selfish for wishing that Peter was here with her right now. He’d already given up so much for her over the years, had postponed following his dreams in order for her to get the sort of job where she could support herself. She was happy for him, truly she was, and hoped that he was enjoying the experience of his first assignment. She would get over this, she decided firmly, wouldn’t let all of her old fears get the better of her. She was in her own apartment, locked in securely, and it wasn’t at all the same as being back in the shelters or sleeping in her car or living in fear that a social worker would pluck her away from Gillian and stick her in some awful foster home. She wasn’t going to give in to her fears, not to mention the depression that always seemed to be hovering in the background of her head.

When the show was over, she fixed her lunch for the next day – a turkey sandwich and an apple – and then began the more difficult task of deciding what to wear to work the next day. Tessa wanted to look extra nice given that she would likely be meeting the daunting Mr. Gregson for the first time. Not to mention the fact that just yesterday she’d overheard Gina mocking the simple cotton skirt and blouse she had been wearing, with Alicia pointing out that Tessa’s well-worn pumps were scuffed.