Covet (44 page)

Fortunately, she had way too much work to get through this morning to dwell any further on either her disturbingly vivid dream from last night, or the looming emptiness of her life. She barely glanced up as each of her co-workers arrived, just long enough to give them a quick nod or brief smile before resuming her work. Before she knew it, the caterers were arriving with the food and beverage service for the meeting, signaling that it was time for her to start setting up.

Tessa enjoyed these twice monthly meetings with Nathan, Julia, and other staff from their office. She found it fascinating to see the brand new resort taking shape literally from the ground up, and was especially interested in Julia’s fabulously detailed sketches of what the various rooms and public spaces would look like.

She also liked Julia very much, and had struck up something of a casual friendship with the bubbly interior designer over the past few months. Julia was always kind to her, always pleasant, and went out of her way to spend a few minutes chatting at each meeting. And Julia had been in an especially happy mood as of late, as had Nathan, since the two of them were now officially a couple. Tessa didn’t know all of the story, had just heard little snippets here and there, but from what she’d surmised Nathan had broken off his engagement back in June after realizing that Julia was the woman he really wanted. And though they tried to be discreet, there was no mistaking the way they smiled at each other, or how proprietary Nathan seemed of her. Gone was the somewhat antagonistic attitude they’d initially exhibited around each other, replaced by the very obvious fact that they were head over heels in love.

Julia and the others had been running a couple of minutes late, so Tessa hadn’t had the opportunity to say hello to her before the start of the meeting. But Julia made a beeline for Tessa as soon as things wrapped up, greeting her with a happy smile.

“How are you, Tessa? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you here. I missed the last meeting due to an overlapping client appointment,” explained Julia.

“I’m well, thank you. I’d ask how you’re doing but I think that’s fairly obvious,” Tessa replied in a lightly teasing tone.

Julia’s smile deepened into a grin. “And here I thought Nathan and I were being discreet. I guess I just can’t help the way I look at him.”

“You’re in love. I don’t blame you for being happy. And Mr. Atwood is obviously just as crazy about you,” Tessa told her warmly.

Julia seemed inordinately pleased at Tessa’s comment. “Well, it took him long enough to admit it, but now that he has it’s awesome. It’s – well, you know how it is – you’re a married woman, after all.”

Tessa knew her visible reaction to Julia’s innocent observation must have been a dead giveaway, because Julia instantly clutched her arm in concern.

“Are you all right?” she asked worriedly. “My God, you look like you’re going to faint, Tessa.”

Tessa closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before shaking her head. “I’m – okay, yes. Thanks for asking. I’d, um – better finish cleaning up here, though. I need to get back to my desk soon.”

But Julia wasn’t so easily dissuaded. “I’m so sorry if I said anything to upset you. Look, do you want to talk about it? Why don’t we have lunch together? What time do you normally take your break?”

“Um, at one o’clock. But I – that is, I always bring my lunch every day. I don’t think –” stammered Tessa. It would be too humiliating to confess that she couldn’t afford to eat lunch out.

Julia seemed to sense her dilemma and laid a small, gentle hand on Tessa’s forearm. “My treat. There’s a cute little café about a block from here that I love. Nathan thinks it’s too fussy and never wants to eat there with me. But they have really yummy desserts so you’d be doing me a huge favor if you’d go with me.”

Tessa hesitated, not at all convinced that Julia wasn’t just feeling sorry for her. It had to be quite obvious to the always beautifully dressed designer – with her chic sheath dresses, sexy high heels, and perfectly coordinated accessories – that Tessa wasn’t exactly in the same sort of financial circumstances. Her own clothes were very plain and inexpensive, and someone who had an eye for fashion like Julia did would have been sure to pick up on that fact. The navy pencil skirt and simple navy pumps were both items she wore often, though the pretty yellow blouse with the ruffle down the front was new. It had been an impulse buy a couple of weeks ago – a futile attempt to cheer herself up. Fortunately the blouse had cost less than ten dollars on a clearance rack at Forever 21.

“I don’t know,” she demurred, looking down at her shoes. “I do have a lot of work to do.”

“Do you want me to clear it with Andrew?” offered Julia. “He doesn’t scare me in the least, you know, even though everyone else around here seems to be terrified of him.”

Tessa gave a little laugh, probably the first time she’d done so in a month. “Andrew’s not so bad. He just has high expectations. The first manager I had when I joined the company was much worse than he was. And – no, I don’t need to check with him. I’d like to have lunch with you, thanks. Where should I meet you?”

Julia beamed and gave her the name and address of the little bakery café, arranging to meet just after one o’clock. She wrinkled her nose in distaste a moment later, though, as she glanced across the conference room.

“God, that guy gives me the creeps,” she confided in a hushed tone. “At one of last month’s meetings he actually came up to me afterwards and put his arm around my waist. I thought Nathan was going to break a couple of his fingers.”

Tessa followed Julia’s gaze and frowned. “Ah, Mr. Baldwin. Yes, he has something of a reputation around here. You’re lucky you have your boyfriend to watch out for you.”

“Does he harass you, too?” asked Julia in concern.

Tessa shrugged, trying not to betray both her distaste and fear of Jason. “He tries, but I do my best to avoid him. I think Andrew’s been told to keep him away from all the women on this floor.”

“Hmm, I can see why. It doesn’t seem to concern him in the least if a woman is married or otherwise spoken for, does it? And he must think he’s God’s gift to women, but he isn’t
that
good looking,” sniffed Julia. “My Nathan is ten times more attractive. And I can’t understand why any woman in this office would look twice at a creep like Jason Baldwin when they have a hunk like Ian to stare at instead.”

Tessa cursed her fair skin as she felt a warm flush stain her cheeks. Aware that Julia must expect some sort of response, she stammered awkwardly, “Um, yes. I – uh, agree.”

To mask the sudden discomfort she felt at the mention of Ian’s name, Tessa turned her attention back to cleaning up the refreshment table. Julia thankfully took the hint and left, reminding her about their lunch engagement at one o’clock.

But a few minutes later, after everyone else had left the room, Tessa pondered the wisdom of going to lunch with the very perceptive Julia. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the bubbly, beautiful designer. On the contrary, Julia had been exceedingly kind to her from the very first time they had met back in February. Tessa was flattered by Julia’s attention, for she didn’t really have any friends of her own, especially no one as pretty and outgoing as Julia. Tessa just knew somehow that Julia had been one of the popular girls in high school, while Tessa had always been a loner, an outsider.

She thankfully wasn’t as socially awkward as she’d been back then – years of working so closely with others had helped improve her social skills a lot – but she was still extremely shy and not especially clever at conversation. Tessa just hoped she wouldn’t be too boring for the vivacious Julia. Plus, Tessa was more than a little concerned that Julia suspected something was bothering her, given the way she had reacted to the comment about being married. And while Julia was certainly friendly, she wasn’t exactly a friend, either, at least not one that Tessa felt able to confide in just yet.

She had just finished tidying up the conference room, and was about to return to her desk, when Ian Gregson strode briskly into the room. He stopped short at seeing her, his expression as reserved and impassionate as always.

“Tessa. I didn’t realize you’d still be here.”

She simply couldn’t help the little thrill that shimmered up her spine at the sound of his deep, cultured voice. Or the way her heart rate picked up at the sight of his tall, broad-shouldered body clothed in his elegant charcoal gray suit, impeccable white dress shirt, and expertly knotted tie.

She blushed yet again as she realized he was gazing at her somewhat impatiently, evidently expecting some sort of reply. “I, um, was just leaving, sir. Can I – is there something you needed?”

He frowned slightly, already looking around the head of the table where he always sat. “I seem to have misplaced my pen. Did you happen to find it when you were tidying up?”

Tessa shook her head. “No, I didn’t, sir. But I’ll be happy to help you look for it.”

Ian waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s no bother. I’m certain it will turn up somewhere.”

From the corner of her eye she spotted an object on the thick carpet beneath the table that she recognized as the black fountain pen he always used at these meetings. Dropping to her hands and knees, Tessa crawled the short distance, her hand closing around the pen at the exact same moment Ian squatted down beside her.

“Here it is.”

“I’ve got it.”

They spoke simultaneously, his hand brushing over hers as they both reached for the pen at the same time. Flustered by the feel of his warm hand on hers – however fleetingly – she glanced downwards only to have her mortification increase by leaps and bounds. For not only had her slim fitting skirt ridden up her thighs several inches, but the neckline of her pretty yellow blouse gapped open enough to reveal the lace of her bra. She could only hope that Mr. Gregson hadn’t noticed, but those hopes were quickly dashed when she realized his gaze was fixed firmly on her cleavage.

She knew her face must be red as a beet as she somewhat awkwardly got to her feet, smoothing her skirt down as she did so. Ian, too, stood up abruptly, then uttered a hasty “thank you” before striding out of the room in his usual authoritative manner.

Tessa was still cursing herself for her gauche, awkward behavior when she left to meet Julia for lunch. She had lost count of the times she’d made a fool of herself in Mr. Gregson’s presence – always stammering or blushing or acting like she didn’t have an ounce of sense. It was small wonder that Andrew had never once assigned her to fill in for him when he was on vacation or away on business. Marisol or Gina typically filled in, though Kevin and Alicia had also helped out before. There was no possible way Andrew would ever trust Shelby to work as Mr. Gregson’s temporary PA but evidently Tessa hadn’t been deemed worthy, either. She had always assumed it was because she lacked the college degree that nearly all of the others had. Marisol was the only one besides Tessa who didn’t have a degree, but she did have seniority over everyone else, and had obviously earned Andrew’s trust because of her overall length of service with the company.

But now Tessa wondered if perhaps Mr. Gregson simply didn’t think she was bright enough or capable of handling the responsibility of being his temporary PA. God knew she’d done absolutely nothing to change his impression of her, given how tongue tied she always was when he was nearby. She hoped fervently that he only thought she was a silly, not especially bright girl rather than suspect the truth – that she had a massive crush on him. The former was embarrassing – the latter would be utterly devastating if he ever knew.

Tessa found the quaint little bakery/café easily and saw right away why Nathan might not care for it. The outside awning was pink, and the ruffled curtains at every window were a dainty floral print. Julia was just arriving, too, and Tessa marveled at how fluidly she could walk in her towering pale pink stilettos. She looked amazing in a form fitting sheath dress of gray lace, and drew admiring stares from every man she passed.

Julia’s smile lit up her gorgeous face when she spied Tessa, and she gave her hand a little squeeze. “I’m so glad you were able to come. I’ve been wanting to have lunch with you for ages, but work has been so crazy all summer that this is the first real opportunity that’s come up. Let’s go inside, shall we?”

The café was cozy and charming, with small tables draped in pink floral cloths, each with a vase of pastel flowers as a centerpiece, and attractively set with white dishes and gleaming flatware. It wasn’t in the least bit stuffy or pretentious, and Tessa felt a sense of relief. She seldom went out to lunch with her co-workers, except on special occasions like someone’s birthday, and the others all seemed to favor trendy, upscale restaurants where the atmosphere wasn’t nearly as relaxed and comfortable as this place.

Tessa continued to glance around the small interior as they were seated before smiling at Julia gratefully. “This is so lovely. It feels like someone’s home instead of a restaurant.”

Julie nodded enthusiastically. “It does, right? I thought the same thing the first time I ate here. But Nathan thinks it’s too girly, reminds him of his grandmother’s house.”

Tessa laughed softly. “I must say I can’t see him being comfortable here with so much pink and lace. Even the menu is printed in fancy pink script.”

She didn’t add that she had no real idea of what a grandmother’s house might look like, since she’d never known either of her grandmothers. Or her father, for that matter. It had always been just Tessa and her mother, until there had only been Tessa.

Forcing herself to stop thinking about sad things, and instead enjoy this rare opportunity to actually get out and do something fun, she studied the menu carefully. Fortunately, the café specialized in comfort food, nothing too fancy or exotic.

“Everything is delicious here,” Julia offered helpfully. “Sandwiches, quiche, crepes. You can’t go wrong no matter what you order.”