Falling for the Boss (3 page)

“
Ready to go?” he asked mildly.

Maggie nodded and walked
toward him. Neither of them had enjoyed the last hour, but the end was in sight. And though he hadn’t been overly friendly, he’d been considerate enough not to laugh openly at her reaction to the storm.

Just as she
came level with Marcus, he reached out and took the lamp from her hand. Before she could guess his intention, he bent quickly and brushed his lips against hers. For a brief span of time, green eyes stared curiously into blue ones, and then the spell was broken.

Maggie could think of
nothing to say in the face of such an unexpected and unwarranted action. Marcus treated the silence that fell between them with his usual indifference. With a careless movement of his head, he indicated that she should follow him. He led the way to the side door of the garage, putting her into the car before getting in himself. Only then did he finally speak.

“
Where do you live?”

The tone was impersonal enough to make Maggie question
whether she’d imagined what passed between them. She answered him mechanically, her mind still grappling for some kind of explanation. Her puzzled glance swerved to her companion, but his attention was all on the road.

M
arcus drove the few blocks to her apartment and escorted her all the way to her front door without saying another word. Here again they faced each other, this time secluded under a cocoon of black nylon, seemingly oblivious to the rain that continued to fall from the sky.

His
expression wasn’t encouraging. Maggie’s eyes dropped first. She began digging frantically in her purse for the key, mentally chastising herself for not having found it already. The last thing she needed was for the silent man next to her to think she was delaying his departure on purpose. Once the key was in hand, her eyes found their way to his face again.

“
Thanks for the ride home. I hope I didn’t ruin your plans for tonight.”

Marcus
threw her the faint, cool smile she was coming to dislike. “Felicia won’t arrive for another hour or so. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Maggie
closed the door on his departing figure, taking a deep breath as she did so. So that was it. He could kiss her for no reason and then act like it never happened. No doubt he had already forgotten it whereas she would be dwelling on it all night. She had never made a truer statement. No matter what she did, she couldn’t get past that kiss.

It was much the same the next morning.
As she dressed for church, Maggie’s thoughts kept returning to the night before. As much as she wanted to believe that a kiss such as that, given with so little feeling, should be as quickly forgotten, the truth was she could hardly think of anything else.

Mounting t
he steps leading to the interior of the oldest church in Charleston, she gazed as she always did on the beautiful scenes depicted in the stained-glass windows. A much needed sense of peace seemed to envelope her. She was making too much of something that meant nothing. And if Marcus could dismiss it so easily, so could she.

It was as well
for Maggie that she never noticed the arrival of Marcus for it might have boded ill for her newfound peace of mind. He picked out the familiar blonde head seated several rows in front of him with ease and some irritation. Could he not escape the girl? He’d spent the remainder of the previous evening regretting an impulse he should have ignored in the first place. As kisses go, it had been the merest nothing. So brief as to be negligible and yet he could remember everything about it.

As
to why he kissed her in the first place, he’d been unable to find any palatable answer. It wasn’t his habit to kiss girls he barely knew nor did she have sufficient looks or temperament to make his remarkable behavior any more understandable. Hopefully, she would take it no more seriously than he meant it.

Maggie
looked to be the practical, no-nonsense type, and they were usually easy to handle. In any case, sufficient time had been wasted dwelling on it. If she hadn’t already figured out how little feeling was behind it, she would get the message sooner or later. Shrugging, he returned his attention to the service.

Chapter Three

Summer was coming in earnest now; the days grew longer and the afternoons were unbearably warm. At their weekly meeting, Brenda smilingly informed the staff that Marcus would be hosting the local historical society’s annual conference in a week’s time. The regular tours would be suspended as of Wednesday so the house could be cleaned and furniture rearranged to accommodate the expected number of attendees.

A
murmur of delight swept through the room at this indication of some time off during the height of the tourist season. Visions of a few days on the beach danced through Maggie's head only to halt abruptly when Brenda asked her to remain behind at the conclusion of the meeting.

“So what have I done now?” Maggie asked with a laugh in her voice.

“It’s not what you’ve done, it’s what you’re going to be doing. Marcus has requested your assistance with this conference.”

“What does ‘
assistance’ include?” she asked sarcastically. “Serving tea and cookies every afternoon?”

Brenda
shrugged. “He didn’t go into specifics, but I would guess that he wants you to give tours. He did suggest that you spend the nights here so you can be on hand when needed.”

“
So much for a few days off,” Maggie murmured regretfully.

“One thing is obvious - you’ve
made a hit with the new boss. I advise you to make the most of the situation.”

This piece of advice was received with a smile that hid a growing sense of alarm.
A request such as this wouldn’t have caused Maggie a moment’s concern a few weeks ago. That was before she and Marcus had shared an hour together during a storm and before he had kissed her. Although he’d obviously put the incident out of his mind, she hadn’t been so fortunate. Every time she saw him, she remembered the feel of his cool lips.

The thought of being
at his beck and call over the course of this conference in order to give tours to people who probably knew more about history and antiques than Maggie could learn in a lifetime didn’t give her any pleasure at all. She didn’t need or want more time in his company.

It
is one thing to want to refuse a request made by your boss and quite another to actually do it. Maggie spent a sleepless night debating the wisdom of such a course. By morning, she decided to delay no longer. Accordingly, she went into work early, hoping to find Marcus alone. When she finally worked up the courage to step inside his office, it wasn’t Marcus sitting behind the big desk.

Luke Bryant, the paralegal who worked for him, and incidentally rented a room from him, looked up inquiringly before she could escape
.

“Looking for Marcus?” he asked. At her quick nod, he went on. “He’s already at the courthouse and
likely to be there all day. Is it something urgent?”

Maggie had sense enough to deny that, though she longed to get this particular conversation over with.
“No. I’ll try to catch him later.”

She
couldn’t remember a day lasting so long. It seemed to be her turn to get couples with children that no amount of cajolery could appease. One desperate mother even went so far as to ask Maggie to hold her screaming infant while she searched for another child who had disappeared. By the time she closed the door on the last tourist, her only thought was getting off her feet and onto the couch at home. The meeting with Marcus that had seemed so imperative was all but forgotten.

Unfortunately, she had
n’t reckoned on the efficiency of Luke who made certain Marcus was informed of Maggie’s desire to see him. She was preparing to leave when Marcus appeared in the doorway.

“
Luke said you wanted to see me. Is there a problem?”

The suddenness of his appearance caught Maggie off guard.
The fact that he sounded impatient made her think this wasn’t the best time to discuss something he wasn’t going to like hearing.

“
Not a problem, exactly. Just something I needed to tell you.”

His brows formed a slight frown.
“That sounds ominous. You’re not preparing to hand in your resignation, are you? We would have to close Bradford House should such an unfortunate thing be allowed to happen.”

Maggie looked for sarcasm but found only
impersonal regard in the limpid gaze directed her way. “Nothing so drastic. This concerns the historical conference.”

“So Brenda told you about it already? She doesn’t waste time, does she? I only mentioned it
yesterday.”

“Well, as a matter of fact, I’m glad she did because
I won’t be available to do it. I’m sure one of the other guides will be happy to take my place.”

“
Happy? To give up some time off? I rather doubt that, Maggie.” He smiled then, the same boyishly attractive grin he’d bestowed on her before with such unexpected results. Maggie did her best to ignore it. “The other guides have husbands and children, two things guaranteed to take precedence over what amounts to my own personal affairs. That’s why I thought you would be the right choice.”

The right choice, she echoed silently, her temper rising at the implication that she had nothing better to do.
“Just because I’m not married doesn’t mean I never have plans or commitments.”

His smile faded.
“I never implied anything so ridiculous, did I? I was merely stating my reasons for thinking you could more easily fit in with my plans. But, if you can’t do it, there’s nothing more to be said.” He turned to go.

“So you’ll ask one of the other
s?” she asked just as he reached the door.

Marcus threw her a look
over his shoulder that made her wonder at her temerity. It was no concern of hers what he did. “No, I’ll manage things myself.”

Maggie surprised both of them by uttering,
“Oh, don’t bother – I’ll do it.”

Disgusted with
the ease of her capitulation, she grabbed her purse and prepared to follow him out of the room. She failed to notice that Marcus hadn’t moved, but was standing directly in the doorway. She stopped just short of him.

“
I appreciate the sacrifice,” he added dryly. “Why the change of heart?”

Looking away from that amused green stare, she answered flippantly,
“I’m a pushover.”

At this he
laughed with real amusement. “Wouldn’t you rather phrase it as staying on the right side of the boss?”

M
aggie spent the ride home pondering those parting words. Marcus had it all wrong. She had no desire to impress him. She didn’t even like him. So why had she given in? To that there was no easy answer. The situation was becoming hopelessly complicated, and nothing in her experience had prepared her for how to resolve it. But then, she’d never met anyone like Marcus before.

She was off
work the next day and in view of her feelings toward a certain person, maybe it was best that she not have to worry about running into him. Standing on a rickety stepladder in the basement of her favorite bookstore, she was reaching for a volume above her head when she happened to peer through a gap in the shelves. A man stood with his back toward her. Maggie recognized the tall figure instantly.

N
ot wanting to be seen, she quickly grabbed the book she sought and stepped down. She forgot about her purse, which was still on the floor. When she moved forward, she tripped over it. In the relative quiet of the bookstore, the sound was equivalent to an avalanche. A head peered around the corner and she heard a heavy sigh.

“
Are you alright?” Marcus asked quietly.

Maggie strove for dignity, but knew her position was against her. “Of course. I merely tripped.”

“You know, if I wasn’t so sure that you don’t like me, I’d think you were following me.”

As this was exactly what she
surmised he would think, Maggie did something she hadn’t done in years; she blushed. Marcus watched this with interest, trying to remember when he had last seen such a thing.

“
Think what you like,” she retorted somewhat ungraciously. She knew he was teasing, but wasn’t in the mood for it. He always seemed to be around when she said or did stupid things.

“
I always do. I don’t rely on others to do my thinking for me.”

There was no getting the last word.
With a speaking glance, Maggie slung her purse over her shoulder.

“Finished already?” he asked
in a cordial tone. “I was just going myself. I’ve spent the morning trying to find a birthday present for my mother with no success. I’m really stumped – I came in here as a last resort, but only found something I’d like to have.”

A
ll the way to the silver car, Maggie wondered what in the world had possessed her to offer to help Marcus shop for his mother. It wasn’t as if she had no plans, and her beautician was unlikely to understand should this jaunt cause her to miss her appointment. To make matters worse, he hadn’t even had to ask. She volunteered.

Marcus had spoken little since accepting her offer. Maggie received the impression that having achieved what he wanted, he dared not ruin it with further speech. Only w
hen they were seated in the car did he finally glance her way. “Where should we start?”

“I have to have some idea of your mother
’s interests before I can even begin to suggest a place to go,” she advised him tartly.

He
ignored her tone and nodded. “Well, she’s fond of antique jewelry, but I know absolutely nothing about it.”

“I don’t know much either, but I do know where we can get a
good start. Nell’s Place on the Battery is known for having a great selection of estate jewelry.”

“Why didn’t I think of you sooner? I could have saved myself hours of running around.”

It wasn’t long before Maggie was pointing out the tiny shop tucked in tightly between an artist’s studio and an outdoor café. Once inside, she scanned the display cases carefully, determined not to be hurried by her companion. She finally paused in front of one whose sole offering was a necklace with a circular pendant outlined with white and black pearls. Touching Marcus lightly on the arm, she indicated the necklace.

“
This one isn’t antique, though it’s obviously old. If I was buying a gift for my mother, this is something I’d consider.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.”
The relief in his voice brought a faint smile to her lips.

A slight movement from
Marcus brought the store owner scurrying over and in a few seconds the necklace was out of the case. “Would you mind?” he asked with a grin that would have melted even the hardest heart. “I’d like to see it on someone.”

Maggie nodded for the
simple reason that she couldn’t have spoken just then. Her heart was pounding in her chest. While she was dealing with a reaction that was unprecedented given the circumstances, Marcus moved behind her. She tensed as his fingers lifted her hair, just skimming the sensitive skin of her neck as he attempted to close the clasp. At his impatient growl, she went still again.

He came around to stand in front of her, giving the necklace more attention than
the situation merited, at least in Maggie’s opinion. It was difficult to withstand that unwavering green gaze. Marcus decided pearls didn’t suit Maggie in the least, though they would be fine for his mother. She needed something with more color, something to match those lovely eyes.

While
he was musing exactly what shade of blue Maggie’s eyes were, a soft voice asked, “Well? What do you think?”

He
answered instinctively. “I’ve never seen anything like them.”

Though
Marcus had been referring to her eyes, he knew by the satisfaction on the store owner’s face and Maggie’s removal of the necklace that his audience had thought differently. As he reached for his wallet, Maggie drifted to the other side of the store.

In another case, a
cameo pin resting on a bed of black velvet caught her eye. The figures so finely etched on the delicate surface were of a mother holding an infant. A man emerged from the back of the shop and noticed her interest. He smilingly offered to remove it from the case so Maggie could have a closer look.

“
This is an old estate piece. It also has a story you might find interesting. The husband of the young woman pictured here carved this cameo after watching his wife and son together. He carried it to war with him, and it must have brought him luck because he returned safely. Later generations of the family ran into hard times, and this item as well as many others had to be sold.”

“
What a wonderful story and a beautiful heirloom. The family must have hated to part with it.” Maggie was still holding the cameo when Marcus joined her. She related its unique history to him.

“
The detail is remarkable,” he observed, glancing from the image portrayed on the pin to Maggie’s face several times. “You know, Maggie, this lady looks something like you.”

As they
strolled back to the car, she noticed the lightning glance Marcus gave the gold watch on his wrist. He was probably wondering how fast he could get rid of her. Before she could assure him that she had plans of her own, he shocked her into silence by suggesting they dine together. When she didn’t speak, Marcus assumed her acceptance.