Except one.
Like a dog after a bone, Cooper wanted to know about their meeting. The meeting that had never happened. Each time Jayson put him off, his cousin had grown more suspicious.
“Merry and I haven’t made plans yet,” he said, which was true.
“In case you haven’t noticed, Christmas is only a few days away.”
“I know.” Looking to divert Cooper’s questions, he asked, “What about you and Maddy?”
“I’ll be with her family. You met Merry’s family yet?”
“Not yet. How are the wedding plans coming along?”
Cooper exhaled a long, slow sigh. “I have to tell you, man, I had no idea a wedding would take this much planning. Far as I’m concerned, we could stand barefoot on a beach and be done with it. Maddy’s got a completely different idea. There are flowers and musicians, and a catered dinner at this posh resort. Her mother is involved with the plans now, and I swear there was less involved in the construction of the Great Wall of China.”
Jayson couldn’t squelch his laughter. “Next thing I know you’ll be wanting me to wear a tux by the pool.”
“I have no idea what Maddy and her mother are going to want. For now, I’m staying out of it. I’m on a need-to-know basis.”
“Probably the best way to handle that.”
“Now quit avoiding the subject. I want to know how it’s going with your girl.”
Jayson’s smile slowly faded. “It’s going great.” And it was, except for that one blip. But they were communicating again, and that was what mattered to him.
“I want to hear what she’s like in person.”
Jayson sighed, which seemed to prompt more questions from his cousin.
“She was a disappointment, wasn’t she?”
“No.” Seeing that they’d never met face-to-face, he could say that in all honesty.
“Was she everything you expected?”
Jayson hesitated, considered lying, and then decided he needed to be honest. His shoulders sagged and he released a sigh. “I guess I might as well tell you. She didn’t show.”
His answer was followed by a heavy silence.
“She didn’t show?” Cooper repeated.
“You heard me right.” He bristled, irritated that his cousin could get him to confess what had happened.
“Why not?”
This was where it got tricky. “I’m not exactly sure. She said she knew me.”
“So?”
“Well, it seems she’d already met me. I just have no idea when or where. Apparently, I didn’t leave a good impression.” Jayson had racked his brain to figure what could have happened. All he could think was that he’d had an especially bad day and overreacted to something, but if that was the case, he didn’t remember it. “We set a time and place to meet. Merry took one look at me at our designated spot and had a change of heart, deciding it was best that we not get involved.”
Cooper was outraged on his behalf. “What the—”
“I talked her into giving me another chance,” Jayson said, cutting off his cousin before he went on a tangent.
“Hold on,” Cooper said, his words coated with annoyance. “You talked to her?”
“Not talk talked. But online talked.”
“Man, I have to tell you, I haven’t met this girl, but I have serious doubts. You’re a catch, and if she doesn’t recognize that, then be done with her.”
Cooper had always been his staunchest supporter.
“I briefly considered that,” Jayson admitted. “I have to admit my ego took a direct hit, and like you, I thought, whatever. If that was what she wanted, then so be it, but as the days went by I found myself thinking about her more and more. Going online with her was and is the highlight of my day. I look forward to that time with her as much as I do my first cup of coffee in the morning. More so.”
Cooper appeared to be weighing his words. “You like her that much?”
“I do.”
“You don’t think all this talk is an excuse on her part? She could be hiding something.”
“I doubt it.” This was something Jayson had considered himself. Of course, it was possible, but he didn’t think it was true with Merry. “Everything I know about her tells me she’s a straight shooter.”
“I hope you’re right,” Cooper said in that thoughtful way of his. “You’ve always had good instincts, so if this girl is as special as you seem to think, then go for it.”
Jayson grinned. “I appreciate the vote of confidence. The thing is, there’s this other…” He hesitated, wondering if he should say anything about his unexpected attraction to Mary from data entry.
“Other what?” Cooper pressed.
Once again Jayson tried to avoid the subject. “I’ve been involved in putting together this report.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know all about that. You’ve been working for weeks on that Boeing project.”
“My hours have been crazy, and frankly there hasn’t been time to date. Merry is busy at her job, too.”
“Jayson, come on, man, give it up. What aren’t you telling me?”
Cooper knew him far too well.
“Something about working all these hours. Spill, Jay.”
“Okay, okay, there’s this girl in the office that’s been a big help to me and I sort of find her attractive.” That was a gross understatement, but he didn’t want to admit how attracted he was to her, even to himself.
“Then ask her out. It might bring Merry around if she knows she has competition.”
The idea had started to take root long before Cooper’s suggestion. It went without saying that this was problematic for several reasons. He didn’t want to play one woman against the other. He’d seen far too much of this very thing from his parents and their various marriages. Lots of other reasons came to mind, too.
“I can’t date her.”
“Because she’s an employee?” Cooper picked up on that right away.
“Well, that, too, although she’s only a temp. But that isn’t the only problem.”
“Then what is?”
Jayson stared at the ceiling and exhaled slowly. “She’s dating someone else.”
“Have you two spent time together?”
“A little,” he confessed.
“Is she interested in you?”
Jayson needed to mull this over before he answered, being as truthful with himself as he could be. “I think she is.”
“Then make your move,” Cooper advised. “If this other guy was important, she wouldn’t be sending you vibes.”
“Vibes? Mary’s not sending me vibes.”
“Wait. What did you say her name was?”
“Mary. M-a-r-y, not to be confused with M-e-r-r-y.”
Cooper chuckled. “I am confused. You’re attracted to two women, both of whom are named Mary, but spelled differently.”
“Yup.”
“How is it that you find more ways to complicate your life than anyone else I know?”
Jayson had to agree and then chuckled. “Yes. But I’ll never have a problem confusing their names, now, will I?”
“That you won’t,” Cooper agreed. “Listen, keep me updated on what happens. Guess I’ll tell Maddy you’ll be bringing a date to the wedding, and most likely her name will be Mary.”
Jayson grinned. All he had to do now was figure out which Mary it would be.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Merry
Merry was just about to leave the office Friday night when she got word that Jayson Bright had asked to speak to her. He sent his assistant, Mrs. Bly, to fetch her. She was a middle-aged woman who was rumored to have been with Matterson Consulting since its infancy.
Merry was immediately suspicious that Jayson had somehow uncovered who she was—her real identity. He’d requested that she come directly to his office.
Perhaps she’d made a mistake with the data on Friday that had completely messed up the report. In which case he would be angry and he’d fire her
on the spot. Would he do that? Especially now, when only a little more than a week remained in her contract?
“You in trouble with the boss again?” Lauren asked as soon as Mrs. Bly left.
Kylie shook her head at Merry. “Hey, think positive. Maybe he’s giving you a bonus for staying late last Friday.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. I swear.” She hoped.
“Well, don’t keep him waiting,” Lauren said, shooing her away with both hands. “But keep us in the loop. If the company is handing out pink slips, I need to know about it.”
With her heart bouncing up and down in her throat like it was on a pogo stick, Merry approached the executive area of the office.
Mrs. Bly had returned to her desk, and when she noticed Merry, she said, “You can go right in. Mr. Bright is waiting.”
Merry knocked once and then slowly opened the door to his office. Jayson sat at his desk, leaning back in his chair with his hands on the back of his head. He appeared to be deep in thought and didn’t notice her for a few awkward moments.
When he did, he looked at her and blinked, as if finding her standing in the doorway to his office was completely unexpected.
“You asked to see me?” she reminded him. Her hands felt clammy and she gripped them in front of her, literally holding on to herself. She felt as if she was in junior high and had been called to the principal’s office.
“Yes, yes.” He gestured for her to come inside. “Close the door, if you would.”
She did as he asked and remained standing, moving closer to his desk.
“Please sit down. You might be a few minutes.”
She sank into the chair, sitting on the edge of the seat. The high-back chair was made of buttery soft leather and vastly unlike her own uncomfortable desk chair.
As if to make her even more nervous, Jayson continued to stare at her as though looking straight through her. She swallowed hard, convinced now that he’d managed to guess the truth.
Waiting for him to speak was torture. Merry did her best to be patiently composed, although her nails dug into the tender part of her palms, leaving deep indentations. Her heart continued to pound, but this time hard enough to play drums in a rock band. If Jayson was going to explode, then it was important that she remain calm and serene, no matter what.
“I imagine you’re wondering why I asked to speak to you.”
Because her mouth had gone dry, she nodded rather than respond verbally.
“Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with your job.”
That didn’t reassure her. She glanced at her watch, wondering if she would make her bus.
Noticing that she looked at the time, he said, “This might take awhile. Will that be a problem for you?”
“No, but I’d like to know how long I’ll be.”
He cocked his brow and asked with a grin, “Another date?”
“No. If I’m going to miss the bus, then I’ll need to make a phone call.”
“You share an apartment with friends? Not that it’s any of my business, of course.” He was showing more curiosity about her now than he had in all the time she’d worked for the company. Merry couldn’t help wondering what that meant, if anything. “Never mind. If you miss the bus, then I’ll be happy to drive you home.”
“There’ll be other buses I can catch, don’t worry. And no, I don’t mind telling you. I live in a house.”
“Rent being what it is, I suppose you have roommates,” he commented. His eyes widened and he raised his hand. “Sorry, I did it again. None of my business.”
Merry smiled, enjoying his discomfort. She liked that he wanted to know more about her and then realized she was competing with herself. It seemed silly to be jealous of the other woman when she was the other woman.
“Do you need me to stay late again? I can.”
“No, no, the project is completed.”
He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get to the point. His scrutiny made her uncomfortable. All he seemed to want to do was intently look at her, to study her every feature. He seemed hesitant, as if unsure of himself, which was nothing like the Jayson Bright she knew.
“Is something wrong with my appearance?” Merry asked, looking down at her outfit. She wore a green-and-blue jacket and a pencil skirt with knee-high boots. She couldn’t imagine he would find fault with that.
“Your appearance?” he repeated, shaking his head. “No. Not at all. You look great. More than great. Lovely.”
He was complimenting her. This was strange and it worried her. If she sat any closer to the edge of the chair she was sure to slip off and land on her butt, which would be terribly embarrassing.
“I wanted to personally thank you for everything you did to help me finish the Boeing report,” he said. “Having you enter the last bit of information made a big difference.”
“I was happy to help.”
“I understand that, and it’s appreciated. I realize we’ve had our share of differences in the past, but you haven’t let that affect your work.”
“Thank you.” His praise embarrassed her. Little did he know how happy she was to spend that time with him. She’d seen more of the Jay she knew from her online chats with him than Jayson, her boss. He’d been grateful and considerate. A week or two ago she hadn’t been able to see that side of him. That one evening showed her there was more to Jayson Bright than she’d realized.
“I understand you were hired short-term by an agency,” Jayson continued, cutting into her thoughts.
“My contract was for a year.” Even though she’d been with the company for nearly twelve months, he hadn’t paid much attention to her until the last few weeks, when the deadline for the report was pressing.
“That long?” He arched his eyebrows with the question, as though taken by surprise.
She did her best to hide a smile.
“At any rate, I wanted you to know if you’re looking for a permanent position, I’d welcome you on staff.”
This was unexpected, and for a moment she struggled to find words. For him to offer her a position was more than she’d ever considered. Her big fear coming into his office was that he wanted to fire her before her contract was completed. She’d never even suspected that he’d been considering giving her a permanent position. “I…I hardly know what to say. Thank you. That you would make such an offer means a great deal. It’s tempting. This is a good company and the benefits are certainly appealing, but I’ve already registered for college classes.” She’d been saving as much money as she could, in hopes of pursuing her goal to become a special education teacher.
“I didn’t realize you were a college student.” He frowned, as though wondering when she found the time to squeeze classes in with a forty- or fifty-hour workweek.
Merry felt she should explain. “I took the year off from school to save up enough to finish my last year. If all goes according to plan, I should have my teaching certificate by this time next year.”
He nodded approvingly, as though he could see her in front of a classroom. “You’ll be a good teacher, Mary. You have the patience and the temperament.”
“I enjoy children, and it seemed a natural choice for me.” She didn’t mention her interest in special education, for fear he would make the connection between her and Patrick.
“I imagine you’re eager to head home.”
“I’m in no rush.” She had plenty of time to catch the next bus; in fact, she had time to kill.
Jayson stood and escorted her to the door. “I’ll see you at the Christmas party, right?”
“Actually, no.”
“No?”
“I have plans that evening. Of course, you’ll be there.”
“Yes, it’s more or less mandatory.” Jayson walked to the door and opened it for her. She noticed that Mrs. Bly had already left for the evening, as had nearly all the staff. After all these weeks of mandatory overtime, it seemed everyone was eager to leave the office as quickly as possible.
“Whe
n is your last day?” Jayson asked.
Seeing that she wouldn’t be working between Christmas and New Year’s, it was coming up quickly. “The twenty-third, the day of the Christmas party.”
“It’s coming right up, then?”
“Yes. It’s been a good year.”
He grinned, his gaze warm. “Yes, it has. It’s been a very good year on several different levels. Have a good evening, Mary.”
Merry returned to her desk, collected her coat and purse, and headed out of the building. Because she had nearly an hour to wait for the next bus, she decided to grab dinner. It was her turn to cook, and because she was going to be an hour late, she would bring the meal home rather than keep everyone waiting on their food.
The New York deli a few blocks over was said to have a great reputation. She could easily grab something to go and make it to the bus stop in plenty of time. Splurging on herself and her family would be a treat.
Walking to the deli, her mood was high following her conversation with Jayson. When she arrived at the deli, she could see that they did a robust business, if the long line of customers was any indication. Glancing at her watch, she decided she had the time to wait in line, and she started reading over the menu posted behind the counter. A familiar voice spoke from behind her.
Jayson Bright.
“We meet again,” he said. “You come here often?”
“No, it’s my first time. Lauren recommended it and I thought I’d give it a try. I’ve got time before the next bus.” The line, however, didn’t seem to be moving all that quickly. “I think I do anyway.”
“It’s a popular place.”
“So I see. What about you? You come here often?”
He shrugged. “Often enough to be on a first-name basis.”
The line moved forward one person. Merry kept her hands buried in her coat pockets.
“Listen,” Jayson said. “Would you consider letting me take you to dinner? To thank you. No obligation, just dinner between friends.”
The question hung in the air between them with the tension of a tightrope.