Sweet Little Thing

Jasper dropped his hands to his sides that had been crossed over his chest. “I’ve got things to do. You can continue your pointless routine of living,” he told Portia. Then he turned to me. “I need to speak with you about a business matter. Please meet me in the pool house in thirty minutes.”

Then he turned and left the room.

I stood slowly. I wanted to apologize to Portia, but I wasn’t sure if I owed her an apology. She was hard to understand. The longer Jasper was around, the colder she became. Instead of trying to smooth things, I said, “I’ll get your coffee now.”

She didn’t respond.

PORTIA HAD IGNORED ME COMPLETELY when I brought her coffee and a bowl of fresh strawberries. She was angry—with me or Jasper I wasn’t sure. Probably both.

I didn’t have time to worry about it. Jasper wanted to meet with me about business which I didn’t exactly understand. Unless he meant he had more chores for me or he wanted more groceries. Although I couldn’t imagine that was the case. I’d stocked his kitchen well in the pool house.

When the time came to meet with Jasper, he was inside the pool house, so I knocked instead of walking inside.

“Come in,” he called.

I opened the door to see him on the sectional leather sofa with a computer on his lap, his right ankle resting on his left knee to prop up the computer and a cup of coffee in his hand.

He smiled. “Punctual. Good. Please have a seat.”

I walked over and sat on the chair that faced the sofa. There was a large wooden barrel that was once filled with Makers Mark Whiskey according to the black labeling on its side. Now it was a coffee table.

“This morning with Portia went about as smoothly as I had imagined. I know you were hoping for a more definitive answer. But if there is one, I’m afraid we will never know it. That isn’t why I asked you to meet me out here, however.

After breakfast, I was out here going through emails and the endless bills, investment, and correspondence with Van Allan Industries that have come through just this week. It’s a lot of paper filing I don’t have time for. Jed Bankhead has been handling everything since my father’s death. My father’s personal secretary became Jed’s. She was to become mine when I was ready to completely take over next year but two days ago his wife walked in on Jed and Bethany, the secretary, naked on Jed’s desk in the Chicago office,” he paused and took a drink of coffee. “Gotta love marriage and happily ever after’s, huh? Anyway, I can’t run Van Allan industries yet. I am still learning; working in the Savannah offices now to learn, which are the smallest of the three and the newest. There will be sexual harassment filed by Bethany I am sure when Jed let’s her go. More bullshit that he has to handle. But here in Savannah I need help.

The actual building was serving as a meeting location when personnel from the other officers came into town to meet with my father after he relocated here. After his passing, it hasn’t been used much. That’s what I’ve been doing. Moving people here to make it a functioning office. An office so Van Allen Industries can expand into the southern states and have a central location. I need some help with organizing all the piles of paperwork that have been ignored at the office here. I am looking for a qualified administrative assistant, of course, but for now I just need some extra hands. I know you need another job. Working nights isn’t going to be enough for you if you want to keep Heidi in the home she’s currently in. I’d like you to work in the offices for three hours a day Monday through Friday. You’d continue your duties here of course. I’m willing to pay you fifty dollars an hour which will average about $750 a week. This would help me and fix my current problem as well as help you.”

Seven hundred and fifty dollars a week was a lot. It would be more than I needed to take care of Heidi when added to my income from cleaning. If I kept my night job then I could put money away for college. “Are you offering this intending for me to quit my evening job?” I asked.

He frowned. “I’d hoped you would. You looked exhausted this morning. But I’m not demanding you do anything. That’s up to you.”

“I could cut back my hours there if the manager would be okay with it. If I worked there a couple nights a week then I would be able to save for college.”

He nodded. “Fair enough.”

It was that easy. He was giving me a way to make more money. He wasn’t demanding anything of me. I took a long, easy breath. The first full breath I’d taken in three days. Heidi was going to be fine. And now I’d have a chance to get my nursing degree.

“Thank you, Jasper. Thank you so much.”

He grinned. The kind of grin that I was sure made most women lightheaded. It made me feel a little swoony. That was a bad thing though. I couldn’t look at Jasper that way. He was my boss. He held the power to break me. His smile, the way he wore a pair of jeans, and his sculpted chest that I still could picture clearly after his never ending pool party were of no consequence to me.

“You can start tomorrow. However, after you’re done inside, we can ride over to the office and I can show you everything. Introduce you to the staff there.”

“Okay,” I said as I stood up. “I should be ready to go in two hours.”

“Very well. See you then.”

As I hurried out of the pool house, I couldn’t get the silly smile off my face. I was going to be okay. We both were. I’d make cupcakes this week. Heidi would never understand we had a reason to celebrate, but that was more than okay.

This Jasper was so different than the one I thought he was when he arrived. He was all business and mature in there. But the party he had held was a much different Jasper. At the party, he was the spoiled trust fund kid with nothing to worry about in life. I liked this Jasper much better. I just couldn’t figure out his choice in friends.

The next two hours flew by as I hurried to get everything done, then changed into the only nice dress I owned. My mother had made the pale blue sundress for me three months before she got sick. She’d made it for me to wear to a job interview at the bank. A job I didn’t get because I needed Saturdays off to take care of Heidi.

Mom would have been so excited about my new job. She’d love that I wore her dress. The silver flats that were my correct size and that I reserved for special occasions had also been bought by her. I slipped them on and my toes thanked me.

I quickly made my way to the doors leading to the pool house to meet Jasper, passing Portia as she came down the staircase with her white tennis outfit on. Her hair was pulled up neatly in a ponytail. But she was scowling at me.

“Why are you dressed like that?” she snapped.

“I’m going to the office with Jasper. He needs me to organize and file paperwork.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sure he does. He’s just like his father.” She stalked past me and the expensive perfume she wore filled the air.

I wanted to defend myself and tell her that Jasper did, in fact, need me to organize for him. But she was gone. Maybe I should have apologized earlier.

WHEN JASPER SAID THE OFFICE was new and small I imagined something much different from the twenty-story building made of glass we were walking into. Van Allan Industries was written on the front door and the sign out front. There was a doorman and a front desk where you check in upon entering.

A young attractive brunette, whose eyes locked on Jasper the moment we entered, smiled brightly. “Good afternoon, Mr. Van Allan.”