When the phone rang, she snatched at it, half hoping it would be Nick.
"Abbey McPherson?"
The voice sounded familiar. "Yes?"
"It's John Goldstein here. I want to talk to you about your position at JJC Pharmaceuticals."
Abbey sat up straight and listened to what Goldstein had to say. Half an hour later she was dressed in a navy blue suit and crisp white shirt. She got into her car, switched the air conditioning on high and turned up the volume on her radio.
She smiled to herself despite the lingering misery in her gut. She deserved this. She deserved to get something after all the crap of last week. Part of her felt sorry for Tarken though. He didn't deserve to lose his job. On second thought, he did deserve it. He'd never been able to run that office. Abbey had done everything for him.
Thank goodness Goldstein recognized that and wanted her back—as the office manager.
She hoped Tarken wasn't still there. It could get awkward between them when he learned she was his replacement.
Fifteen minutes later she strolled into the city office. The first thing she heard was Tarken shouting. The second thing was Melinda crying.
Abbey walked in, back straight, chin up and stared Tarken straight in the eye. "Is there anything I need to know before you leave?" she asked.
Tarken's jaw dropped open. "You're going to run the office?"
"Goldstein didn't tell you? How remiss of him."
"Get Goldstein on the phone now," shouted Tarken. No one moved. He picked up the phone himself, dialed, said a few harsh words to Goldstein that included several expletives. Then he listened and finally he handed the phone to Abbey.
"He wants to talk to you," he said levelly.
Abbey took the phone and watched as a deflated Tarken opened the door and left, slamming it behind him.
"Yes, Mr. Goldstein?"
"Your first priority is to close the deal on the software. I want it installed before June."
"Yes, Mr. Goldstein."
Abbey hung up, smiled reassuringly at the stunned staff around her, and entered Tarken's office. Her office. She closed the door and slumped into the chair.
Incredible. A totally new career without even searching for it. It would involve enormous amounts of responsibility and a lot of hard work. All these things flittered through Abbey's mind, but one thing stuck with her above all others. New software meant contacting Software Solutions. And that meant speaking to Nick again.
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
***
A MONTH LATER
Nick paced the length of his office trying to work off his excess energy. He was up to his fifth cup of coffee and it wasn't even lunchtime. A month of carefully piecing his self-respect together again and all shattered by a letter of intent to purchase from JJC Pharmaceuticals.
He really didn't know why he was so nervous. It was only that fool Tarken after all. It's just that he was his only link to Abbey. Whether Tarken still saw Abbey or knew what she was up to didn't really matter. He knew her and the thought that he might have news about her was enough to shatter Nick's concentration.
And more than anything, Nick wanted to hear about her. He wanted to know what she was up to, how she was going. If she had a boyfriend.
Okay, maybe he shouldn't ask Tarken—the answer might not be something he wanted to hear.
He stopped pacing. What was he thinking? He shouldn't be this nervous over a meeting with a jerk like Tarken. He could run rings around him. By the end of the day, he'd have Tarken eating out of the palm of his hand.
It's just that thinking about Tarken brought back memories of Abbey. For a month he'd nearly called her every single night—or called Lucy's office. By day he was in control around the office. Then he'd go home, pick up the phone before slamming it down again, angry at her and angry at himself for letting his barriers down again so easily. Every night he'd get to bed early because he was exhausted, but by two he'd get up again because he couldn't sleep. It was always the same.
No wonder Beverly told him looked terrible.
The door to his office opened and Beverly's fluffy blonde head popped around the corner. She had a notepad and pen.
"What did you same this man's name is again? Pratt?"
"Pratt. And Donaldson, JJC's head of I.T."
Beverly made a note then glanced up.
"Can I get you anything?"
"Another cup of coffee."
"I think you've had enough. One more cup and you'll be bouncing off the walls."
"Black, one sugar," he growled.
Beverly sighed and nodded.
"And Beverly, is everything set up?"
She nodded again. "I've booked them rooms at the Plaza just in case this goes into tomorrow."
She closed the door and Nick continued his pacing. He hoped it didn't go into tomorrow. He couldn't stand seeing Tarken's slimy face two days in a row.
***
Abbey listened to Donaldson's techno-babble for most of the flight but ten minutes before landing in Sydney, she tuned out. She couldn't help it. No matter how hard she concentrated, her mind just wouldn't focus. All she could think about was Nick, and that she would be seeing him again soon.
Did he even know he was about to see her? Did he know that Tarken was no longer in charge of JJC's Melbourne office?
She wasn't entirely sure. She'd kept out of the deal until now, leaving it to Donaldson to discuss details with Software Solutions' new VP of Marketing and tech gurus. Now that it was decision making time, she'd become involved in the number crunching. She hadn't spoken to Nick. This meeting would be the first opportunity. From what she'd heard of Nick Delaware in the last month, he was ruthless in business and always researched potential clients thoroughly. Which meant he probably knew she was in charge of JJC.
So how was he feeling right now? Hopefully as nervous as her. It was the least he deserved. Abbey wiped her palms on the plane's seat and took another deep breath.
As the plane taxied to a halt at Sydney airport she swallowed, blew out a breath, then wiped her hand across her eyes. This was not going to be easy.
Get a grip, Abbey. You can do this.
She wasn't here to start something with Nick all over again, she was here to do a deal on behalf of JJC. It was important to her new career. It was her first major project and she needed to succeed.
Lucy's words sprang to mind. "Screw him," she'd said.
"What? I thought you said I shouldn't get involved with him again."
"No, I mean screw him on price. Tell him you'll do whatever he wants if he gives you a discount on the software."
"I'm not going to do that! If he didn't think I was a whore before then he would if I said that."