I spent most of the morning repeating the story so many times I wanted to write it down, make copies and then just hand them out. I decided to send a mass email instead, because now that I was an assistant short, I had a shit ton of work to do.
I got a few responses and a few questions, but for the most part people didn’t say much.
Staring at Lucah’s empty desk all day was more depressing than I thought it would be. I’d gotten so used to looking across the room and seeing that face with the freckles and the chin dimple smiling back at me.
Mrs. Andrews came into my office unannounced and closed the door before coming to sit in the chair on the other side of my desk.
“So I hear Mr. Blaine has flown the coop.”
“Yes, he called me last night and handed in his resignation. I have no idea why, but I’m not very happy. Now I have to hire yet another assistant.” I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“Rory,” she said, giving me a look that told me she could see right through my bullshit.
“Okay, okay. It’s a long story and I’m not supposed to go into it,” I said and she raised one eyebrow.
“I see,” she said in a cryptic way. “Well, it’s a shame and I think we’re going to miss him. But if you want to talk about it, I’m here.” She stared at me as if she was trying to convey something else as well. I didn’t know if it was because of my relationship with Lucah, or if she knew about what he was really doing here.
Je-sus Christ. I couldn’t deal with these people.
Dad came right to my office when he got back and gave me a big hug, even though the door was open.
“Oh, I missed you. I also heard you are one assistant short. You want to tell me about that?” He pulled back and studied my face. I looked into his eyes, which were just like mine and . . .
I told him everything.
Not all the sexual details (oh hell no) but that Lucah and I had a relationship behind his back and that we’d been seeing each other. I waited for his reaction, and for him to tell me that he’d known all along about why Lucah was here.
Dad watched me and listened with a completely emotionless face. I knew I was blushing for some of the story, but once I finished, I was freaking out to know what was going on in his head.
“Are you completely ashamed of me?” I said in a voice that made me feel like I was a kid again and I had broken something important to him and had to ‘fess up.
“Rory Abigail. Do you think that I didn’t know that you were having a relationship with him? I think I knew what was happening before you knew. I saw how you looked at him and I saw how he looked at you. And I also caught him passing you notes in a meeting. I know you were trying to be discreet, but you didn’t do a very good job.”
Oh, I needed to sit down. I sunk into my chair.
“Does everyone know?” I said as he pulled my other chair around so he could sit across from me. I was having trouble breathing. I needed to open a window, but I couldn’t move.
“Oh, I think everyone else was too wrapped up in their own little lives to worry about you. I also deflected a few times for you. I’m not ashamed of you, Rory. You’re my daughter and you met a nice boy and he just happened to work with you. Yes, it is against the rules, but some rules are meant to be broken. What does your gut tell you about him?”
“That I love him.” There was no point in lying about that, even if I could get away with it.
“Then that’s all that matters.” He shrugged and acted like it was nothing. Who was this man? I had memories of him taking people’s asses and handing them back with a smile for much, much less. He’d been harder on his employees when he was younger, but still. My Dad made sure that everything was up to par and he didn’t accept anything less than perfection from his employees.
“Did you know about him?” I ask in a small voice.
“Yes. I did. I was the one who found him and hired him.”
“Who else knew?”
“Mrs. Andrews, Hal. A few more on the board. I’m not surprised he told you.” He shook his head back and forth and smiled at me.
“Well, I kind of forced it out of him.” He hadn’t really had a choice when I confronted him at the restaurant.
“That’s my girl.”
“Are you going to fire me?” I didn’t know if he could even do this, since we were family.
“Would you like me to fire you?” Okay, remember what I said about special treatment? Forget that.
“No!”
“Well, you did break the rules and you signed a Code of Conduct that stated you would be terminated if you violated it. So, what would you like me to do?” Have amnesia? Pretend he hadn’t seen anything? Set the building on fire? Build a time machine?
“I can see that mind of yours working. So, what’s the verdict, Rory girl?”
“I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to lose my job and I don’t want to lose him. I want to have it all. I want my flipping cake and I want to eat it.” Or have sex with it. Did that make Lucah the cake?
I wasn’t thinking about the important things at the moment.
“Then I guess that means that I have never seen any misconduct on your side or on his. Neither has Mrs. Andrews. And this is the last time we’ll talk about this particular issue, seeing as how he is no longer employed by this company, and technically wasn’t in the first place, since he was using an alias. If you were to start seeing him after his termination, then that wouldn’t violate any rules. So.”
“So,” I said, letting out a breath. “That’s it?”
He put his hands out.
“That’s it.”
That couldn’t be it. All that and no big deal? All the worrying and freaking out and all of it for nothing?
“I need to sit down,” I said, forgetting that I was, in fact, already sitting. Dad just laughed.
“I just remember the trials and tribulations I had to go through to get your mother. The hardships that you have to go through to be together make it worth it in the end. I only hope he can prove that he deserves you, Aurora.” He leaned forward and I hugged him again. There’s nothing like a hug from your Dad. I don’t care how old you are.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Anytime. You’re my only girl and I’d move the earth for you. But if you date someone else in this office, I’ll fire you. Got it?” I couldn’t tell if he was joking until he winked and kissed my forehead before leaving me alone in my office with a hell of a lot of thoughts.