Nine Months

“Yes, I have.”

“We reward good work. Performance like yours deserves an increase in salary.” The moment the words were out, Jared wished them back. God, how would she interpret what he’d said? Would she think he was referring to their one-night stand instead of her excellent work record?

“I—I… Thank you.”

“I understand that Greg…Mr. Addison, has asked you out several times.” Jared took a deep breath and swallowed hard. “I want to assure you that he won’t bother you again. One thing we pride ourselves on at Montgomery’s is a sexual-harassment-free workplace for our employees.”

“I understand, and I’m sure all your employees are grateful. But Mr. Addison didn’t offend me in any way. He was a perfect gentleman every time he asked me for a date.”

Unlike you. Jared heard the words she left unsaid. Greg had always acted like a perfect gentleman, whereas he, on the other hand, had acted like a barbarian. He—a stranger—had taken her, passionately, standing up, in a stalled elevator. And afterward, told her to forget it had ever happened. No doubt Ms. Summers didn’t think much of him. And he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t think much of himself and his actions that Friday evening four months ago.

“I’m glad to know that Greg didn’t offend you.” Jared picked up the folder, sat down behind his desk and opened the file. “I want you to be happy here, Ms. Summers. If you ever have a problem of any kind, I want you to come to me. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.”

For the next twenty minutes, Jared went through the motions, putting on his best Big Boss facade. He’d been fooling himself to think getting Paige out of his system would take nothing more than seeing her again. If anything, being around her again made him want her all the more. Hell, if she wasn’t his employee and if she wasn’t so damned young and sweet, he’d rush her into a torrid affair and let the fire between them burn itself out. But as things stood, he would have to take an alternative route.

Jared decided he’d have to suffer through more withdrawal symptoms and try to find solace in the arms of another woman. Maybe tonight. He sure as hell hoped so. He couldn’t go around the office every day blatantly aroused. That was something he couldn’t pretend didn’t exist.

* * *

“Have you got things wrapped up?” Kay asked as she stopped by Paige’s desk.

“Just about. Give me another five minutes. Mr. Montgomery is trying to make up for lost time today.” Paige didn’t admit to Kay that her inability to finish up on time had more to do with her frame of mind than with Jared’s workload.

“I know why I don’t have a dinner date tonight and am going out with a female friend,” Kay said. “But why aren’t you dating someone?”

“I—I…uh…there’s someone. I mean, there was someone and I’m not quite over him.”

“Oh, brother, do I know how that is. As bad as my marriage was, I sometimes find myself thinking about that bastard I stayed with for five years. I loved him so much when we first got married.”

“I always thought love—real love—was meant to last a lifetime, even forever.”

“Yeah, well, so did I. But when love is one-sided, it can’t last. My ex-husband loved me, I suppose. In his own way. The only problem was that he loved half a dozen other women just as much.”

“Oh, Kay, I’m so sorry. You’ve never said before what happened.”

“And you were too nice to ask.”

“My college boyfriend left me for someone else, too,” Paige said. “I guess I should have known it would happen. The whole time we were dating, he kept trying to change me. He hated that I was so emotional and naive. He wanted me to be someone I wasn’t. If he had truly loved me, he would have accepted me for who I was.”

The outer office door opened and a tall blonde sailed in, swaying her slender hips and smiling warmly at Kay and Paige. The woman was beautiful. She was dressed in the height of fashion, and diamonds and gold accented her ears, fingers and wrists.

“May I help you?” Paige asked.

“Are you Jared’s administrative assistant?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then you can help me. Please tell him I’m here.” She held out her hand to Paige. “Marcy Dailey. Jared asked me to meet him here.”

“Paige Summers.” Still seated behind her desk, she lifted her hand and exchanged a cordial greeting with Ms. Dailey. Returning the woman’s smile, Paige wondered just who Marcy Dailey was.

“Oh, you’re Mr. Montgomery’s interior decorator, aren’t you? I’m Kay Thompson. You picked up the keys to Mr. Montgomery’s house from me a couple of months ago.”

“Oh, yes, Ms. Thompson. I remember you.”

“I thought you’d finished the decorating job,” Kay said.

“I did. I’m not here on business. Jared called earlier today and asked if I was free for dinner tonight.”

Paige felt as if someone had hit her in the stomach. His first night back in Grand Springs and he already had a date. With another woman! And not only was the other woman beautiful, she was nice, dammit!

“I’ll tell Mr. Montgomery that you’re here,” Paige said.

You are not going to let this upset you, she told herself. What difference does it make? She already knew that she didn’t mean a thing to Jared, that he’d put their night together behind him. As far as he was concerned, it hadn’t happened. But it did happen, she wanted to scream. And I have the living proof growing inside me.

Before Paige had a chance to inform Jared that his dinner date had arrived, he opened his office door and stuck his head out. “Ms. Summers, could you— Oh, Marcy, hello.” He glanced down at his watch. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was so late. Give me a minute and I’ll be right with you.”

“Is there something you need?” Paige asked.

Yes, Jared thought. I need for you to stop looking at me with those sexy brown eyes of yours. I need to get you out of my mind. I need to regain my equilibrium and put my life back on track. “No, Ms. Summers. It can wait until tomorrow.”

He rushed back into his office and reemerged after putting on his jacket and straightening his tie. Without giving either employee another glance, Jared said, “Good night. See you both in the morning.” He took Ms. Dailey by the arm and escorted her out of the office.

Paige jumped up from her desk and ran toward the bathroom. She thought her bouts with morning sickness had ended weeks ago, but she made it to the rest room just in time. She lifted the commode seat, bent over and vomited.

Kay rushed in behind her, wet a paper towel and handed it to Paige. “You haven’t had one of these episodes in weeks. Are you all right?”

Paige had thought she’d hidden her morning sickness quite well and had been unaware that Kay suspected anything. Her friend had never mentioned it.

“Thanks, Kay.” Paige flushed the commode, then accepted the damp towel and wiped her face with it. “I’m all right now. It’s been a trying day. I think the stress of having Mr. Montgomery here in the office just got to me.”

“Stress over L.J.’s presence might have triggered this little bout of nausea, but it doesn’t explain the weeks of morning sickness you’ve been experiencing.”

“Morning sickness? I don’t know—”

“I was pregnant once,” Kay said. “I was sick for four and a half months. I miscarried the baby. Lucky for all of us, I guess, since my marriage didn’t last.”

“Kay, I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, my problems are in the past. What about yours? You’re obviously pregnant and unmarried.”

“Do you think anyone else here at Montgomery’s suspects?”

“No one suspects a thing. Believe me. I hear all the gossip that goes on not only at Montgomery’s but in the entire Wellman building.”