sort of menial labor.
“Where did you go to school?” he asked, his curiosity aroused.
“Southern Methodist University. I wanted to stay close to home and was fortunate to receive a scholastic scholarship that helped me do so.”
“You’ve got me beat by a long shot. I managed an education of sorts, mostly by going to night school while I worked during the day.” As soon as he stopped speaking, Brad was appalled that he had mentioned his background to her. He never discussed his past. Talk about sabotaging himself! He quickly continued. “What did you major in?”
Her smile flashed once more. “You might find it strange for me to interview for a receptionist position, but I took all the business courses I could…accounting, business law, office management…”
She continued to list the subjects he knew little about. He had to pinch himself to be sure he wasn’t dreaming. When she finished her list, he said, “I’ll make a deal with you.”
“Go on.”
“If you’ll come to work for me starting next Monday, you can decide your salary. Look at the books and the overhead. Pay yourself whatever’s left. How’s that?”
“You can’t be serious.” Disapproval frosted her words. He wasn’t surprised. Her reaction was proof enough he’d chosen the perfect candidate for the job.
“I need someone with your skills,” he said, wanting to convince her he wasn’t a complete loon. “Do you intend to take advantage of me?”
She looked at him with reproach. “Of course not.”
“Then I don’t see a problem.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing.” She eyed him for the first time with suspicion.
He grinned. “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, but no, I don’t do drugs and outside of an occasional beer, don’t drink much, either.”
“How did you know what I was thinking?” she asked, startled.
“You have a very expressive face,” he replied, still smiling. “So, will you consider it? I can take you to the office. I still have a lot to do to have it ready by Monday, but I promise you a place to work by then.” He paused, silently pleading for her to agree.
“All right,” she eventually said, sounding a little uncertain.
“Great,” he said, immediately standing. “You want to ride with me?”
She moved more slowly and with a great deal more grace. “It would be more efficient if I followed you, wouldn’t it?”
Already thinking ahead, he thought, barely able to control the grin that kept threatening to break out. “Sure. Whatever you want.” He left a tip on the table, stopped and paid for their coffee and escorted her outside. “Where’s your car?”
She pointed to a small economy car that looked well used and equally well cared for.
“I’m over here,” he said, pointing to his beat-up truck with its faded red finish that blended well with the rust. After escorting her to her car, he strode to his truck and got in. He waited until she pulled out before he moved into traffic.
Brad was excited about being able to show off his office to someone. He’d been working out of his small apartment so long that he could barely find his way through the place, what with all the papers, files and other business-related products scattered around.
He drove to an older part of town and pulled into the parking lot of a red-brick building from the 1930s. Someday he’d have his own building or a large suite of offices in a prestigious office complex.
Brad stood by his truck and waited for Ms. Wood to pull into the space next to him. Three parking spaces were marked with signs saying Reserved for Phillips Construction Company.
Here was physical proof that he had moved up in the business world. With Ms. Wood’s help, there would be no stopping the company’s growth.
Of course, the future wasn’t reflected in his account ledgers just yet, but he knew the money would be there in the next few years.
They took the elevator to the third floor without speaking. The office was on the top floor, with a nice view of downtown Dallas.
He walked to the end of the hall and unlocked the door with a frosted-glass window. With a slight bow, he stepped back and waved her through the open doorway.
She stepped into the newly renovated space and stopped. “Oh, my. I wasn’t expecting anything quite this large.”
He shrugged. “Well, I figured that since I’m going to be here for a while I’d take the space while it was available. Besides, there will be offices for my site supervisors—when I get them—and I’ll need an office, as will you. Eventually there needs to be a place for a receptionist—”
She turned and faced him with raised brows. “I thought I was going to be your receptionist?”
He nodded. “Sure, at first. But the way I see it, some day you’ll be my administrative assistant with a secretary of your own. That is, if you want to invest your time and energy into making all of this work.”
She walked to one of the windows and looked out. The two men he’d pulled off his crew to finish the place had left everything where they’d been working at quitting time, thinking no one would see the mess. Brad was so used to the clutter of renovation that he’d been oblivious to the mess until now. Seeing the place through her eyes, he could understand that she might not be quite as impressed as he’d hoped.
When she turned away from the window, she looked around at the large open space, her brows raised slightly. “Are you sure this will be finished by Monday? That’s less than a week away.”
“No problem. We’ll finish a few rooms now and leave the rest of the area for storage. Since none of my clients ever see my office, there’s no reason to get fancy.”
She nodded thoughtfully as she continued to inspect the space.
He waited, not wanting to push her. He’d given her the best pitch he could. The decision was hers. He wished there was some way he could show her his vision for the company. There were no guarantees, of course, but he knew that hard work could produce amazing results.
Brad watched while she stepped over and around the clutter and studied the layout from a drawing pinned to one of the walls. Without turning, she asked, “I’m presuming that you’ll have furniture?”
He laughed. “It’ll be delivered Monday. It’s used but in good shape.”
She continued to prowl until she’d seen everything. Rachel walked to where he stood and asked, “What time do you want me here on Monday?”
He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the company was on its way.
Since then they’d been a team. They had worked together smoothly and efficiently for eight years. He had a hunch that was due more to her diplomacy than to his communication skills. Once he got to know her, Brad discovered Rachel to be as conservative and well-bred
