him, in for a surprise. But for the time being, she’d play things his way.
Ramona nodded. “Basic. Good, rich, no frills.”
He realized that for a second, his breath had backed up into his lungs. That did it, no more sleeping on the office sofa.
“Are you describing the coffee or me?” He didn’t realize until he heard the words that he had said them out loud.
She smiled in response and for a second, he didn’t think she was going to answer. But then she grinned impishly and said, “Both,” just before she left the office.
Paul sat there for a long moment, staring at the closed door. He needed to get his day going, he reminded himself, not try to figure out the puzzles that hid behind Ramona’s sparkling eyes and long, shapely legs.
Crossing to the door, he locked it and then went to change into the spare suit he kept on hand.
A shower would have been nice, as well, but that was a luxury he couldn’t afford right now. He had a full schedule today, which was why he’d suggested doing the orientation so early. These days, he thought as he swiftly changed clothes, he always felt as if he was half a league behind in his life.
Someday, he promised himself, he was going to catch up.
Ramona was just looking at her watch for a second time, wondering if Paul Armstrong had decided to postpone her orientation tour after all when she heard the light rap on her door.
Rather than bidding him to come in, she opened the door, thinking that was the friendlier path to take. She was trying everything in her power to build a bond between them. If she was going to get anywhere, she knew she needed to erase that suspicious glint that came into his eyes whenever he looked at her.
Her immediate goal was to put him at ease and get him to trust her. If she could accomplish that, everything else would fall into place, both her primary reason for being here and the one she’d given her editor, Walter Jessup, so that she’d have his blessing and backing to be here.
“Hi,” she greeted Armstrong brightly as she opened the door. “I thought maybe you’d changed your mind or forgotten about me.”
“Not much chance of that,” he said, commenting on the last phrase.
Paul sincerely doubted that anyone could forget about Ramona Tate once they met her. She wasn’t the kind of woman who, left unseen, would just fade into some nether field. She had the kind of face that lingered on a man’s mind long after she’d walked away. Long after.
Closing the door again, Ramona produced a tall container of coffee, strong and hot, and held it out to him.
“Coffee, as promised,” she said.
It smelled rich and delicious. He was willing to bet any amount of money that this coffee had definitely not emerged out of any of the vending machines located on the first floor. Or any of the other institute floors for that matter.
Tempted, he took a sip and savored the outstanding brew for a moment. “Where did you get this?”
Ramona gestured toward the machine. “I brought my own coffeemaker to work.” The machine, which first ground whole beans and then brewed the results, was sitting on a file cabinet that, when the last occupant worked out of this office, had housed countless piles of books and papers. “This way, I don’t have to drop everything to go find Starbucks.”
That sounded incredibly dedicated.
“I’m sure that when he hired you, my brother didn’t intend for you to be chained to your desk for hours at a time.”
Ramona didn’t respond to his statement. Instead, she seemed to be watching him intently as he paused to take another sip.
“So,” she asked, her voice a tad lower and more melodic, “is it the way you like it?”
Jarred, Paul blinked and stared at her. He must have heard wrong. “Excuse me?”
“The coffee.” She nodded at the container he held in his hand. “Is it the way you like it?”
“Oh.” For a minute, he thought she was asking him if he—
Unconsciously shaking his head, Paul banished the thought that had popped unwittingly into his head.
“You didn’t like it?” Ramona asked, trying to make sense out of the way he was reacting.
She looked disappointed. Was she that sensitive? Or was this all an act for some reason he couldn’t quite fathom yet?
“No. I mean yes, I did. And no, that wasn’t why I was shaking my head.” It felt as if his thoughts were all scrambled and it was only partially due to his waking up so abruptly. “I’m just trying to get the last of the cobwebs out of my brain.”
She smiled and indicated the container with her eyes. “If you finish the coffee, I think the cobwebs will self-destruct on their own. Oh.” She said the words as if she suddenly remembered something. Before he could ask if she had, she answered his question. “I brought pastries.” She flashed a grin and a little ray of sunshine entered the room. It was becoming a given. “In case you wanted something sweet to go along with your coffee.”
The sweet thing that he found himself wanting to go along with his coffee hadn’t come from any oven, but because he was hungry, he forced his thoughts to zero in on the practical.
Ramona was taking the box she’d brought out of the double drawer where she’d put it. Placing it on her desk, she took off the lid and pushed the box closer toward Paul. He took one small muffin and sat down in the chair facing her desk.
She took a seat, as well. “I’m guessing this sort of thing happens to you on a regular basis. Spending the night here,” she added when Armstrong looked at her quizzically.
She was right, but he had no idea where she’d gotten her conclusion from. He doubted that very many people here took note of the fact that sometimes his hours threaded themselves well into the night if the situation called for it.
“What makes you say that?” he wanted to know.
“Your clothes. You changed,” she pointed out when he looked down at what he was wearing. “You keep a change of clothing in your office or locker or whatever. That means you’ve slept in your office.”
He saw no harm in admitting to her that she’d deduced correctly. “It’s happened a few times,” he acknowledged.
Armstrong seemed almost modest. She prided herself on being able to spot a phony. Could he actually be the genuine article?
“You must be very dedicated,” she observed with what she felt was just the right touch of awe.
He didn’t know if he’d call it dedicated. He did feel a sense of responsibility toward the people who came to his father’s institute.
“The people who come here looking for help are desperate,” he told her without any fanfare. “We’re their last hope. You tend to feel responsible for them as well as to them. If I’m only available to them on a strict schedule or when it’s convenient for me, then
