that be a good time? Get it together, Caitlyn.
“Just, what?” he asked, shooting her a half-interested glance as he studied the spreadsheet in front of him.
“Nothing.” She wasn’t going to tell him. Not about canceling the wedding. Oh, she’d have to eventually, since she’d put in for four weeks of honeymoon time. And now, sadly, she wouldn’t be needing it. “I wanted to remind you—you’ve got a two o’clock appointment with the head of Simpson Furniture and a dinner date with Claudia.”
Jefferson leaned back in his deep navy-blue leather chair, folded his hands over his midsection and said, “Don’t have time for Claudia today. Cancel it, will you? And…send her something.”
Caitlyn sighed, already anticipating the conversation she’d have to have with Claudia Stevens, the latest in a long string of gorgeous models and actresses. Claudia wasn’t used to men not dropping to their knees to adore her. She wanted Jefferson Lyon’s complete attention and she was never going to get it.
Caitlyn had known this would be coming. The man always canceled out on his dates. Or, rather, he had her cancel them. To Jefferson, work always came first and his life a very slow second. In three years she’d never seen him date a woman longer than six weeks—and those that lasted that long were seriously forgiving women.
Peter was sooooo wrong about her. She could never love a man like Jefferson Lyon. There was simply no future in it.
“She won’t be happy.”
He gave her a brief conspiratorial smile. “Hence the gift. Think jewelry.”
“Fine,” she said. “Gold or silver?”
He straightened up, grabbed his pen and turned back to the sheaf of papers awaiting his attention. “Silver.”
“What was I thinking?” Caitlyn muttered—because, of course, gold wasn’t gifted until the woman in question had lasted at least three weeks. “I’ll take care of it.”
“I have every confidence in you,” he said, but she was already leaving, walking back across the immense office. “And Caitlyn?”
She stopped, turned to look at him and noticed that the sunlight filtering in through the shaded glass gilded his hair. Frowning at that stray thought, she said, “Yes?”
“No interruptions today. Except for the two o’clock, I don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Right.” She walked through the door, closed it behind her and leaned back against it.
She’d made it. Made it through without once caving in to the shakes still quivering her stomach. Made it without feeling her eyes well up or her temper spike. She’d managed to hold it together and talk to Jefferson without once letting her emotions slip through.
After all, just because her fiancé had dumped her didn’t mean life as she knew it was over.
Jefferson worked through the day, got most of the immediate problems taken care of and finally looked up around six. Behind him, the sun was spreading color across the sky as it slid into the ocean. He didn’t take the time to admire it, though. There were still plenty of things that needed his attention. Most importantly the new bid on the passenger liner he was buying. A glance at the cover letter had him wincing and stretching out one hand to hit the buzzer on the intercom.
“Caitlyn, I need to see you.”
She opened the door a minute later, her purse slung over her shoulder as if he’d caught her on her way out. “What is it?”
“This,” he said, standing up and walking across the room. He held out the paper to her and said, “Read the second paragraph.”
Jefferson watched her tuck a strand of dark blond hair behind one ear as she read the document. And he saw her expression change slightly as soon as she caught the error he’d found only moments ago. This wasn’t like her. The best assistant he’d ever had, Caitlyn simply didn’t make mistakes. It was one of the reasons they did so well together.
His world ran smoothly, just the way he wanted it to. No surprises. No jolts. Everything neatly laid out in a pattern he chose. For Caitlyn to suddenly start making errors sent unexpected ripples through his universe.
“I’ll fix it immediately,” she said, lifting her gaze to his.
“Good. But what concerns me most is that the mistake happened in the first place.” He jabbed his index finger at the line that had caught his attention. “Offering five hundred million dollars for the cruise ship I’ve already agreed to pay fifty million for is not acceptable.”
She blew out a breath that ruffled the dark blond hair over her big brown eyes. “I know. But, Jefferson, no one saw this but you. It’s not as if the offer actually went out this way.”
“It could have.”
“But it didn’t.”
He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at her. Even in her high heels, she came in a good five inches shorter than his own six feet two inches. “This isn’t like you.”
She sighed again and admitted, “I didn’t type this up. Georgia did.”
Impatience lit a fire in his belly. He was a man who expected the same perfection from his employees as he did from himself. And as his admin, Caitlyn was responsible for the paperwork generated from this office. The fact that she was subcontracting to the secretaries irritated him.
“And why was Georgia involved at all? The woman is just barely competent.” An older woman, Georgia Morris had been with his family’s company for twenty years. She was practically an institution at Lyon Shipping. But that didn’t mean that Jefferson was blind to the woman’s ineptitude.
He was all for loyalty, but he had his limits.
Instantly, though, Caitlyn went on the defensive. Her posture straightened up and her chin rose to a defiant tilt. “Georgia’s perfectly competent. She works hard. This was a simple mistake.”
“Worth four hundred and fifty million dollars.”
She winced. “She was trying to help me out.”
“And why do you suddenly need help in doing a job you’ve performed for two years?”
“Three.”
“What?”
“Three years,” she said on a huff. “I’ve worked for you for three years.”
He hadn’t realized that. But at the same time, it was as if she’d always been there. A part of his day. An integral part of his business.
“Even more of a reason you shouldn’t require assistance,” Jefferson said, baffled at the way her eyes were beginning to flash. What in hell did she have to be upset about?
As if she’d read his mind, she took a moment and deliberately tried to calm herself. A long, deep breath, a tightening of her jaw and a long exhalation passed before she spoke again.
“I
