I’ll call tomorrow.”
“You know he’d rather call you.”
“No kidding.” It was Max’s latest thing. Memorizing important phone numbers, making the calls himself. “Okay. Have him call about six. I’ll be home by then.”
“Home by then?” her mother echoed hopefully. “Something come up on the job front?”
“Oh, Mom. Cross your fingers for me and say a little prayer.”
“Honey, you know I will.”
“I heard about this great job opening up. Just tonight, as a matter of fact. You’ll never guess who I heard it from.…”
“Someone I know?”
“Uncle Drake.”
“Drake…Thatcher?” Her mom sounded as surprised to hear her half brother’s name as Shelly had been when she’d picked up the phone and heard his deep, smooth voice on the other end. Norma Winston and Drake moved in completely different circles. They exchanged Christmas cards, but that was about the extent of their keeping in touch.
“He called this afternoon. He was in town, he said, just for the day. He wanted to meet me. He said it was about time.”
“Well. I guess so.…” Her mother’s voice trailed off. Shelly knew she was wondering what could possibly have inspired her half brother suddenly to take an interest in Shelly, when up until now he’d behaved as if she didn’t exist.
“It is kind of strange, huh?” Shelly voiced her doubts. “I mean, him calling up out of the blue like that?”
“No. No, of course it isn’t. I think it’s…nice. It’s never too late to get to know your family.”
Shelly smiled again. Her mother was such a sweetie. Norma’s father, Bart Thatcher, had divorced Shelly’s grandmother and married “up” into a wealthy New York family, leaving his original family behind. Drake was the first child of Bart’s second marriage. He’d grown up rich as they come, while Norma had started out with so little. But Shelly’s mom had made a good life for herself and held no grudge.
“He took me to dinner,” Shelly said. “And when I told him I was looking for a job, he said there was something coming available at TAKA-Hanson. You’ve heard of Hanson North America, right?”
“Oh, yes.” Norma Winston prided herself on staying informed. She took three newspapers: the Mt. Vernon Register-News, the Tribune and the New York Times. She read all three, too.
“Uncle Drake says Hanson Media merged with a giant Japanese company called TAKA Corporation some years back, becoming Hanson North America here in the States. Since then, under the name TAKA-Hanson, the merged company branched out into other things, beyond the media business. Including this way upscale, exclusive hotel chain. I guess Uncle Drake’s got an ‘in’ there or something, though he was pretty vague about how he knew the job would be open.”
“But you’re excited?”
“Yeah. I am. I have a feeling this is it.”
“Well. I know it is.”
“Mom. That’s what I love about you and Dad. You’re always so sure good things will happen.”
“Because they will,” her mother said. And then she laughed. “Nothing but good news ahead.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right.”
Shelly was ready and waiting at the TAKA-Hanson building the next day when the human resources office opened. She turned in her résumé and made it through two tiers of interviews. When asked what brought her to apply at TAKA-Hanson, she played it safe and left her uncle Drake out of it.
“I like what I’ve heard about the company,” she said. It was true. She’d spent two hours on the Internet before bed the night before, researching like crazy, learning all she could about TAKA-Hanson, which had home offices in Chicago and Tokyo. “And it occurred to me I ought to come in and get my résumé on file,” she added. “Just in case.”
The woman across the desk nodded. “As it happens, your timing is perfect. We’ve learned this morning that Tom Holloway, CFO in our hospitality division, will be needing a new assistant.”
Yes! Inside, Shelly was jumping up and down, doing the happy dance. But when she spoke, it was in her most polished, professional tone. “It sounds like exactly what I’m looking for.”
The woman clicked her mouse and frowned at her computer screen. “If you’ve got time, I’d like to go ahead and send you upstairs now. You’ll meet with Verna Reed, the woman you would be replacing.”
“I have time. Definitely.”
The elevator ride to the top floor seemed to last forever. But the doors slid wide at last and a slim, fiftyish woman was waiting on the other side. “Shelly? I’m Verna. Follow me.…”
They went to Verna’s desk in a roomy alcove outside a closed door with Tom Holloway’s name on it. Verna looked over Shelly’s résumé and explained the job duties and asked questions about how Shelly might handle this or that situation. Shelly felt she did well. And she liked Verna, who was friendly and down-to-earth.
“I love this job,” Verna confessed. “The money’s great, there’s lots of variety—and Tom Holloway is my hands-down favorite as bosses go. But my husband’s retiring. You should see the RV he went out and bought. We’ve always said someday we’d travel together, see America, all that.” She cocked her neatly combed head. “Let me see if Tom can spare a minute or two for you right now. What do you say?”
Shelly’s heart did a forward roll. Yes! “I’d love to meet Tom.”
Two minutes later, Verna ushered her into the sunlit corner office. The man behind the wide desk looked up. He had gorgeous blue eyes. “Shelly. Hi.” He rose to greet her.
His jacket was nowhere in evidence and his silk shirt, which exactly matched those unforgettable eyes, was rolled to below the elbows. She took the hand he offered. His grip was solid. Strong.
When he released her hand, he gestured toward a nearby chair. She sat.
“Verna seems to think she’s already found her replacement.” He had a great voice. Deep and firm. Warm. And so…manly.
She grinned then. She just couldn’t help it. “I think so. And I really hope you think so, too.”
He had her résumé and application up on his computer. “Let me have a look here.…”
She waited, thinking how attractive he was, wondering if she was happy about that or not. Having a hunky boss could be a distraction.
But hey. She could learn to live with that. She could learn, easy.
“Everything seems to be in order here.” He sent her an approving glance. “Two years at Southern Illinois University studying business…and until a month ago, you were managing the office
