Kane leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the desk pad and marshaling his arguments. It was time to get tough.
Chapter Two
Maggie looked down at her hands. They were still shaking. When Mr. Haley had told her to call the Lakeside Reproductive Clinic, she’d nearly had a heart attack. That was the very clinic where she’d undergone artificial insemination just five months ago. What on earth did he want to talk to them about?
Whatever it was would have to wait until Monday. She’d made the call, but the clinic was closed on Fridays. He would have to call back next week. When she’d told him, he’d growled, but he hadn’t given as much as a clue as to what business he had with them.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to settle herself. All right. This was it. She had to find the words to tell her boss that she was pregnant, and she had to do it right away. She couldn’t go on like this.
A sound from behind made her jump, but it was only the company mail delivery.
“Hi, CeCe,” she said to the short, dark-haired woman counting out envelopes to leave in her box. “So what’s new out there in the Kane Haley, Incorporated, world?”
“Well, let’s see,” CeCe offered, narrowing her dark eyes as she thought things over. “Jolene Brown on the third floor says since we’re putting in a day-care center for the babies, we should have one for pets, too.”
“Pets!”
“Yup. Seems she’s having trouble with a new Yorkie she inherited. It’s eating up her house while she’s gone, one room at a time. She’d rather have him here where she can keep an eye on him.”
“Call a dog psychologist,” Maggie suggested with a laugh.
CeCe nodded. “I’ll pass on your advice,” she promised, turning to go. “Meanwhile, got any hot rumors you want me to spread?”
“Rumors?” Maggie’s smile faltered. “No, of course not. Why do you ask?”
CeCe looked at her curiously. “No reason,” she said slowly, narrowing her eyes. “No reason at all.”
And Maggie cursed her own guilty reaction as the woman left, her mail cart squeaking. “Way to go, Maggie,” she scolded herself. “Nothing like planting a seed in fertile ground.”
The phone rang and she jumped, grabbing it.
“Hello?” she said breathlessly, expecting bad news, just because it seemed to be that sort of day.
“Maggie?” Her friend Sharon sounded surprised. “Are you okay?”
“Oh.” Maggie tried to laugh. “Of course I am. I was just…sort of rushing around here when you called and you startled me.”
“Oh.” Sharon sounded a bit bewildered, but ready to accept the explanation as offered. “Well, listen. A bunch of us are going out to the Copper Penny for lunch, and I was just wondering…would you like to come along?”
Maggie grimaced. It was awfully nice of Sharon to include her. As the administrative assistant to Kane Haley, she didn’t often get treated like “one of the girls.” And she loved the Copper Penny. They had the greatest Caesar salads. But she knew she had to decline.
“I’d love to, Sharon, but I’m afraid I’ve got too much work to do.”
The work wasn’t the reason. Money was. She couldn’t afford to go out to lunch any longer. She had to save every cent for her baby.
“I think I’ll just stay in the office and have a sandwich,” she told her friend.
“You want me to bring you one back?”
“No. No,” she said quickly. “Thanks, though. I brought one from home.”
“Okay. We’ll miss you.”
She chatted with her friend for another moment, then hung up, smiling as she replaced the receiver, but feeling just a hint of envy. Sharon was pregnant, too, but she wasn’t hiding it. And she had a group of good friends to support her, not to mention the baby’s father. It must be nice having all that help.
Suddenly Maggie felt very much alone. Placing her hand over her stomach, she thought of her baby. Was she really sure she’d done the right thing? Was she going to be able to make it on her own? And was it fair to her child? She wished she’d waited a while longer before doing this. If only she’d confided in a few people, talked it over, listened to some other experiences before she’d jumped into this. Now she was about to make her boss her only confidant. Nothing was turning out to be the way she’d expected.
Pushing aside doubts, she got very busy during the next half hour or so, and had to run down to Financial to discuss some statistics they’d sent up that morning. When she returned, she assumed her boss had gone out to lunch. She knew Hannah and Kate, the two secretaries in the adjoining office, had gone. The building was quiet. Everyone was either off at a restaurant or down in the cafeteria. Pulling her paper bag out of a bottom drawer, she spread the contents out on her desk and looked at it.
One simple peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread, with just a touch of marmalade, one little box of dried cranberries and an apple. She’d had the same thing for lunch every day for the last month. Staring down at it, she tried to work up some enthusiasm.
“Eating at your desk again?” Kane Haley came out of his office, startling her. He peered at her lunch bag, then at her paltry meal. “Peanut butter sandwiches?”
“They are very nutritious,” she replied defensively, unwrapping the plastic and placing the sandwich out on a napkin as she glanced his way.
He was so handsome, his skin tanned even in the depths of winter, his dark hair just unruly enough to look casual. All in all, he was a very sexy guy. Funny how she seemed to be noticing that more and more lately.
He raised one sleek dark eyebrow as he gazed at her skimpy sandwich with a sardonic twist to his mouth. “I’m sure they’re full of good things. But not exactly gourmet fare.”
“I can’t afford gourmet fare at this point.” She looked away quickly, feeling flustered and wishing he would go on toward the elevator and leave her alone.
But he seemed in no hurry to leave. Instead of heading for the exit, he casually propped himself on the corner of her desk, one leg swinging, as though he were planning to oversee her lunching activities.
“Why Maggie,” he said, his voice warm with teasing humor. “Are you angling for a raise?”
Her eyes widened. “No, sir, I…”
He laughed. “Don’t worry. I put in a great evaluation for you just last week. I’m sure there will be something for you when Personnel gets through with their calculations.”
“Oh.” She wanted to thank him, but she didn’t want to sound too desperate. Even if she was exactly that. “I’m…well, thank you very much, Mr. Haley.”
“Don’t thank me.” His smile made her toes curl. “Your work is tops and you
