much you wanted the opportunity to expand our market, but I’m telling you right now, if we manage to get through this project without being sued or losing our shirts over her costly proposed changes, I’ll consider us way ahead of the game.”
Carl had been with him since the beginning, and Brad learned a long time ago to listen to him. If he said the situation was serious, Brad believed him. Hearing the testiness in Carl’s voice, Brad deliberately used a light tone when he replied, “That bad, huh?”
“Worse,” Carl snapped back. “When can you get here?”
Brad hadn’t taken his eyes off Rachel during the conversation. His brain kicked into high gear. Maybe this could be used to his advantage. He did not want to lose Rachel, even for a few days, much less weeks or months.
He mentally reviewed his schedule and realized that nothing had gone according to plan since he had arrived that morning to discover Rachel was missing. He scanned his appointment book, then answered Carl.
“I should be able to be in Asheville by five or thereabout.”
Carl gave a sigh of relief. “Great. I’ll be there to meet you. We’re about forty miles from Asheville. I can fill you in on the particulars on our way back.”
“Sounds good to me. Oh, and Carl?”
“Yeah?” Carl sounded much better already.
“Take the rest of the day off…boss’s orders.”
Carl’s rumbling laugh filled the room, causing Rachel to smile. “You don’t have to say that twice. See ya around five,” he replied and hung up.
Brad broke the connection, then hit the speed dial. When a voice answered, he asked, “Steve, how soon can you have the plane ready?”
Without hesitation, Steve Parsons, the pilot of the company’s jet, replied, “Within the hour. Where are we going?”
“Asheville, North Carolina. Rachel and I will grab a quick bite to eat and see you at the hangar.” He hung up without looking at her and waited.
He didn’t have to wait long.
“I can’t go to North Carolina with you, Brad! I need to pack to leave town as soon as possible. I thought I made that clear to you.”
Brad smiled and spread his arms in an expansive movement. “Don’t you see? That’s exactly what you’re doing. I think Carl has inadvertently come up with the perfect solution. You can leave town and continue to work.”
Her exasperation with him almost made him laugh. He felt better already. He was buying time until he could think of something else. She’d sprung this on him today, while she had been dealing with it for some time.
“Going to North Carolina is a temporary fix, Brad.” She sounded as though she were attempting to reason with an obstinate child.
He nodded, feeling better the more he thought about his impromptu plan. “Of course it’s temporary, but the trip will give us time to look at other options that don’t include your taking a leave of absence,” he replied, using the same reasoning tone of voice.
“I’ve already gone over the options.” She was beginning to sound downright testy. “This is the best one.”
“How do you know? Maybe I’ll think of something you haven’t considered. What do you have to lose?”
She shook her head. “It’s just postponing the inevitable, Brad, and you know it.”
“Humor me, all right?” He stood and walked around the desk. “Let’s go find something to eat before we head to the airport.”
“I can’t go with you without advance notice. I need some clothes. I—”
“You can buy anything you need there. Let’s go.” He picked up his briefcase, which always carried a fresh shirt, underwear and socks—but he saw no reason to apprise her of that fact—and on impulse grabbed her hand to assist her out of her chair. The unexpected contact startled them both.
From the day he had hired her, Brad had deliberately refrained from physical contact with Rachel. He’d decided that keeping her at a safe distance would be the wisest course of action.
Rachel stood and immediately removed her hand from his. She made it obvious that she was not pleased with his solution. “This isn’t a good idea, you know,” she argued valiantly, but she knew him well enough by now to know he wouldn’t give in.
“On the contrary,” he replied with a grin. “I’m convinced I’ve come up with a brilliant piece of strategy. C’mon, let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”
She followed him through his office door, no doubt continuing to marshal her arguments, he thought.
He stopped at his secretary’s desk. “Janelle, cancel any appointments Rachel and I have for the rest of the week.” He looked at his watch and grimaced. “Rich is no doubt somewhere having lunch.”
Richard Harmon had taken on the onerous task of office manager five years ago. He had excellent skills for keeping the place running smoothly. Since Brad and Rachel were seldom gone at the same time, Brad had never had to rely on Rich’s ability to take over the reins of the company. This might be an excellent opportunity to see how well he handled the responsibility.
“Please send a memo to Rich and tell him we’ll both be out of town for the next few days and that he’s in charge. If he needs to contact me, I’ll have my cell phone with me. Be sure to give him that number. If anything comes up that he doesn’t feel qualified to handle, tell him I want him to contact me immediately.” Janelle wrote the instructions down, keeping up with him with seeming ease.
Janelle Andrews had come to work for the company five years ago as well. In her late forties, Janelle was a human dynamo, keeping up with the paperwork for both of them without showing stress or strain. Brad appreciated the fact that Janelle did not gossip, kept her work confidential and had a pleasant disposition. He knew he’d been fortunate to gather together such a solid, dependable staff.
Janelle quickly scanned the appointment book, reminding him of what appointments were being canceled. He suggested that she reschedule all of them for early next week. “Explain that an emergency called me out of town,” he concluded.
She smiled and said, “Have a safe trip,” including both of them in the statement.
Brad turned, and he and Rachel followed the hallway into the large reception area. Melinda, the young receptionist, smiled at them. Brad nodded and walked toward the company’s entrance—double glass doors bearing the inscription Phillips Construction Company.
Brad mentally ran through what Rachel had told him—while they waited for the elevator, rode down to the basement parking garage and walked to his sleek sports car.
There were times when Rachel irritated him with her insistence on being so blasted self-sufficient. On the other hand, that’s what made her such a great assistant.
Rachel broke the silence between them when they reached his car. “You don’t have to do this, you know,” she said, sounding almost reconciled to the trip, which made her continued resistance to his plan easier
