“Come work for me,” Jesse said suddenly. He’d been quiet for the last few minutes which worried me but then he dropped that bombshell and it had thrown me for a loop. Work with him? Surely that was insane.
“I don't know anything about the building trade,” I told him honestly. If in fact he was somehow being serious about hiring me, I needed him to know that I knew next to nothing about his line of work. I hadn't worked since my days in high school and that had only been part time at the local restaurant, waiting tables. Once I became pregnant Rob took care of everything and I’ve not worked since.
“We’d start you off slowly, answering phone calls and keeping the office tidy until you picked up more. Then eventually you’d be responsible for inputting the data off the time cards of the employees, sorting out their wages and vacation requests, and then booking in potential clients. It sounds like a lot now but I know it would become easy given enough time and training.” He looked at me, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips, lips that I very much wanted to kiss more and more each passing moment I spent sitting here with him.
“I..I..I don't know what to say,” I stuttered, floored by his kindness. This time he reached over and grasped both of my hands in his own.
“Say you’ll do it. You’d be really helping me out. Travis is shit as a receptionist. His telephone manner is utterly shocking, in fact I’m surprised we are still in business. He hasn't got a clue on how to work the wages system. Shit I don't either, half the time we wing it.” He laughed shaking his head. “Fuck, I really don't know how we’re still going.” His laughed continued. “Please say you’ll help.”
Who was I to turn down such a great opportunity? This could very well be the answer to my prayers. I just had to make sure I kept some distance between Jesse and me. Office romances very rarely turned out well and there's no way in hell I'd ruin this chance of getting my life back on track again. Nope, I wasn’t going to be mixing business with pleasure any time soon.
“When do I start?” I asked him as I flashed him a wide smile, one he returned wholeheartedly.
“You're working with the hottie now?”
“No, Nan. I’m working for Jesse, not with him.” I refused to entertain her and her teasing.
After our coffee Jesse had taken me back to my car where he told me he would see me later to go over the details of the position he had just offered me. He said he’d speak to Travis and let me know when I could start but he was aiming for Monday of this coming week. That gave me a few days to get myself sorted and ready to start, which unfortunately included going back to my old house and finding all my clothes that could be worn at the office.
“With him, for him. It’s all just words. I shall wait for the day you come home and tell me something else.” I was sitting on the grass watching her prune her beloved garden. She’d spent many an hour out here, tending to her plants and flowers. It was her favorite pastime, one that hadn't changed over the years.
“And what exactly would that be?” I rose to her baiting, wanting to know what on earth she was twittering on about.
“That you two are together,” she said casually as she carried on snipping at her hedgerow.
“What!” I shouted, shocked that she would even think of that happening. Of course I wished that it could but I doubted very much that it ever would.
“Don't what me, Willow. I've seen the way you look at him, so I know you find him attractive.”
“Well, he is,” I told her honestly. Jesse was hotter than hot, I'd be stupid to not notice that. Every time I saw him I saw something new about him that made me like him just that little bit more.
“And I’ve seen how he looks at you when he thinks no one is looking. Believe me when I say this, child. Jesse wants you and from the looks I see him throwing your way, he's planning on having you.”
Struck dumb by my nan’s words I continued to sit there, mulling over what she’d said. Jesse wanted me? Surely she was seeing things? She’s getting up there in age now and her eyesight is questionable most days, so there stands a very good chance that she’d not seen what she thought she had. Yep, that's probably it.
Standing up I brush the seat of my jean shorts down. “I’m going inside, it's getting too warm out here.” I was eager to make my escape before she spouted anything more I got up.
“That's it, Willow. Run away from me but there is no running away from him. This is going to be so much fun to watch play out.” Her cackling followed me as I quickly made my way back into the house.