Chapter Twenty-Eight
in the day, after I'd resolved the issues between the warehouse workers and the construction crew and ironed out a number of issues with large orders that Sloan had generated, I got a call from Norma asking me to come up to Jack's office.
My stomach flipped over as I tried to anticipate what he might want. I couldn't help but recall the way that we'd almost kissed, and then my face burned with shame remembering how Jack had pulled away when Sloan had caught us. I told myself that what he wanted was nothing more than a professional run down of the warehouse and, as the manager, I was obligated to give him the figures. I gathered my reports and headed up to his office with a sinking feeling in my gut.
"Well, now aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Norma exclaimed as I walked through the door. She studied me for a moment and then said, "What's eating at you, darlin’? You look like you been rode hard and put up wet."
"Thanks, Norma," I said with a grimace. "You know how to make a girl feel good."
"Aw, honey, now don't go gettin' your knickers in a knot," Norma said with a smile as she pushed her jar of hard candy towards me. "Here, have a sweet treat, and tell me what's going on."
"I don't want to talk about it," I said as I reached in and grabbed a butterscotch disc.
"Sure you do," she said as she followed suit. "Unburdening yourself always feels good. Besides, maybe there's something I can do to help. You never know."
"My mother burned us out of our house yesterday, and we have no place to stay," I blurted out.
"Oh my God, darlin’!" Norma exclaimed as she shot up out of her chair and hurried around the desk. She put her arms around me and pulled me into a warm hug as the tears began to flow. She rubbed my back as she murmured, "Darlin', that's just terrible. All right, it's all going to be all right."
"I'm tired, Norma. I'm just so tired," I cried as she held me and patted my head.
"I know, darlin'," she said. "But the bigger issue is what are we going to do with you tonight? I'd invite you to stay with me, but I'm living with my daughter and her family while my apartment is being fumigated. And they've got three kids stuffed into that little place."
"I was thinking we could sleep in my office tonight, and I'd figure out something tomorrow," I said. "I can't go back to the rectory with my brother, but I've got Riley to think about. I can't have her sleeping on the floor in my office!"
"Nonsense, little girls like Riley are resilient, and they can adapt much better than adults," she said. "But you're right. You can't sleep in your office."
Norma rocked me back and forth as she talked out loud about the possibilities. When I'd calmed down enough to wipe away the tears and take a deep breath, she told me her plan.
"While you're in there meetin' with Jack, I'm going to call around and see if I can find you a place for a couple of nights," she said. "I'll charge it to the company account, and you can pay it back before the accounts get reconciled next month. I'll make sure it's somewhere safe, but affordable."
"Thank you, Norma," I said as Jack buzzed her on the intercom and told her to send me in. I inhaled deeply to steel myself and opened his door.
"Leah, come in and have a seat," Jack said, pointing to the chair across from him. "I want to talk to you about something."
"I've got the warehouse reports right here," I said, holding up the stack of papers I'd printed out. "I can tell you where we need to improve and where all of our resources are lacking. I think we need to . . ."
"Riley tells me that you're in need of a good meal," he interrupted.
"I . . . what?" I said, stunned by the frankness of his statement and by the fact that he knew what was going on in my life.
"She said it's a bummer that she's been suspended and that you've been working late," he continued. "She said she'd love to have a good home cooked meal sometime."
"Jack, I—when did you talk with Riley?" I asked, thinking about how I was going to scold her for talking about our personal business with my boss.
"She came up here to talk with me about some things, and the subject came up," he shrugged. "It's not my place to tell you everything. I do think that the fact that you are my warehouse manager and you are in need of a good meal is something I need to address. I'd be a terrible boss if I didn't, wouldn't I?"
"Well, I wouldn't expect you to," I said as I looked at him carefully. He was smiling rather like the cat that ate the canary. "But it's nice of you to be concerned about us."
"Alright, my solution is that you and Riley will come have dinner at my mother's house tonight after we're done with the final walk through of the warehouse," he said.
"I'm not sure how Riley will feel about this," I replied.
"What do you mean?"
"She's a good kid, but she's also a picky eater," I said, trying not to let the emotion seep into my voice. I thought about all of the dinners we'd had in that house. Mama, Molly, me, Patrick, and then Riley when she came along. And I choked back a sob that was building in my throat. Forward movement was the only way I was going to make it through this.
"I see," Jack nodded. "Well, then you'll come have dinner at my mother's tonight."
"We can't do that, but thank you for the offer," I said shaking my head as I looked down at the stack of reports in my lap.
"Of course you can do it," he replied. "And you will do it. It's no problem for my mother, believe me. She loves having people to entertain, and I'm sure she'll roll out the red carpet and feed you like royalty!"
"I don't want to put her out," I protested.
"Oh, it's not like she'll be cooking or anything," he said smiling at me. "I'm sure she'll have her cook whip up a wonderful, kid-friendly meal that will have Riley wanting to live in the kitchen after eating it."
"Well, Riley is an easy target right now," I said, laughing. "She's hungry, and I don't have time to cook a proper meal for her. She's been surviving on pizza, which she loves by the way."
"Then I'll have Jimmy pick us up around six," he said, grabbing the phone and making a call. He spoke quietly into the receiver as he swiveled his chair around so his back was facing me. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I could tell that he was giving instructions.
"Jack, this is way too much," I said as he turned back around with a rather satisfied grin on his lips.
"Nonsense, my mother's excited about the prospect of organizing an informal dinner party," he said as he stood up and walked around the desk. He leaned on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms as he looked down at me. "Leah, it's just dinner. Please come and have dinner with my family."
My heart fluttered a little as I looked up at him and remembered what it felt like to be held in his arms. I looked away as the blush crept into my cheeks and wondered how I was going to live and work in such close proximity to the man who made my body ache with longing.
"Okay, I'll say yes, but it's because Riley needs a decent meal," I said looking back up at him once I'd gotten myself under control again. "Dinner is all it is. We won't overstay our welcome."
"Oh, I think you'll be surprised by how wide the welcome mat is at my mother's house," he grinned as he reached out and rested a hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad you'll be having dinner with us, Leah."
I swallowed hard and nodded, knowing that whatever came out of my mouth at that moment would be completely inadequate. I looked up and smiled.