Behind Closed Doors (5 page)

Closing his eyes, he willed those thoughts out of his head.

Elizabeth didn’t answer right away. She was stunned. How did a simple invitation to Sunday dinner become a job offer? And from a man who scared her on a level she couldn’t even begin to understand.

She realized they were both staring at her, waiting for her answer. The job itself sounded simple enough. It didn’t have anything to do with her degree in public relations, but she’d answered phones in a vet’s office the summer after high school. It couldn’t be that different. Besides, she had to start somewhere, right? Jared had forbidden her from working. For one, it would have given her too much independence, and for another, there was his reputation he wanted to protect. She wasn’t even sure her degree would mean much now since she’d never used it. “I . . . don’t know. I mean, I don’t really have much experience.”

Jan waved her hand dismissively. “Nonsense. You’re an intelligent person and quite pleasant. You can file, can’t you?”

“Well, yes,” she said.

“Answer the phone? Take messages?”

“Yes.”

“Can you count money? Balance a checkbook?”

“Of course I can,” she said indignantly, sitting up straighter.

“It’s settled then.” Jan smiled, looking pleased with herself.

As the impact of what just happened hit her, she turned introspective and didn’t say much for the rest of the afternoon, excusing herself as soon as she could manage without being impolite. She needed to think.

What in the world have I gotten myself into?
Chris thought as he watched Elizabeth leave. Some part of his brain acknowledged the logic of Jan’s plan, but it was getting lost in all the reasons why this was a bad idea.

“Do you mind telling me what it is you find wrong with Elizabeth?” Jan asked as soon as they were alone.

He stood and took his dessert plate to the sink. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Go sell that line of bull to the guys that work for you, ‘cause I’m not buying.”

He loved Jan, he really did, but this was not a discussion he was going have with her. Besides, there wasn’t anything
to
talk about. He’d just hired Elizabeth Marshall despite his better judgment. Now all he had to do was find a way to keep his hands off her and his mind focused on his work. No problem. He hoped.

The entire morning, Elizabeth was a nervous wreck. Every time she replayed yesterday in her mind, she panicked again. Jan had somehow made working for Chris sound like a good idea. What had she been thinking? It wasn’t as if she had to get a job right this very minute or face starvation or anything.

But Jan had mentioned how much Chris had been working lately, and how desperate he was in need of help. Maybe his anger wasn’t anger at all. Maybe it was frustration due to how overwhelmed he was at work. Stress can do funny things to people.

Trying to calm down, she concentrated on getting ready. This was only temporary after all. She could do this. Besides, it would be worth it if it made for a better neighbor.

After searching her entire closet, she picked out a pair of cream-colored pants with a blue shirt that looked very professional.

As she looked at herself in the mirror, she could hear Jared’s voice telling her that while her breasts looked good, she needed to spend more time at the gym toning her butt and thighs. The tears formed in her eyes before she could stop them.

Why can’t he just leave me alone?

Pulling herself together, she went back to getting ready. She was just putting her new earrings in when there was a knock on her door. The sound brought with it a whole new wave of anxiety.

Chris was driving her to work today. It only made sense, but she had no idea how she was going be in a car alone with him. He’d been nice enough yesterday, not as scary as before, but still, between his size and always being angry, he made her nervous.

I can do this,
she thought, looking at her reflection, and with one last calming breath, she went to answer the door.

Chris waited impatiently for Elizabeth. He wasn’t late, but he had a nervous energy he only got when he was running late for a meeting or under a hard deadline. He pulled on the collar of his dress shirt, willing her to hurry up already so he could get this over with.

He’d done a lot of thinking last night and had decided that the best way to handle this was to show Elizabeth where everything was and then leave her to it. There was more than enough work on his desk to keep him busy for the rest of the day, and once she got her bearings, he wouldn’t need to have much contact with her. Although he knew he was being naive, he was trying to find a silver lining to this situation he’d gotten himself into.

Just as he was about to knock again, she opened the door.

From the moment he saw her, he knew he was in trouble with a capital
T
. What she wore had him shifting uncomfortably in his seat the entire drive.

What got him most of all was that the outfit was completely appropriate for work. Carol had been all about pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable, especially with the clothing she wore. Elizabeth was driving him crazy without having gone through much effort.
So why am I ready to press her down into the seat and devour her?

It was better once they got to work. At least he could get a little breathing room.

She was better than he’d expected. By noon she had all the filing caught up, and when he’d asked her for a phone number, she’d been able to produce it in less than five minutes. To say he was impressed was an understatement.

Five o’clock rolled around, and for the first time in a week, he didn’t feel as if the weight of the world were pressing down on him. There was still work to take home, but it was a third of his usual load, and it was all thanks to Elizabeth.

So far she’d been nothing like Carol. She was smart, beautiful, and willing to work. It still didn’t mean he was thrilled with her being his employee, his neighbor, or the woman who was haunting his thoughts, but he was willing to admit that maybe he’d been wrong about her. Maybe.

Her first day had not been what Elizabeth had expected. Chris had shown her around and then left her to her own devices except when he’d needed something.

The first thing she’d noticed was just how unorganized everything was. It was a wonder he could find anything in that mess. Only one corner of her desk was visible for all the stacks of paper. At least fifty sticky notes littered the desk and were scattered among the papers. Thankfully, she noticed the majority were from the same people. It would make resolving those issues much easier if she didn’t have to make fifty calls.

Filing became her number one task. She couldn’t get a clear picture of everything until the papers were off her desk.

The morning passed by in a blur as she learned where everything went and put it in its proper place. Chris came out to check on her at noon, and informed her that he’d ordered in lunch and it would arrive soon. Other than that and having her track down a phone number for him in the afternoon, he’d left her alone.

When they arrived home that night, he’d politely said goodnight to her before disappearing into his own apartment. She was left completely confused when it came to him. Nothing about Chris appeared to be simple. It was difficult to fit the man she’d worked for today with the one who’d all but bit her head off last week. She was beginning to think her theory about his mood being work related, and not about her, was correct.

Elizabeth slipped off her heels and walked into the kitchen to make dinner. As she chopped and sautéed the vegetables for her stir-fry, she thought of her parents. She needed to visit their gravesite. It had been too long. With everything else going on in her life, she’d not made the trip to the old cemetery since she had decided to move. That had been two months ago.

After putting the finishing touches on her dinner, Elizabeth took her plate to the small kitchen table. So much was different now, but it was for the better. She wanted to share that with her parents. She needed to. Without thinking about it further, she made plans to make the thirty-minute drive to the cemetery just outside of London this weekend.