From Roses To Thorns - Sequel To "From Nanny To Wife" (4 page)

"You both are newlyweds," Jenny said. "When you've been married for ten years get back to me."

"Bob and I were married for forty-two years before he passed," Maggie said. "Our marriage wasn't perfect, but we were in love."

"Men like Dad are hard to find, Mom," Jenny said sadly. "Some times I wish Chris were more like him." She jerked her head in the direction of the men. "What do you think they are talking about?"

Pam smirked. "Sports more than likely."

"Ryan doesn't watch many sports," Hope explained. "He's too busy for that."

"Who wants to find out what they're yapping about?" Jenny said.

Hope rose from her chair. "I'll do it. Wish me luck, ladies."

"Good luck," Jenny, Maggie and Pam told her.

"Thanks. " Hope crossed the patio. As she drew near, she listened to their conversation.

"Pam's been nagging me to have children," Harvey said. "We've only been married for two weeks and all ready she wants kids. When I asked her what the rush was she told me her biological clock is ticking."

"I'm shocked you don't have a dozen kids by now," Ryan said.

Harvey chuckled. "I might be a lot of things, Kendall, but stupid is not one of them."

Hope took a deep breath and made her presence known. "Hello, gentlemen."

"Ah, if it isn't the beautiful Hope." Harvey leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. "You get prettier every time I see you."

Hope stared at Harvey. "You're full of shit, Finch."

Ryan grinned. "That's my girl."

Hope winked at him. "So, gentlemen, what were you talking about before I showed up?"

"Children," Gordon answered.

"I see," Hope mumbled.

"What were you ladies talking about?" Harvey inquired.

"Marriage," Hope informed him. "We were comparing husbands."

Harvey arched a brow. "Who won?"

"Maggie's husband."

Harvey downed the rest of his beer and crushed the can. "Bob's dead. He doesn't count."

Hope slipped an arm around Ryan's waist. "Are you afraid you lost, Harvey?"

"Of course not," Harvey murmured, averting his eyes, "but for the sake of the argument, how did I do?"

Her eyes shining with laughter Hope said, "I'm going to let you suffer a little. Well, gentlemen, it's been nice talking to you. Let us know when it's time to eat."

Ryan kissed her on the lips. "I'll do that."

"You're a cold woman, Hope Kendall," Harvey said to Hope's retreating figure.

Shaking with laughter, Hope joined the women. "They were talking about children."

"Children?" Jenny said surprised. "I would've guessed sports or sex, but not kids."

Hope shrugged. "What can I say? With men you just never know."

Lunch was served shortly after one. Gordon had made potato salad and baked beans to go with the hamburgers and hot dogs. Kenny, who had behaved since arriving, was scolded by his
mother for feeding the dog a hot dog under the table. Hope looked at Zoe and saw she was eating her hot dog. Satisfied that she was behaving, Hope went back to eating her hamburger.

Once lunch had ended Hope and Gordon excused themselves and went inside to get the cake and ice cream. While Gordon pulled the ice cream out of the freezer Hope put a candle in the shape of a number four on the
Beauty and the Beast
cake she had ordered from the bakery. She lit the candle and followed Gordon out to the patio. Once everybody had sung happy birthday to Zoe, she blew out the candle and the cake was cut. Plates were filled with slices of cake, scoops of ice cream, and passed around the table. Bob put his front paws on the table next to Kenny, his tongue sticking out and his tail wagging.

"Now don't feed the dog cake, honey," Maggie told her grandson.

"Down, Bob!" Zoe said. Reluctantly the dog got down and trotted over to a corner of the patio. He flopped down and rested his head on his paws.

Presents were opened after everybody had his or her fill of cake and ice cream. Zoe received a box of jumbo chalk, an easel with paints, several storybooks; a Barbie dressed like Belle, and a Disney Princess indoor tent. She thanked everybody and Maggie helped her gather everything up and take it inside. With the children getting cranky Jenny thanked Hope and Ryan for inviting her, said goodbye to Maggie, and left. Pam and Harvey stuck around long enough to help with the cleanup and then took their leave.

"I think it went well," Hope remarked to Ryan as he cleaned the grate on the grill with a brush. "Kenny wasn't too much trouble."

"Shocking," Ryan said. "Zoe had fun, didn't she?"

"She did," Hope said. "I'm going to go inside and help Gordon put the leftovers away."

"I won't be much longer," Ryan promised.

Tired , but happy, Hope headed into the house.

Chapter 5

"Sir, may I speak with you?"

Ryan took his eyes off the computer screen and glanced at Pam who stood in the doorway. "Of course."

Pam moved farther into the room. "I need to take this afternoon off."

Ryan arched a brow. "You're not giving me much of a notice. May I ask why you need to take time off?"

Pam cleared her throat. "A friend of mine is going through chemotherapy. She has an appointment at one-thirty and she wants me to go with her. Her husband usually accompanies her, but he's away on business." She bit her bottom lip. "She needs me, sir."

Ryan sat back with a sigh. "What about me? I need you."

Pam clasped her hands in front of her and stared at the carpet. "Will you give me the afternoon off if I find someone to take my place?" she asked after a brief silence.

"Yes," Ryan said.

"Then I will find someone." Pam smiled. "Don't worry, sir. You will approve of my choice."

"I hope so," Ryan uttered. "Before you leave her in my hands, I want you to fill her in on what she needs to do."

"I'll do that," Pam promised.

"All right, "Ryan said. "Now get back to work."

"Yes, sir." Pam left closing the door behind her.

Alone once more, Ryan returned his attention to the screen in front of him. He tried to concentrate on the task, but found his mind wandering. Swearing under his breath, he propped his elbows on the desktop and buried his face in his hands. Angry with Pam for interrupting his work he had a strong urge to march out to the reception area and shout at her. Instead, he gritted his teeth and pushed ahead.

It was a quarter before one when Hope pulled into a parking space in front of Kendall Industries and turned off the car. She reached for her purse in the passenger seat and got out. Shutting the car door, she smoothed her black skirt over her legs, adjusted her light blue silk blouse, and made her way toward the entrance, her high heels clicking on the pavement.

Hope entered the building and crossed the large lobby to the elevator. She stepped inside and pushed the button for the top floor. As the elevator ascended, she thought of Ryan and hoped she would make him proud. It had been years since she worked in an office. The fear that she would do something wrong weighed heavily on her mind. She told herself to get a grip and that it was only for the afternoon.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. Hope walked out into the reception area to discover Pam rummaging through her desk. "Hi."

"Hi," Pam said. "Thanks for coming. I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it." Hope moved toward the desk. "I'm happy to help."

"Let me explain some things and go over Mr. Kendall's schedule with you."

Hope listened intently to what Pam had to say. "I think I can handle things," she said once her friend had finished.

Pam squeezed Hope's arm. "I know you can. I will keep my cell phone with me. Call if you have any questions."

The intercom on the desk came on and Ryan spoke. "Pam, has your replacement arrived yet?"

"Yes, she has, sir."

"Send her in," Ryan said.

"Yes, Mr. Kendall." Pam released the intercom button. "I'm going to go now."

"You didn't tell Ryan I would be filling in for you," Hope said.

"No," Pam muttered. "I thought I would let you tell him. You had better get in there. You know he hates to be kept waiting."

"I can keep him waiting all I want," Hope stated. "I'm his wife." She brushed past Pam and headed for the door to Ryan's office. "I pray everything goes well for your friend."

"Thank you," Pam said.

Hope grasped the doorknob, turned it, and walked into the office. "Hello, Mr. Kendall," she said her eyes twinkling.

Ryan raised his head and gazed at her. "Don't tell me you're the one filling in for Pam."

Hope sashayed to the desk and stopped in front of it. She watched Ryan look her over from head to foot, his eyes lingering on her legs. "I am. Do you have a problem with it?"

"No," Ryan murmured. "I'm just surprised, that's all."

Hope smiled. "I've had experience working in an office. Before I became a nanny, I was a secretary at a law firm. My boss was an elderly man who liked to drop things in my presence so he could watch me pick them up. He was a dirty old man."

Ryan grinned. "If I drop something will you pick it up for me?"

"Uh-no," Hope said. "I don't want you getting any ideas. This is strictly professional, Mr. Kendall. No funny stuff." She winked at him. "Save it for after office hours. Now Pam brought me up to speed on how things work around here. If you need anything just push the intercom button."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kendall," Ryan said.

Hope went out to the reception area where she settled at the desk. The leather bound book Pam wrote down Ryan's appointments in was open on the desktop. Curious she thumbed through it. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the number of appointments penciled in. She knew her husband was a busy man. She just had no idea how many people he met with in a week. Hearing someone clear his throat, she looked up to find a man standing there. "Ah, Mr. Adler, let me inform Mr. Kendall that you are here."

The man raised an eyebrow. "I didn't give you my name."

"It is written down in Mr. Kendall's schedule that he has a meeting at one-fifteen with a Drew Adler." Hope checked her watch. "It is one-sixteen. Either you are Drew Adler, or I just made a fool of myself. Please, tell me I didn't make a fool of myself."

He smirked. "You didn't make a fool of yourself."

"Good." Hope leaned across the desk and pressed the intercom button. "Mr. Adler is here to see you."

"Send him in," Ryan told her.

"Yes, sir." Hope smiled at the man. "Go right in."

"Thank you."

Later that day, Hope waited until Ryan's last appointment had left before she joined him in his office. He was standing at the long conference table, papers strewn all around him. "Would you like some help?"

"Yes, please," Ryan said, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "The damn papers are out of order."

"Let me pick them up and then we'll see what we can do to put them in order." Hope bent down and retrieved the papers scattered on the floor. When she straightened up, she caught Ryan staring at her backside.

"Thank you for wearing that skirt," Ryan said huskily.

Hope laughed. "Just put the papers-" She gasped as Ryan grabbed her and hauled her against him. The papers she picked up fell from her hands.

Ryan captured her mouth with his, stealing her breath. It was a kiss full of hunger and passion. Breaking apart a minute later, he studied her with eyes full of desire. "I've wanted to do that all afternoon. It's been torture having you close and not being able to act on my feelings."

"I know what you mean," Hope whispered. "It's been hard for me, too." She kissed him on the lips.

"Let's get these papers taken care of and get out of here," Ryan said. "I'll take you to dinner."

"Sounds lovely," Hope mumbled.

An hour and a half later found Hope and Ryan talking over glasses of white wine, plates of chicken cacciatore, salads and a loaf of crusty bread. It was nice to sit back and unwind after a busy day. There was no need to rush home to Zoe. Maggie had taken the little girl to Jenny's for dinner and to play with the children. By the time Hope and Ryan would return home she would be in bed.

Ryan set his fork on his plate and pushed back his chair. "I will be back in a few minutes. I need to visit the restroom."

"I'll try to be good while you're gone," Hope said. She waited until he was out of sight before she stole a mushroom from his salad.

Just then, Laura paused next to the table. "How is your meal?"

Hope sighed heavily. "It was nice until you showed up. Go away, Laura."

"My husband is paying the check," Laura said. "I spotted Ryan leaving and I thought I would stop to chat for a few minutes. How is Zoe?"