Buch lesen: «A Fortunate Arrangement»

Chapter One

Austin Fortune almost missed the plain white envelope at the bottom of the stack of papers his assistant Felicity Schafer had set on his desk. After he’d read the letter, he wished he’d never seen it and for a moment, he considered pretending as if he hadn’t read it.

Maybe it would just disappear.

Instead, the reality of it danced around him like illuminated dust motes.

Felicity, his gatekeeper, his right hand, the person who kept him organized and on track ahead of the fray, had tendered her resignation.

“Is this a bad joke?” he muttered aloud, trying it on for size.

But no. Even though Felicity was good-natured, it would’ve been out of character for her to kid around about something like this.

“She’s leaving me.” Uttering the words out loud made it sound personal. It wasn’t personal—it was work, but it sure felt personal.

He looked up from the note and watched her through the glass wall of his office. She was engrossed in something on her computer. He didn’t know what. He could see her in profile. Her head was bowed over her keyboard, her dark blond hair a curtain hiding her face.

What the hell was he supposed to do without her? Every morning when he got to the office, she had a daily briefing typed up and waiting for him on his desk along with his coffee and a smoothie with energy booster. She remembered birthdays, anniversaries and the minutiae of family and client particulars that elevated and solidified his business relationships and could prove costly if forgotten. She was always game for brainstorming new concepts and abstract business angles. Ultimately assisting with client presentations.

Plain and simple, Felicity made him look good and was always there to help him succeed.

It wasn’t just a matter of hiring someone new. Felicity was a rare find. She had an uncanny ability to anticipate his every need—even before he knew what he needed. In all fairness, he paid her well and she seemed happy. So, why was she leaving him?

He skimmed the letter again looking for clues, but in true Felicity form, it was short and to the point.

Dear Austin,

Please accept this letter as notification that I am leaving my position with Fortune Investments at the end of the month.

I’ve left the date open, so I can be of assistance during the transition.

Sincerely,

Felicity Schafer

Austin reread the note twice more, making sure he’d read it right. Once he’d absorbed it, he had a good idea of how he might fix it. He pressed the button on the intercom.

“Felicity, could you come into my office, please?”

“Sure.”

A moment later, she was standing in his doorway.

“What do you need?” she asked.

“If you wanted a raise,” he said, “all you had to do was ask.”

She wrinkled her nose. “A raise?”

“Of course, you just had your half-year review and got a bump in salary, but if it wasn’t enough, if you want more money, we can talk about it.”

She gave her head a quick shake. “Who said anything about a raise?”

He picked up her letter. “I thought maybe that’s what this was about. I mean why else would you resign?”

Her cheeks flushed, and her mouth fell open before she snapped it shut, into a thin line and folded her arms across her chest. She looked at him as if he had insulted her.

How could offering someone more money be insulting?

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, mirroring her posture.

“Austin, you’ve always been generous when it comes to my salary. But I’m graduating with my MBA at the end of the month. I don’t need a graduate degree to be someone’s personal assistant. It’s time I moved on.”

“Do you have another job?”

“No, not yet. I’m going to start interviewing soon. I wanted to be up-front with you about it.”

“Thanks,” he said.

She flinched. He realized he might have sounded sarcastic. Maybe a very small part of him had meant it that way. Was he supposed to be happy he was losing her?

He raked his hand through his hair. This was not the way he wanted to start his Friday. It certainly wasn’t the way he wanted to end his week.

He gestured for her to sit down in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk.

She sat and folded her hands in her lap. “I’ve loved working for you and Fortune Investments, but I’ve worked hard to get this degree.”

He didn’t say anything because he was afraid what he wanted to say would sound wrong. He’d always prided himself on being fair.

“I hope you can understand that I want more than being someone’s secretary for the rest of my working life,” she went on. “Because that’s what I am. We can dress it up and call me your assistant, but when it comes down to it, I’m your secretary. It’s been a great job, but now I need more.”

He held up his hand.

“I get it,” he said. “I do. Congratulations on accomplishing this, Felicity. I’m happy for you. I know how hard you’ve worked. You’re smart and you’re creative and I understand that a person with an MBA is way overqualified to be a personal assistant. You’d be wasting your potential staying in this position. But that doesn’t make it any easier for me because I don’t want to lose you.”

He held her gaze and her expression softened.

“I mean did you expect me not to be upset about the prospect of losing you?” He held up his hand again to signal that the question was rhetorical. “But that’s me being selfish. This isn’t about me. It’s about you. What do you want to do with your degree?”

“My undergraduate degree is in advertising. I’ve always wanted to work in that field.”

“You’d be good at it,” he said. “You’d be good at anything you decided to do.”

Her cheeks turned pink again. She looked down and then back up at him.

“Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay with Fortune Investments?”

“I don’t know. Are there any opportunities here?”

“What if I talk to Miles and see if we can create a position for you? I’m not making any promises, but would you consider staying if we could come up with something?”

Felicity smiled. “It depends. Would it mean doing advertising work in addition to everything I do for you?”

Austin laughed. “You know me too well.”

“I know I do.”

“How am I supposed to get by without you, Felicity?”

She shrugged. “You did fine before I came on board. You’ll survive.”

No, he hadn’t been fine before she came onto the scene. His life had been a mess, a big tumbleweed of mistakes and misjudgments that had cost him dearly. It had taken him five years to get himself back on track after his disastrous marriage. Sure, he’d come through it intact and he’d learned a lot about himself and life. Yes, he would be fine on his own, but he didn’t want to lose her.

“If they can’t create a position for me, I’d like to stay until after graduation, and as I said in my letter, I’ll stay until we find my replacement.”

Maybe if he didn’t find someone new, she wouldn’t go. It would be like waiting for tomorrow. Did tomorrow ever really come?

“I’ll tell you what. I’m having dinner with Miles tonight. I’ll broach the subject with him and let you know what he says. Sound good? You won’t quit on me before you let me figure something out, right?”

* * *

How am I supposed to get by without you, Felicity?

If she was a silly woman, Felicity would’ve let herself read so much into that question. But true to form, she had already overthought it, turning it round and round in her mind, examining it from every angle until it had completely lost its shape and she’d killed off any dreams that Austin Fortune felt anything for her that wasn’t strictly platonic.

However, her heart hadn’t gotten the memo from her brain, because her heart thudded in her chest like a drum in a New Orleans funeral procession.

He’d said get by.

He didn’t say live without you.

There was a world of difference between the statements. Like night and day. Love and like. Get by and live without.

Even so, she couldn’t shake the satisfaction she felt over his reaction to her letter of resignation. Sure, she’d known he wouldn’t be happy, but she hadn’t fathomed that he would react the way he did.

She stole a glance at Austin through the glass wall that separated his office from her workspace. He was wearing that blue button-down that she liked so much. It contrasted with his dark hair and those soulful brown eyes. Eyes that hypnotized her, that made her lose track of time and occasionally space out and miss what he was saying because she’d been totally transported.

Her thudding heart slowed, leaving her more breathless and full of longing.

He acted like I was breaking up with him.

As if I’d ever break up with him.

If I ever had him.

But I never will.

Why did she have to be in love with her boss?

Why did he have to dangle the potential of a promotion in front of her? She thought she wanted a clean break, so she could get on with her life and forget about him and this ridiculous crush, but the moment he’d offered to talk to his father, all fresh starts flew out the window.

Of course, the Fortunes had been so good to her. They were dream employers. The pay and benefits were top-notch. The working conditions were first class.

She stole another glance at Austin and her ridiculous heart picked up the cadence right where it had left off.

Felicity knew she shouldn’t get her hopes up. Fortune Investments was a family firm. Austin’s sister Georgia handled public relations for the investment firm. They’d never had to advertise in the true sense of the word—not the kind of advertising Felicity wanted to do. They’d built their business on solid reputation and word of mouth. But even from her position as support staff, she knew the business had grown.

Maybe they were ready to expand.

If she got a promotion, it was likely that she’d be in a different department with a different supervisor. Which would mean Austin wouldn’t be her boss anymore—

Don’t even go there.

She’d worked with him for almost five years and during that time, it had been all business all the time. What made her think anything would change if she got promoted?

Yeah, well, a girl can dream.

Just not on Fortune Investments’ time.

* * *

“Did you do it?” Maia Fredericks asked after she let herself in Felicity’s patio door. She didn’t knock. Maia never knocked. Felicity didn’t mind because her friend’s hands were never empty when she came over. This evening, she was carrying a bottle of something that looked like it could be champagne.

“I did,” Felicity said.

“Well, how did it go? Don’t keep me waiting.” Maia dislodged the cork on the bottle. Felicity winced at the loud popping sound.

“You do know you’re not supposed to open champagne that way, right? Besides the possibility of damaging eardrums and putting out someone’s eye, it kills the bubbles and the taste.”

“This way is more fun,” Maia said, helping herself to two flutes from Felicity’s china cabinet. “Besides, it’s not champagne. It’s sparkling rosé.”

“Same principle,” Felicity said. “Haven’t you heard the saying, the ear’s gain is the palate’s loss?”

Maia made a face and waved away her words with a flippant flick of her hand. “You gave your notice. We’re celebrating, and I wanted to start the night off with a bang. How did he take the news?”

Felicity shrugged. “He took it about as well as you might expect.”

Maia handed Felicity a glass of sparkling rosé.

Felicity couldn’t suppress a smile thinking about how upset he’d been by the news.

How am I supposed to get by without you, Felicity?

Did she dare tell Maia what he said? One of two things would happen: her friend would either point out what Felicity already knew—it wasn’t personal. It simply meant that she was good at her job. Or she would read way too much into it and try to tempt Felicity into abandoning her common sense about where she stood with Austin Fortune.

Either way, this little nugget was best kept bottled up. Because much like the sparkling wine Maia had brought over to help her celebrate, once the feeling was uncorked, it wouldn’t be long before the harsh reality made it flat and unpalatable.

Actually, that was Felicity’s view on romance in general. Once romance was set in motion, it was as if a clock started ticking, counting down toward the inevitable end.

Instead of letting the air out of her giddy feeling, she sipped her drink and closed her eyes, savoring the bubbles that tickled her nose.

“What exactly does that mean?” Maia asked. “The guy has his good days and he has his beastly days. Which was this? Was he Mr. Wonderful or was he the Beast?”

Maia knew way too much about Felicity’s unrequited crush on her boss. The two women were next-door neighbors, each owning half of a double shotgun-style home that had been converted into two units. They had become fast friends that cool February evening when Felicity moved in and Maia, bearing a casserole of red beans and rice and a bottle of zinfandel, had knocked on Felicity’s door and introduced herself.

Felicity had invited her in and amid a maze of boxes, they’d bonded as they feasted on the dinner and wine.

Four years later, they shared more than a common interior wall and communal outdoor space. Maia was so easy to talk to that Felicity constantly found herself confiding secrets that in the past she would’ve never entrusted to anyone. Secrets such as the big honking crush she’d had on Austin since the day he’d hired her.

“Austin was...Austin.” She shrugged. “He was all business, as usual.”

Maia didn’t just frown, she looked outraged. “What? He just said okay and was fine with letting you walk out of his life forever?”

“I gave my notice. I didn’t ask him for a divorce.”

“I know that,” Maia said. “Did he not show any emotion at all?”

“He didn’t cry, if that’s what you were expecting.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course he wouldn’t cry. Beasts don’t cry. But they do bellow. Did he bellow? Please tell me at the very least he bellowed. If he didn’t, I’ll have to worry about him.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Felicity said.

Truly, she was. Ridiculously good at getting Felicity to spill her guts. Because suddenly, she was brimming over with the need to tell Maia everything.

“He said he didn’t want me to go.” Felicity bit her bottom lip. Maia looked at her expectantly. “Actually, he said, ‘How am I supposed to get by without you?’”

“Oooh, giiirl.” Maia whistled.

And that was how Maia did it. It was that subtle, almost like sleight of hand. One minute, Felicity would be steadfast in her resolution to bury a secret deep in her heart, in a place only she knew. Then somehow Maia had diverted her attention and extracted the secret from her.

“Get by without you,” Felicity repeated. “Not live without you. There’s a world of difference in getting by and living.”

Maia shook her head. “Same thing, baby girl. That’s simply Beast-speak. He loves you. You need to tell him how you feel.”

This time Felicity was the one shaking her head.

“Then you’re telling me you’re perfectly happy getting by rather than living?” The woman was relentless. “But he let you off work early.” Maia glanced at her watch. “Relatively speaking. It’s 6:45. I guess that’s almost normal business hours.”

“He’s having dinner with his parents tonight,” Felicity said. “After that, he’s catching a flight to Atlanta for a meeting tomorrow. I was at a good stopping point. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to call it a day at a reasonable hour for a change.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t insist that you go to Atlanta with him. Seems like he has a hard time functioning without you there to keep everything in order.”

Felicity would’ve loved to go to Atlanta with him. Arriving at the hotel, which would allow her to indulge in the brief illusion that they were checking in together. One room. A king-size bed. Both of them naked, spending one glorious night making love—

Felicity tried to shake the image of hot, sweaty, naked Austin. It wasn’t the first time she’d thought about what he’d look like naked. She just knew that underneath his custom-fit Tom Ford suits, Austin’s body would be long and lean and sexy. His shoulders—oh, those shoulders, they were so perfect they made her want to weep—those broad shoulders would give way to strong, muscled arms—not too muscled, but just right so that his biceps would bulge when he pulled her into his arms and against his perfectly defined chest. Lean hips would showcase a washboard-flat stomach just above the part of his body that would rock her world.

She drew in a sharp breath. She couldn’t help it. That’s what he did to her. It wasn’t considered objectifying a man if you were in love with him, right? She didn’t think of anyone else like this. She didn’t want to just sleep with him—okay, she did want to sleep with him and she’d fully imagined that experience, too. She wanted so much more than lust or a one-night stand. She wanted to love Austin and she wanted him to love her, too. But he didn’t. Clearly, he didn’t.

Her sexy daydreams were the consolation prize for the fact that beyond the office, Austin didn’t even realize she existed.

“That’s not true,” Felicity said, answering her friend’s comment about how Austin couldn’t function without her.

Maia pinned her with a dubious look.

“Okay, maybe it’s partially true,” Felicity conceded. “It’s called job security. I make myself indispensable and I keep getting paid.”

“I think you’re long past needing to worry about job security. How long has it been now?”

“Almost five years.”

“Do you think he will remember your anniversary?” There was a gleam in Maia’s eye that Felicity tried to ignore. “I think it’s an occasion that calls for flowers and jewelry.”

“Stop. He’s my boss. There will be no jewelry involved. Because I’ll be at my new job by then.”

“But you wouldn’t mind jewelry. Maybe a ring?”

“Maia, stop. Even if I was still working there, I doubt it would even cross his mind to get me a card. I’m sure in his mind my paycheck is proof of his appreciation.”

Austin did pay her well. She couldn’t dispute that. Once, when she’d been offered an entry-level position as an account executive with a local advertising agency, she’d given him two weeks’ notice. He’d doubled her salary without blinking an eye.

He’d told her she was worth it.

For a bright and shiny moment, she’d read something deeper into his words. Something that bordered on personal. Then she’d blinked and the next thing she knew, he’d launched into what a hassle it would be to find and train someone new and what an imposition it would be to suffer through a new assistant’s initial learning curve.

The explanation had dulled the luster in a hurry.

Still, the money was nice. The raise had allowed her to save up a substantial down payment for a house. A year later she’d been in position to buy one of the units in the cute little green house in New Orleans’s Irish Channel neighborhood. Technically, it was half a house, but it was hers and she loved it so much she wouldn’t have traded it for one of the stately mansions in the neighboring Garden District. Well, in theory, anyway.

In the years she’d worked for Austin, nothing had changed. Felicity was still single, and Austin was none the wiser to her feelings for him. Every day was the same. Except, the days had morphed into weeks and weeks into months. Now, here she was looking back at nearly half a decade that had gone by in a heartbeat and she felt like a hamster on a wheel, bored and mostly unfulfilled by the sameness of it all, but safe and comfortable hiding behind her fat bank account and feelings for him she could never reveal.

Emotionally, she couldn’t afford to go on like this much longer. She’d go insane. That’s why she had promised herself she would quit and get a real job after she graduated with her MBA at the end of the month.

“I don’t understand why you don’t just level with him and tell him how you feel,” Maia said. “You might just be surprised. I mean, you’re leaving soon anyway. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Just the thought made Felicity want to turn and run. She had no idea where she wanted to run to other than somewhere far away from the idea of confessing her secret to Austin. In fact, right now she was sorry she’d confided in Maia. It wasn’t the first time her friend had suggested such nonsense. She’d been bringing it up more frequently since Felicity had told her of her plans to leave after she graduated.

“Austin said tonight at dinner he would talk to his father about creating an advertising position for me. That’s all the more reason why I need to keep my feelings to myself.”

“I don’t know,” Maia mused. “Most likely, you won’t be reporting to him anymore if they do make a position for you. Might be a good time to come clean with your feelings.”

“Stop.” Felicity held up her hand like a traffic cop. “Please listen to me. If they create a job for me—and that’s a big if—I would be one of the few non-Fortunes in a position that wasn’t support staff. If I start publicly mooning over Austin, it could be career suicide or at the very least I would embarrass myself.”

Maia shrugged. “You look pretty cozy over there in your comfort zone.”

“Leaving the comfort of a well-paying job is hardly staying in my comfort zone.”

“You know what I’m talking about,” Maia said. “I’m talking about the love part. I’m talking about you not wanting to put yourself out there. It was one thing to not want to jeopardize your job, but now that you’re leaving you have no excuses.”

Ah, but she did.

She hadn’t shared it with Maia because her friend had never asked.

“You know what they say, a comfort zone is a very safe place, but nothing ever grows there—especially not love.”

Felicity shook her head. “He has never given me any indication he feels the same way for me.”

Maia sighed. “Fine. If you don’t want to try to make things work with Austin, then you need to open your mind to other prospects.”

“Such as?”

“Be open to dating other men.”

Felicity sighed.

“I’m just saying,” Maia said. “Just think about it. And since there’s no use arguing with a brick wall, let’s change the subject.”

“Good.”

“I have a huge favor to ask you,” Maia said. “You know the hair show I’m doing next weekend?”

Felicity nodded.

“I’ve already sunk a boatload of money into this show and Jane Gordon, the girl who was going to be my model, got a paying modeling job in Paris. She had to bail on me.”

“Oh, no. That’s terrible. I’m sorry.”

“It’s good for her, but it stinks for me,” Maia said. “So, I have an idea. Will you be my model?”

“Me?” Felicity laughed, unsure if Maia was joking. “I’m not a model.”

Her friend set down her drink and walked over and started fluffing Felicity’s hair and assessing her as if she was a horse at auction.

“If you try to pick up my leg and look at the bottom of my foot, I’m going to kick you,” Felicity said. “I’m not a show pony. I don’t do things like this.”

“I’m not asking you to change careers.” Maia smoothed Felicity’s hair away from her face, shaping it into a high ponytail before she turned it loose and let it cascade around her shoulders. “Just help me out of this pickle.”