‘That boss of yours has a reputation for being a tough nut to crack,’ he said.
‘Really?’ Sally gave a carefully casual shrug. ‘I’m only on the front desk, so I don’t really have much to do with him.’
Fortunately, that seemed to be the right answer. Steve and Anna hurried away and Sally spent the evening reading story books aloud. Oliver didn’t wheeze at all and by eight he was settled in the little back bedroom in the bed next to Rose.
Once both children were sleeping like cherubs, Sally went downstairs and read a murder mystery while flipping through television channels, struggling to stay awake until their parents returned, shortly after midnight.
The rest of the weekend, usually Sally’s two favourite days of the week, seemed to stretch interminably.
Kim invited her to a friend’s housewarming party on Saturday night.
‘The more the merrier,’ she said.
Sally knew that she needed to get out and meet young people. One of the exciting things about living in Sydney was the smorgasbord of eligible young men. Sally had hoped to meet all sorts of nice guys. But then Logan Black had fallen in a duck pond and his wet shirt and warm smiles at the team-building workshop had redefined her vision of masculinity.
How silly.
Sillier still was the fact that she couldn’t dredge up enough interest in this party. Instead, she cleaned out and sorted Chloe’s pantry. She visited a pet shop and thought long and hard about buying a cat for company. She went for several long walks and she sent a falsely bright and chatty email to her parents.
The boss returned to the office on Monday.
Sally looked up as the big sliding glass doors parted for a tall, dark-suited figure and when she saw that it was Logan her heart leapt high and hard. She thought he looked strained and tired. He definitely needs more than a cup of coffee for breakfast.
He smiled at her—actually smiled—and said, ‘Good morning, Sally.’
Sally again. Not Miss Finch, or Miss Sparrow.
‘Nice to see you back,’ she said as cheerfully as she could.
‘Thank you, Sally. It’s good to be back.’
Surprised but emboldened by his friendliness, she called after him, ‘I was sorry to hear about the accident in Western Australia.’
At the security doors, Logan paused and turned back to her. ‘Yes, it was bad. But the injured men are in good hands. They should make a full recovery. And we were able to put our minds at rest about our scaffolding.’
‘That’s good news for Blackcorp.’
He fumbled in his trouser pocket, then slanted an embarrassed smile in her direction. ‘I seem to have forgotten my swipe card. Could you let me in?’
‘Of course.’ Sally’s poor heart was close to meltdown as she pressed the buzzer on her desk to operate the security doors. They slid open with a soft swish, but Logan didn’t continue through.
Instead, he stood with his hand in his trouser pocket and he stared at the foyer’s marble flooring with a thoughtful frown, and the doors gently closed again. Sally was about to press the buzzer for a second time when he retraced his steps to her desk. ‘Sally, I have a question.’
‘Yes?’ She couldn’t help adding, ‘I happen to know that you’re rather good at asking questions.’
He responded with another small smile. ‘I need a little help with something. Would it be possible for us to meet here at five this evening? I won’t keep you long.’
Her mouth opened, but no sound emerged. Had she forgotten to breathe?
Logan frowned at her. ‘Is that a problem?’
‘Oh, no.’ At last she found her voice but it was rather squeaky. ‘No, it’s no problem. Five o’clock is fine. Absolutely.’
‘Wonderful.’ He offered a brief dip of his dark head. ‘I’ll see you then.’
He crossed again to the security door and waited and Sally thought how totally, deliciously handsome he looked with his shiny black hair and his lovely dark eyes, his sharp white shirt and classic suit. And she knew exactly how beautiful his body was beneath that superfine clothing. Broad shoulders, deep chest, narrow hips, long powerful legs.
‘Sally?’ Faintly bemused, he glanced back at her. ‘The door?’
‘Oh, sorry.’ Blushing profusely, she pressed the buzzer to let him through.
CHAPTER SIX
FORTUNATELY, it was a busy Monday morning. Sally was too occupied with telephone calls, courier deliveries, bags of mail and visitors arriving for important meetings to spend much time wondering what kind of help the boss could possibly require from her.
But the question was there, lurking in the back of her mind, along with an uneasy suspicion. Why the boss’s sudden interest in her? She knew enough about human nature to understand that when someone changed from being aloof and dismissive to attentive and charming there had to be a hidden agenda.