Mary handed her a paper bag. “Here, I got you a sandwich. I figured you must be hungry after working all morning without a break.”
“Mary, if I was so inclined, I could quite happily kiss you right now.” Isobel opened the bag and took out the sandwich, tearing the wrapper off it eagerly. “You’re an absolute darling.”
With a broad smile, Mary gave her a pat on the back. “And you, my dear, are one of the hardest workers I’ve seen here in a long time. Keep up the good work.”
As she walked off, Isobel couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face at the praise the other woman had given her. And then she noticed the dark look that one of the other women was giving her. It seemed that Julie was pissed at her for doing her job well. Tough luck, bitch. I’m here to please the boss, not you. Isobel ignored the woman and went back to her lunch, eating with gusto and enjoying every mouthful.
The next few hours passed by in a whirl. Isobel slowly crossed off almost every item on her list, and did a few little extras besides. She made a spreadsheet of the company vehicles and their drivers, indicating each car’s service record, date and history of problems. Each member of staff who was attending the business lunch was contacted and their menu choices noted and passed on to the restaurant owner, Mr. Rodgers. Tyler’s dentist appointment and meetings for next week had been arranged and the information on the Smithfield project had been collated and printed.
All that was left to do was to print off the copies of the staff handbook for each member of staff, but every time Isobel had tried to use the printer another secretary had rushed to grab it first, giving a smirking smile of triumph each time.
As the day drew on, Isobel was afraid that she wouldn’t get the last task done, but, ever ingenious; she asked Mary if there was another photocopier anywhere that she could use. After being directed to the tech room which was three floors down, Isobel hurried off to complete her list, breathing a huge sigh of relief when it was done.
She hurried back up to her own desk and gave Mary a smile and a thumbs-up as she passed her. She picked up her completed list and was just turning to go to Tyler’s office when disaster struck; Julie had been walking by with a mug of coffee in her hand, and as Isobel turned the woman knocked into her, spilling hot liquid down her front.
“Oh my God! I am so sorry! I didn’t see you there!” Isobel thought she detected a hint of sarcasm to the girl’s voice, but was too busy trying to mop herself up with a paper towel to take much notice. But then Julie continued talking, and there was absolutely no doubt about her intentions. “Maybe that will teach you not to step on toes and to make sure you stay out of my way,” she hissed as she walked away, not giving Isobel a chance to say anything.
Drying herself up as much as she could, Isobel hurried to her new boss’s door, giving it a knock and waiting patiently for a response.
~
Chapter Three
~
“Come in.” Tyler’s deep, masculine voice sent shivers down her spine. Or maybe that was nerves? Either way, she opened the door and walked in on shaking legs, coming to a stop in front of his desk and waiting patiently for him to say something.
Without looking up from what he was reading, Tyler’s gruff, sexy voice asked her the question she’d been expecting. “So, Isobel, how did it go today?”
“Pretty good I think, Tyler.” She hoped her voice sounded more confident than she actually felt. “There were a few little hiccups, but I managed to get all of the tasks you set me accomplished.”
His head shot up at that, and his raised eyebrows showed his surprise. “You did? I’m impressed.” He smiled up at her, and something inside her quivered. “I’ll be honest with you; I didn’t expect you to complete even half of those tasks.” His smile got warmer. “What was the most difficult part of your day?”
Isobel chuckled wryly. “That would either be the photocopier or the filing cabinet. Take your pick because they were both bitches.” She slapped a hand over her mouth in horror at swearing in front of him. “I’m so sorry! I meant to say that they were both difficult!” She was mortified at her slip-up, but relaxed a little when Tyler simply laughed her goof off.
“Don’t panic. I’m not going to fire you over bad language; unless it’s in front of a client, of course.” He smiled at her again, and she wished that her pulse would stop racing enough for her to catch her breath. “I have to be honest, Isobel, I’m extremely impressed by what you’ve achieved today. I didn’t think for one minute that you’d get even half of your work done.”