His Secretary Mistress(15)

‘Alex Morrell isn’t that bad,’ Jenna lied. ‘Today was my first day and it was a bit fraught, that’s all. There was a lot to learn.’

The most important lesson being to keep her distance from Alex, she acknowledged silently. Chris had called him a demon, yet in all fairness she couldn’t say that he was an unpleasant boss. He was demanding, with high expectations of his staff, but in return he rewarded them well, and against all the odds he had given her a second chance. It was a chance she was not going to waste. She would prove to Alex Morrell that she was as conscientious and efficient as he could possibly want, and if the only way she could do that was to avoid making eye contact with him, then so be it.

‘The parents send their love.’ Chris interrupted her thoughts as she entered the living room, which was strewn with his rucksack and various other packages. ‘Along with masses of presents for Maisie. I’d better warn you that I’ve been instructed to try and persuade you to move out to New Zealand. Mum and Dad miss you.’ He shrugged awkwardly. ‘We all do.’

‘I miss all of you too,’ Jenna murmured thickly, thinking of her elderly parents, who had been looking forward to their retirement when tragedy had struck. Their eldest daughter, Faye, had emigrated to her husband’s homeland of New Zealand after her marriage, but had suffered a stroke whilst giving birth to her first baby. Believing that Jenna was settled at art college, Neil and Mary Harris had moved to Auckland to help Faye in her slow recovery programme.

It had been a terrible time, Jenna recalled. She was close to her sister, and had longed to go to her, but she had just discovered that she was pregnant with Maisie. Her boyfriend Lee’s promise to stand by her had seemed like a blessing at the time, and she had gratefully accepted his marriage proposal, ignoring her misgivings about the relationship in an effort to spare her parents further worry.

Unfortunately Lee had caused her nothing but worry and grief, their marriage proving to be a disaster from the very beginning. It was when she’d realised that his constant infidelity no longer hurt that she had accepted their relationship was over—although Lee’s overspending and their spiralling debts hadn’t helped. She had spent weeks worrying about where she could go with a young baby, and had been relieved when Lee finally walked out. The numerous credit card bills he’d left behind were a small price to pay for her freedom.

‘I have thought about moving out to join you,’ she admitted. ‘But Mum and Dad have had enough to worry about with Faye. Any problems I have are my own fault. They warned me that Lee seemed unreliable, but I was besotted with him and wouldn’t listen. Maybe if I hadn’t fallen pregnant I would have seen him for what he really is, but discovering that I was expecting Maisie was a shock, and I was just so grateful when he promised to stand by me. Faye was so ill at the time,’ she continued, ‘and I didn’t want to add to Mum and Dad’s problems. And even though Faye is so much better, I still don’t. I’m a grown woman now, and this is my home. I can look after myself and Maisie. I can’t run back to Mum and Dad whenever things get difficult.’

‘You always were a feisty little thing,’ Chris said with a grin, and Jenna returned his smile.

‘I’m so glad you’re here,’ she said softly. ‘It’s a great idea to have a gap year before university. How long do you think you’ll stay?’

‘A couple of months, if you’ll have me. I need to get a job and save up before I do any more travelling—but right now isn’t it time to collect Maisie? I can’t wait to see her.’





It was late in the evening before Jenna finally persuaded Maisie into her bath and bed routine, and the little girl was still bubbling with the excitement of her uncle’s visit when she snuggled under her duvet. She appeared quite happy after her long day at the nursery—indeed, she informed Jenna that she was now one of the ‘big girls’ and only babies were collected at lunchtime.

She was asleep within minutes of her head touching the pillow, and Jenna felt a surge of adoration for her little girl. Maisie had always been small for her age and had lost her baby chubbiness, her face as delicate as one of the fairies that adorned her bedroom wall. She had inherited Jenna’s grey eyes and red hair, although it was a shade lighter, and her long eyelashes curled on her cheeks as she slept.

She would lay down her life for her child, Jenna accepted resolutely. She would do everything in her power to protect and care for Maisie, and if that meant dealing with Alex Morrell on a daily basis, she had better get used to the idea.