She couldn’t believe how quickly the past four days had flown by, and she wished that Andrew was taking two weeks off instead of just the one. Of course, he’d sent her several emails, both to check in and also to remind her of the various tasks she needed to do. Tessa realized that even when Andrew was on vacation he was really still at work.
The reactions of her co-workers had been mixed when they’d learned she would be the one to fill in for Andrew this time. Marisol, who most often subbed for him, was actually relieved because she’d been battling a nasty case of bronchitis for over two weeks and was worn out. Gina had seemed a little miffed at the news but not overly concerned. Kevin had teased her about moving up to the big time, while Shelby had shuddered at the very thought of having to train so closely with Andrew for a whole week. And Alicia had been downright catty about it, wondering how Tessa was going to cope with such a high profile assignment given her lack of experience and education.
It was nice to be away from the rest of the team this week, to have all this space and privacy, and to finally know what it felt like to work at the top level of this company. She would miss it a lot when she had to return to her small cubicle on Monday.
And she loved being able to take care of Mr. Gregson in subtle little ways – hanging up his suit jacket; preparing his tea the way he preferred – Darjeeling blend with one lump of sugar, which, very coincidentally, was exactly the same way she took hers; answering his phone and managing his appointments. And he always smiled his thanks whenever she did something, making her feel like a million dollars.
She’d spent the better part of this afternoon preparing a complex spreadsheet that Mr. Gregson needed for a late afternoon meeting. She’d finished printing it out mere minutes before he had to leave, noticing with a grimace that the printer was now flashing a low ink warning. Since she had a slew of reports to print out first thing in the morning, it seemed that she would need to change the printer cartridge before leaving for the day.
Tessa had just finished collating and stapling a dozen copies of the spreadsheet when Ian emerged from his office, shrugging into his suit jacket.
“The copies are all ready, Mr. Gregson. Just let me put them in a folder for you.”
She reached into a file drawer and extracted an empty folder, then neatly slipped the papers inside.
Ian took the folder and slid it into his leather briefcase. “Thank you, Tessa. An excellent job as always,” he told her with a warm smile.
She smiled back, the pleasure of his complement making her feel like the most special girl in the world. “I hope the meeting goes well, sir. And the dinner reservations are all set. I just called the restaurant a few minutes ago to confirm everything again.”
He reached across the desk and gave her a light squeeze on the shoulder. “You’ve been doing a marvelous job filling in for Andrew. I’ve barely noticed he’s gone. Except,” he added with a wink, “you look far better sitting behind that desk than he does.”
Tessa stared up at him, too flustered by his teasing to think of an intelligent reply. “Um, thanks” was all she could think of to mumble.
Ian chuckled. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Or blush. But it seems I’ve managed to do both so I’d best head out before I say anything else. Have a pleasant evening, Tessa, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, sir.”
She groaned softly after he left, burying her face in her hands in mortification. God, could she be any more of an idiot when he was around? It was obvious that her shyness and tendency to blush at the drop of a hat amused him, and she guessed her very perceptive boss was aware of her silly crush on him. She was going to have to do a much better job of managing her reactions to him.
But that was proving to be extremely difficult, given the close proximity they’d been working in this week. Tessa had seen facets of both his work and private persona that she had never before been given the opportunity to observe. She’d already known that he was a man who was always in complete control, who commanded and received respect from everyone around him, but who also treated each person fairly and with the same amount of respect they gave him. But she had never seen him like this – like a king managing his vast empire, dealing smoothly and efficiently with telephone calls, meetings and correspondence without missing a beat. He was precise, organized, and highly efficient, the sheer amount of work he managed to get through each day staggering. Ian was not a man content to rest on his laurels, or rely solely on others to take care of things for him. He worked harder than anyone else in this office, even though he could have easily delegated a great deal of his responsibilities to his very qualified management team. Tessa was in awe of his strict work ethic, and how he refused to take advantage of his family’s name and prestige by shirking his duties. He was extremely intelligent, with most of the conversations she’d heard him engage in way over her head, and about subjects she had very little knowledge of, mostly involving finance and marketing. She had also heard him speaking in at least three different foreign languages – Spanish, French, and Italian – and wondered with some astonishment if he knew any others.