Ten
It was two days since she’d made her discovery and she still had no idea of what she was going to do. In the office, Josh had been the same as ever—focussed, professional—yet every now and then she’d caught him watching her as if something else weighed on his mind. They hadn’t been intimate since the weekend, and she found herself missing that special closeness they’d shared.
She started at her desk, her senses on instant alert as Josh came through from his office.
“Callie, I’d like you to type up these notes now—top priority and top level confidentiality. Make certain you password the file with this code.”
She noted the code he’d written on the top of the sheets of his hand-scrawled notes.
“Do you want these back when I’ve completed the computer file or should I destroy them?”
“Destroy them. The file is all we’ll need.”
He turned to go back into his office.
“Josh? Is everything okay?” she asked, rising from her seat and walking over to him.
To her relief, he smiled and bent down slightly to kiss her cheek.
“Everything’s fine, just busy—making up for losing the Flinders contract to Palmers.”
Callie felt guilt run cold through her veins. The Flinders contract had been the one she’d given the information on to Irene. It was what she’d had to do at the time, but now she wished she’d never agreed to be the go-between in this crazy game. She wasn’t cut out for the subterfuge or the emotional cost it demanded.
“With any luck, the material you’re working on today will cover that quite nicely,” Josh smiled. “Are you busy tonight?”
Callie dragged her thoughts together. “No, I don’t have any plans.”
“Let’s have dinner together.”
“I tell you what,” she started, thinking quickly. She didn’t want the anonymity of some restaurant tonight. She needed Josh’s attention on her and only her if she was to assure herself that nothing was wrong between them. “Why don’t I cook for you?”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go out?”
“I’m certain,” she said, nodding for good measure. “What time will you be finished tonight?”
“I’ve got that meeting away from the office at four-thirty,” he considered, and she could see him mentally juggling how long it would be expected to take. “I can be at your place by seven, but why don’t you go around to my place instead. It’s closer to where I’ll be and I can get there to be with you sooner.”
“Perfect. I’ll bring everything over for dinner.”
“Bring a change of clothes for tomorrow while you’re at it,” he said. He handed her an electronic key. “Here, you’ll need this. It’ll open the gate and garage door. Just leave the gate open for me.”
“And the alarm?”
He repeated a numerical code, which she committed to memory.
Excitement unfurled within her. Clearly, he couldn’t suspect her of wrongdoing. She still stood a chance of making things work, of maybe even turning his need for revenge into something else. Realistically, she knew she’d be fighting against a current that had roared through his life for far too long, but she had to hope that somehow she could make a difference.
The sheaf of notes Josh had given Callie were extensive. How he’d managed to corner another proposal so quickly after losing the Flinders job explained why he was so successful. As Callie automatically transcribed his crabbed handwriting, she started to mentally plan for the evening ahead. She wanted everything to be perfect.
It was exactly a month until Christmas. Would it be too early to give him a gift? Perhaps herself, gift-wrapped in something special? At lunchtime she found the perfect thing. A rich burgundy satin nightgown and matching organza peignoir. She couldn’t wait to see Josh’s face when she wore it.
It was nearly five o’clock before she finished typing up the notes. She was getting her handbag from her drawer, in readiness to leave the office, when the strident shriek of the building alarm cut through her thoughts like a hot knife through butter. She knew the routine—drill or genuine alarm, she had to leave her office immediately.
As far as confidentiality was concerned, everything on her computer was set to auto backup already, and her computer itself would lock down without activity within five minutes. But that left the notes Josh had given her. She hadn’t shredded them yet and had no time to do that now.
Callie folded the sheets up and shoved them in her bag. She’d have to shred them when she came back once the building had the all-clear, but she couldn’t leave them lying around. As she joined the throng of staff members in the stairwell, and steeled herself for the long climb to the ground floor, she hoped this was only a drill and that they’d be back inside soon.