Haley gave him a wry smile. “That explains it, then. I’ll have to make sure I enjoy the rare treat.”
His eyes crinkled in silent laughter. “You’re the rare treat. I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman quite like you. Nothing really impresses you, does it?”
“Not much,” she confirmed.
“Such a jaded attitude from such a young woman. Was it because you were born into such a wealthy family or the experiences you went through when your family became so popular on YouTube?”
She almost choked on the small piece of bread she was nibbling on. She absolutely hated being reminded of that time in her life.
With her free hand, she patted the hidden pocket in her dress. “I don’t discuss that show with anyone.”
Mr. Beck took another slice of bread. “I apologize. I usually don’t let my curiosity get the better of me.”
She had been too young to make a mature decision on the videos her parents had posted. Older now, she had a say, and that included not talking about them.
The arrival of their food had Haley hoping that Mr. Beck would get the message that her family was a topic she would not discuss.
Picking up her sandwich, she began to eat, wishing she were already back in the office and out from under Mr. Beck’s scrutiny.
“You’re a hard woman to get to know.”
Haley set her sandwich back on her plate. “Why would you want to get to know me?” she asked forthrightly. “As an employer, I would think you would prefer to be pococurante of your employees.” He might be her boss, but she didn’t hesitate to chastise him.
Him bringing her family up twice had her on high alert. Beck wanting to get to know her better was suspicious in itself. No one wanted to know her better. She could count the fingers on one hand the number of people whom she had come in contact through her working life who had wanted an opportunity to be on friendly terms. Not one of them had been male, and certainly none had his good looks, not even the women. Nadia attracted people to her like bees to honey. On the other hand, people went out of their way to avoid her.
Mr. Beck’s food remained untouched as he sharpened his gaze on hers. “You remind me of Julia.”
Haley paled at the remark. It took every bit of her control not to reach for her inhaler.
A deep loneliness struck her in the chest as she gripped the end of the table at the comparison. Julia was George’s wife and Amelia’s mother. She had been more of a true mother to her than her biological one had been. She still missed her deeply.
“I seem to be making a habit of saying the wrong things. I apologize again. Were you close to her?”
“Very.”
“My acquaintance with her was short. She became ill, and when I was invited to visit George at their home, she usually remained upstairs.”
“Which didn’t prevent him from hosting his friends for long weekends.”
“I didn’t stay for any long weekends. I would usually come by for a lunch or dinner then leave. I was aware Julia wasn’t well. I didn’t want to turn my back on George because his wife was ill.”
Haley was aware she was coming across as an utter bitch, but she couldn’t help it. Her ill will with George ran too deep.
“The short time I knew her, before her illness grew worse, I found her smart as a tack, and she didn’t mind cutting you to shreds if she didn’t agree with you.”
Which Haley would believe to her dying day had led to Julia’s death. The hurt of being brought back to the end of her aunt’s life had Haley determined to find the true motives behind his sudden friendliness.
“Why did you bring me here? To find out for yourself why I no longer have anything to do with my family?”
“Not quite.”
“Then I’m perplexed as to why you decided to join me for lunch.”
“You don’t make anything easy, do you? Since you want me to be blunt, I will. I brought you here to fire you.”
Six
Numbly, completely taken aback, Haley didn’t know how to react to being fired. She had never been fired before in her working life.
“You’re firing me?”
Mr. Beck picked up his sandwich and began eating, showing that firing her didn’t affect his appetite. “Yes, effective immediately. Would you like a glass of wine?”
“No!” Lowering her voice when she saw their waiter look toward their table, she said, “I don’t want any wine. What I would like is an explanation.”
She had loved working for Mr. Beck. Intellectually, it challenged her in a way that no other job had ever done before. Financially, she wasn’t worried that she wouldn’t find another replacement; she had been her own boss before, and it wouldn’t take a great deal of difficulty to contact her past clients and start anew. What she would miss was the projects, without having to come into contact with numerous clients. She was able to keep to herself, isolated in which office was designated to her.