“And? If he comes back, you threaten him and if he pushes, you kick his ass—again,” she said, grinning.
“It isn’t that simple. If I push Katherine too hard, or if he creates a lot of trouble, she’ll run. She wants to gain independence and I want that for her. She needs that to grow so she can move past this nightmare. If I tell her I’m into her and see myself settling down with her, she’s going to bolt,” he confessed.
Rachel grimaced. “That’s a tough one, but I think you’re right. You need to give her some space. Is she in any kind of therapy or anything?”
He shook his head. “No, not that I know of. She’s a strong woman and I feel like she is well-adjusted. Yes, she constantly looks over her shoulder, but not as much. She’s changed. She seems happier and I am cool with going along for the ride for as long as she will let me.”
“Good. I hope it all works out. I like her, and I know you do.”
He mulled over the words, hoping like hell it did work out. For now, he would appreciate every day he got with her. He felt like he was taking baby steps to walk a hundred miles, but as long as he kept moving forward, heading towards his goal, he would keep doing it.
“What am I looking at here?” he asked, opening the file, their personal conversation tabled for the moment.
She shrugged a shoulder. “A few invoices. No big deal. Maybe a small raise for me,” she said with a cheeky grin.
“Isn’t that how you got your last one? You just slipped it into the stack?” he teased.
“I can neither confirm or deny that allegation.”
He laughed and picked up his pen to start signing his name when there was a soft knock on his office door before it was pushed open. Rachel was already up and out of her chair, ready to intercept whoever it was that dared enter his office without his approval. He would never want to be on the receiving end of Rachel’s fury. She could be a mean little thing when she wanted to.
“Hi, I didn’t see you at the desk,” Katherine said in a quiet voice, staying at the door as she spoke to Rachel who was quickly advancing on her.
“Come in,” Ben said, standing and automatically buttoning his suit jacket.
“I don’t want to interrupt,” Katherine replied, looking from him to his secretary.
Rachel gave her a quick hug. “I was just headed back to my desk. He’s all yours,” she said and closed the door behind her, leaving Ben and Katherine alone.
“This is a pleasant surprise,” he said, walking to her and giving her a quick kiss.
“Are you sure I’m not bothering you?” she asked nervously.
He took her hand and led her to the couch in the office. “You are not bothering me. You could never bother me. What brings you by?”
She let out a long sigh. “I’m officially fired.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were already officially fired.”
“My boss, ex-boss, called me after you left this morning and asked if I would come
in for a meeting. I thought maybe, just maybe, he was going to be a reasonable human being and give me my job back. I was wrong,” she groaned.
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I could call him and let him know he’s making a huge mistake. I’m sure there are some laws he’s breaking. I could threaten him.”
She shook her head, her hand up and her eyes wide. “No!”
“Woah, okay, I won’t,” he said, realizing he had said the wrong thing.
“You don’t understand. That’s the other reason he called me in. He wanted to talk to me, or warn me rather, about you,” she said, her eyes dropping to the plush rug under the table between the couch and chairs.
He wasn’t understanding. “Katherine, sweetheart, why would he call you in to talk about me?”
Her hand moved through her dark hair that was hanging loose around her shoulders. Over the weekend, he noticed the blonde roots and wondered if she would let her natural color come in now that she didn’t need to hide. “I’m so sorry,” she muttered.
“What could you possibly have to be sorry for?”
“He’s suing you or demanding you pay for the damages and I will tell you right now, he’s inflating the damage done. He’s looking for a quick payout,” she said, a grimace on her face.