Her eyes lit up with hope and she smiled. “Thank you.”
But she wasn’t looking at him, rather, her gaze was on Matthew. And that annoyed the hell out of him. He only wanted her to smile for him.
Where the hell did that thought come from?
“She’ll be here at nine,” J.D. declared as she hooked her arm through Anna Victoria’s. “C’mon. We should go and celebrate.” With a final wave, she dragged Anna Victoria out the door.
Damon scrubbed a hand down his face. I’m going to regret this.
“Everything all right, Damon?” Matthew had the gall to ask.
Seeing as he didn’t want to pick a fight this early in the day—and certainly not with a dragon—he merely returned the smile sarcastically. “Everything’s fine, boss.” Turning on his heel, he marched into his office and slammed the door.
Chapter Four
Anna Victoria couldn’t believe what just happened. When she walked into that office and saw him, she thought for sure she was going to have to leave town, which she would have hated. She’d only been in Blackstone for a day, but it was starting to grow on her.
After lunch, she and J.D. had parted ways with Gabriel and they went to The Den to pick up her car. Luckily, the owner, Tim, was already there and had kept her keys for her. Afterwards, they went to J.D.’s house, which was in a quiet little neighborhood on the east side of town.
Her place wasn’t fancy, like her father’s sprawling mansion back in Albuquerque, but it was spacious and clean. Anna Victoria liked that it felt homey and lived in, with various knickknacks, trophies, and photos of J.D. and her father on the walls.
The spare room wasn’t large, but she did like that it had a sliding door and access to the wraparound deck and backyard. She was already planning on getting some plants and maybe a nice lounge chair so she could sunbathe in the back. Of course, that would all be dependent on if she could even get a job so she could pay for all this, which is why she was eager to meet this potential employer J.D. had told her about.
Well, Damon was not just a potential boss—he was her boss, at least starting tomorrow.
“What did I tell you?” J.D. said as they strolled out of the Blackstone Rangers headquarters. “That was easy-peasy, and now you can stay.”
“Why didn’t you tell me the job was to be his assistant?”
J.D. looked at her innocently. “What do you mean? I thought I mentioned it.”
“No, you didn’t,” she said. “You said the job was assistant to the chief of the Blackstone Rangers.”
“Who happens to be Damon,” J.D. finished.
Unlinking her arm from the other woman’s, she turned and faced J.D. “You know what I mean.”
J.D. blew out a breath. “If I told you who it was, would you have come.”
“Of course not.” Why would she? He had been mean to her this morning, plus he’d seen her at her worst. Being around him would mean she would have to relive the most humiliating twelve hours of her life, under his glare.
“Then it’s a good thing I didn’t.”
She opened her mouth then quickly shut it.
“Why did you accept the job if you didn’t want to work with him?” J.D. asked.
“I …” That was the question. “That other guy—Matthew—he seemed really nice. He spoke to me for a bit, and asked me if I was okay. He said he heard from you about my situation and was sympathetic. I just told him how much I liked Blackstone and really wanted to stay. Then you guys came and …”
“It must be your lucky day,” J.D. said with a chuckle.
“Why?”
“Because Matthew came to your defense. He’s the boss around here, and the Blackstone dragon doesn’t just give everyone a chance, you know.”
“The-the—what?” Matthew was a dragon? “Jeez.”
“Don’t worry, he’s not going to eat you,” J.D. assured her, as if that was something she said everyday. “And the fact that you have his stamp of approval means a lot.”
“So, the only reason Damon hired me was because his dragon boss told him to do it?”
“And is that so bad? C’mon.” J.D. dragged her to where her truck and the Mercedes were parked side-by-side. “Maybe you can find another job later. I mean, I’d hire you, but I, well … no offense, but I’d guess you probably don’t even know how to change your own tire.”
“You’d guess right.” She let out a long sigh. “I guess I’ll have to just take it one day at a time.” Frankly, she was glad she could stay; with no other prospects, she could only go so far, even with the cash in the trunk of her car. At some point, she might have to go back to her father. At least tomorrow she’d have a job and a paycheck in two weeks.
Who knows, maybe working for Damon wouldn’t be so bad?
“You can do this,” Anna Victoria said, giving herself a little pep talk as she stood outside the Blackstone Rangers headquarters.
She wiped her sweaty palms down the front of the blouse and black jeans she’d borrowed from J.D. While there was still some cash leftover in her wallet after buying some groceries, she would still need to make do with what clothes J.D. could lend her until she got her paycheck. It should be enough to afford some basics she could mix and match. Then maybe if things went well, she could also get some other luxuries, like makeup. For now, the lipstick and powder she kept in her purse would have to do.
The large wood and stone building that served as the headquarters of the Blackstone Rangers was exactly what she imagined it would be—rustic and functional, but it perfectly fit the surroundings. It was a long drive into the mountains, but as she got deeper into the forest, she could see the appeal of being out here—everything seemed fresh and the mountain views were beautiful. J.D. did caution
