He leaned forward, steepling his long, manicured fingers. His gold cuff links glistened in the last rays of the sunlight flowing through the large windows of the top floor office of the Langley building. “There is something more.” He stood and strolled over to the mini bar to pour himself some of the expensive scotch. “Care for one?”
“No, thank you.” She crossed her legs and tugged the hem of her skirt further down her knee.
“I first want to say how much I appreciate all your help. I’ve never had an assistant as diligent as you.” He looked at her over the rim of the glass. “I knew we could put your creativity to good use.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.” After the school had let her and a handful of other teachers go because they had lost their federal funding, she’d been worried that she would be unemployed for a long time. And asking Egan for more help wasn’t an option. So when a friend who worked with Langley Industries told Novah about the assistant’s job, she’d applied immediately and was thankful she was hired although she lacked skill as an office worker. Mr. Langley had told her he wanted a fresh view.
His smile showed off an even row of white teeth against the backdrop of bronzed skin. His poll numbers were up because of his charm. Voters not only liked his tough stance against crime and support of the military, but also his way of making people feel valued.
He took a seat on the corner of the desk, balancing his glass on his thigh. “How are things at home?”
. “Things are good.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. Novah had a date that evening, thanks to her mother who’d set it up. Looking back, Novah wasn’t sure why she had agreed to the blind date in the first place. Now she regretted saying ‘yes’ and wished she had a good enough reason to cancel.
Since the divorce, she’d been on a few dates, but none had made it to a second one. Most of the available men were either too confident, not confident enough, or didn’t seem like the type to make a particularly good stepfather. That might be a bit premature, but she couldn’t bring any man into her daughter’s life unless there was a chance they would be a good fit.
Egan was spending more time with Finley since he’d retired from the Special Forces, but Novah had made it a habit to never see him. Normally, he picked up Finley for his weekends when Novah wasn’t home. When he dropped her off, he never came in. Any communication between them happened via texts, which worked for her.
“Good, good.” Mr. Langley jerked her attention back on track.
“Is there something I can help with, sir?” She paused with her pen poised above her notebook, ready to make any additional notes to the list of things she needed to finish before she wrapped up for the evening.
“I know you said you couldn’t do this weekend at Lake Jade, but I was hoping you would have changed your mind.”
Lifting her gaze and lowering her pen, she cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, but—”
“I really need you there, Novah.” His tone changed and new wrinkles appeared around his brooding eyes. “I’d like to hit some balls while I’m there, always puts the mind right, but this will be a working vacation for me, and no one stays on task like you do. Things have gotten busier around here since I started my campaign, but you did say you were on board with the workload.” He stood, rounded the desk and eased into the executive chair.
Up until now, whenever he’d asked, she’d found a way to get out of business trips that would take her away from home. He was right, she had told him she could handle the workload and she could. She not only needed the job, but she enjoyed the challenge.
“It’s only for the weekend. Three days.” He offered her a smile that he’d certainly perfected in his tenure in the corporate world and now the political arena
Uncomfortable with being put on the spot, she uncrossed her legs and tapped the pen against the notebook. What could she say? If she said ‘no’, would he fire her? Demote her? Make her office girl? She’d made trips to the corner cafe for lattes and iced coffees for meetings, stayed late to make hundreds of copies, took speeches home to proofread, and deflected angry calls from his wife. Yet, if she said ‘yes’ that meant she’d miss Finley’s soccer game. She hadn’t missed any. Feeling like she’d been cornered with no right answer, she shifted in restless energy.
“Look. If it’s too much—”
“No, it’s not.” A piece of hair had fallen from her chignon and she pushed it off her cheek. “I can do it. I’ll just need to work a few things out in my schedule.” She’d caved.
That governor-elect smile reappeared with satisfaction. “Excellent. I’ll have a driver pick you up tomorrow morning and take you to the resort.”
And just like that, she’d found herself caught in a career spiral. From this point on he’d expect her to travel.
Most assistants would be excited to spend the weekend at an extravagant resort, so she felt a bit guilty that she couldn’t muster up any joy.
Lake Jade was an historical landmark in Wyoming built by Peter’s great-grandmother, heiress and socialite Jade Langley-Wright in nineteen-thirty. The elite resort had been handed down from generation to generation until it landed in Peter’s lap then he quickly closed the doors to the public, making it available to his richest friends only who needed a place to
