“Do I put in an order here?” I asked the girl standing there. She looked to be about my age.
“Absolutely,” she said.
“I’m new here,” I told her, flashing my badge. “Samantha Thompson.”
“Oh.” She beamed. “You work for Mr. Dark. The new intern.”
Wow, the news sure got around fast.
“I was going to apply for the job, but they said they weren’t going to do it this year,” she continued.
I blinked. “Oh. I’m sorry.” That’s not what Declan had told me.
She laughed and waved it off. “It’s not your fault. I probably wasn’t qualified anyway. Besides, I like working down here. Pays the bills.”
“Good,” I responded, not sure what else to say. Why had Declan hired me if they weren’t planning on filling the position? Or was it just a last-minute thing?
The girl flashed a smile. “You probably have things to do so I’ll get to it. You can dine in, of course,” she said, pointing to the dining room. “Or put in an order here. Also, if you’re busy in the future, you can call down and put in an order and we’ll deliver it right to you.”
“Really?”
She nodded and handed me a card. “Use this number and tell them your name or office and when you want it.”
“I need this at home.”
“Right? And the food is great,” she said. “If the order’s more complicated, it’ll take longer but if you just want something simple it should be ready in ten minutes.”
Impressed, I took a menu from her and found the sandwiches easily enough. Monte Cristo, French Dip, and on and on. I picked two that sounded good so Tim could have his choice and put in my order so they could get started. The girl swiped my badge and gave me an extra cookie with a smile.
Damn, no wonder people wanted to work here. My dad had always said it was a nice place, but when I’d ask him more, he usually said he was too busy to do anything but work.
Maybe he was covering something up. Maybe he wasn’t allowed to talk about his job.
Or maybe, I was just looking into something that wasn’t there.
Loaded with two bags, I took the elevator up to the top floor.
When Xander texted at about the 23rd floor, I tugged my phone from my pocket and grinned at his message.
Jealous.
“I’ll save you a cookie,” I said.
After I delivered Tim’s lunch and got another assignment, I headed back into Declan’s office, only to find him still missing.
I sighed. Security issues. I tried to believe what Xander said, that all was okay, but it was hard. It must be a serious issue if he had to be gone the whole day.
Either that or he was just tired of me breaking and spilling things and he was trying to avoid me.
I snickered and sat, opening my sandwich. I ate a few bites here and there as I worked, but got so immersed in my work, I forgot about the rest of it. Two hours later, I needed a new task.
But instead of going to find Tim again, I slid over the papers for the project Declan had shown me.
He had notes and plans and bids from contractors. A whole pile of information in a folder, but most of it looked preliminary.
I opened a new document on my computer and typed a few thoughts. Then more. Declan had seemed curious about my ideas for the project, so I wrote them. All of them.
I had pros and cons for setting the resort at each of the locations, so I grabbed a notepad and put two columns for that as well.
Once I got going, I lost track of time. I didn’t resurface again until 5:30. My wrists ached from typing and my neck ached from bending it.
It was quiet in here, quiet enough it made me wonder if Brittany had already left, too. Where was Declan, and why hadn’t he come back?
My phone buzzed and I checked it. Xander again.
I thought you got off at 5:00.
I stood and stretched, making it clear I was getting ready to leave.
He didn’t come back, Xander wrote in another message.
I know, I typed back. I don’t like it.
He didn’t respond. I left my computer and tablet on the table and turned off the lights before leaving the office.
I might not have seen Declan before I left, but I’d probably hear from him tonight with another task. Or, at least, I’d thought so.
It was ten o’clock before I laid down, tired but wired at the same time.
I checked my phone one more time for a text from Declan, but there wasn’t anything there.
Chapter 12
“Can I quit now?” I asked Xander. It was the same question I’d asked him every morning since Tuesday. Since I’d tried to catch Declan in the act.
Xander stood at the island in the kitchen behind a plate of pancakes.
“Quitters never win,” he began.
I boosted myself on a stool and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “Isn’t that redundant? I mean, obviously quitters never win because they quit.”
“It’s what you say to people. People who quit important tasks,” he said. “Unlike, for example, me.” He beamed. “I think you might be onto something here with the cooking.”
I eyed the pancakes. “You made those?”
“Damn straight. And not from a box. I used eggs and flour and stuff—which reminds me, we need to go grocery shopping.”
“You know, Patty’s has great pancakes.”
He pulled plates from the cupboard. “Yeah, but Patty isn’t our personal chef and there’s only
