Betting on You (Danvers #4.5)(2)
In the scheme of things, replacing the communications system at the resort was minor and not something he would usually be concerned with. It wasn’t as if Beth Denton or Nick Merimon were going to walk through the door as a part of the installation team from Danvers. This was business and arguing against a Danvers system would bring nothing but questions from his nosy family. They only purchased top of the line for the resort chain and that meant Danvers whether he liked it or not.
As if some sixth sense had alerted her, his assistant walked through the door as he was setting his pen down. He had no idea how she did that. He often wondered if she had his office under some type of surveillance. He smiled as Margie made her way to his desk. They had worked together for five years now and he would be lost without her, a fact that she pointed out to him at least five times a day. Even though he rolled his eyes, they both knew it was true. She was a wise-cracking, tough-love mother-figure and he adored her. She dressed like someone off a runway but complained endlessly about the high heels that she insisted on wearing daily. Her ink-black hair was cut short and had that perfectly mussed look that women paid a fortune for. He should know; he gave her carte blanche to the resort hair salon and she was a walking advertisement for the talent of the stylists. She was fit and trim and he had no idea how. She ate like a sailor and cursed like one at times.
His own mother, Charlotte, as she preferred to be called by her sons, lived in California with her second husband. He rarely saw her and that was something that they were both okay with. She had bonded with her husband’s children from his former marriage and she tended to act as if he and his brothers were just distant acquaintances unless she needed the services of one of the Oceanix Resorts.
His father had died a couple of years back of a heart attack. He had been a brilliant businessman but lived the extravagant lifestyle of the rich. After his divorce, he never lacked for female company. Seth was sure that he never lacked for it while he was married; he just tried to hide it better than he had afterward. He had vowed to never remarry and Seth was grateful that he had kept that vow. Having to deal with a stepmother was something that neither he nor his brothers had wanted.
He jumped when Margie snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Can I have that contract or do you plan to sit there clutching it while staring into space for the rest of the day?” He handed the papers over without comment and watched as she flipped through the pages. When she was finished, she shook her head saying, “Man, it sucks to be you. Talk about bad memories.”
Margie was one of the few people he had told about the fiasco with Beth and he now wished that he hadn’t. He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Well, obviously,” Margie snorted. “That kind of shit happens to you every day. I think whoever came up with the idea for Myrtle Manor was sitting at a table next to you that night and overheard your whole conversation. The only thing that would have made it any better was a possible paternity issue. Any chance that you could be the baby daddy?”
“You’re a horrible assistant,” Seth deadpanned.
Margie laughed. “We both know I’m fabulous and you could never hope to do any better. Who else would put up with your snarky comments and lousy pay?”
Seth smiled, enjoying their verbal wordplay. “What? You haven’t managed to talk payroll into giving you a raise? You’re slipping in your old age.” She probably had him on the snarky comments, but she usually started it. As for the lousy pay, he highly doubted there was a better-paid assistant in the area or even the state. She also enjoyed more perks than anyone else in the resort. Some of them he had given her, some the other employees showered on her. They all thought he didn’t know, but there was nothing that went on in the Oceanix that Seth was unaware of. He made it his business to be one step ahead of everything and everyone. Margie deserved it though so he didn’t mind. She held the chaos at bay and kept things running smoothly, something that was priceless to him. He loved her unwavering loyalty and also her ability to give it to him straight when others just tried to tell him what he wanted to hear. Margie never sugarcoated things for him. As far as the rest of the staff and their clients were concerned, the woman could sell shit to a manure farmer. She was smooth, sweet, and full of southern charm.
Margie straightened to her full height, which was an impressive five-nine, and smirked. “Trust me, honey, there is nothing slipping here. I pay good money to keep it all where it’s supposed to be. Now should I send this contract over to Danvers? Does Beth handle that?”
Seth waved her away saying, “Get out before I call Joe. I think something is wrong with my computer. It’s been freezing up a lot.”
The smirk left her face as she glared at him. “If you do that, I will personally ask for Beth when I send these contracts back. Or better yet, maybe Nick. Talk about awkward.”
“I’ll behave if you do,” Seth countered.
“Fine,” she snapped before closing the door behind her in a huff. He declared himself the winner of this round. He very seldom got one up on Margie, but Joe worked every time. The head of their IT department was a sore subject for her. A few years back at the company Christmas party, Margie had indulged too much at the open bar and had grabbed Joe in a drunken embrace. He had turned her down flat. Since Joe had been after Margie for years, she had been shocked when he said no. He didn’t want to take advantage of her while she was intoxicated. To him, that made Joe a good guy. To Margie, that made Joe the man who rejected her and the sting to her pride was still there. Seth knew that Margie liked him, but she just couldn’t get past the humiliation of the party and she tried to avoid him now at all costs.