Not Planning on You (Danvers #2)(3)
Suzy heard Ruth’s chuckle before she managed to cover it. “I’m sorry Suzy, but I have no one else right now. With the expansion the merger created, we are still short staffed. If you don’t feel that Ella would make a good permanent replacement, then I suggest you use her temporarily until we can have the employment agency send over some others to interview.”
“See what you can put together and I’ll get back to you,” Suzy said. Slamming the phone down in disgust, she laid her head on her desk. Just as she was considering throwing herself from her fourteenth floor window, her cell phone rang. Suzy answered the call with a warm “Yeah, what now?”
“Wow, please stop, all of this sentiment is making me uncomfortable,” Beth replied dryly. Beth was her younger sister by two years and was, up until recently, an elementary school teacher. Thanks to the constant cuts in the education budget, Beth had been laid off a month ago. Other than Claire, Beth was the only other person who truly seemed to get her, and Suzy loved her dearly.
“Ha ha, very funny. It’s been a rough day. My ditzy assistant decided to walk out without any notice while I was at lunch, and now I’m screwed. The big gala is a month away, and I have no possibilities for replacing her other than the Holy Roller receptionist, and that will never happen.”
“Ah, I’m sorry sis, is there anything I can do to help?” Suddenly, it was as if a light bulb flashed in her head.
“Hey, there just may be. Has anything turned up on the job hunt yet?”
“Ugh, no, nothing.”
“How would you feel about being my assistant at least until after the gala is over? I know you’re a teacher and that’s what you love, but you’d be saving my life if you could help me just for a while.”
“Wow, I don’t know anything about what you’re doing, so I might hinder you more than I’d help you.”
“You’d be great, Beth. You get me, and that’s half of the job. Please say you’ll do it. At least you’d earn a good salary while you’re job hunting.”
“Ok, I’m in! When do I start?”
“I’d say right now, but that’s probably a bit sudden so how about tomorrow?”
“Sure. Um, sis, how would I need to dress? I know since we are sisters everyone will be shocked that we look nothing alike.”
Her heart squeezed at the insecurity she heard in Beth’s voice. Suzy said brightly, “Yeah they’re going to wonder why you got all the class in the family, and I dress like a street walker. Wear whatever you like, you always look great.” Before Beth could protest further, Suzy quickly ended the call.
Beth called herself a former fatty. Suzy had never liked that label and still didn’t. Yes, Beth had been overweight for most of her life, and she knew that her life had been easy compared to what Beth had endured. Suzy had tried to protect her and had gotten into many fights in school defending her sister.
She’d always told Beth that she was beautiful, and she truly felt that way. Beth, however, didn’t and had decided to do something about it. After finally moving out of their parent’s house two years ago, Beth had taken control. She joined a gym and started counting calories. It took her almost a year, but they were now close to the same size.
Suzy was so proud of her. Beth looked like a model but seemed to have no idea how beautiful she truly was. She was a small person trapped in the mindset of her former self. She simply wasn’t capable yet of seeing herself as the rest of the world saw her. Suzy hoped that with time and maybe the right person in her life, Beth could finally open her eyes and see that the beauty on the inside was shining on the outside as well.
Maybe this job would be good for Beth. Her job as a teacher was a safe zone for her so working at Danvers would require her to meet a lot of new people and leave her comfort zone, something that Beth almost never did. Hasta la vista Brittany! Suzy could feel the smile spreading over her face as she pondered putting Beth on the market.
“Now that’s the smile of a woman on a mission if I’ve ever seen one,” drawled an amused voice.
Suzy jerked around and was floored to see Gray standing in her doorway. “Ho…how did you get in?”
“I did knock and since I knew you were in here, I decided to peek in to make sure you were still upright after the flow of curse words I heard earlier.”
Suzy could feel color creep up her cheeks and was horrified at the display of emotion in front of Gray. “When did you get back in town?”
Still watching her in amusement, Gray allowed his gaze to leisurely run the length of her body. For once, she wished she’d worn something a little less attention getting. When she was getting dressed this morning, the short black suede skirt, tights and leopard skin heels seemed to go well with the matching leopard skin tank top. Now under his very heated gaze, Suzy had the uncomfortable desire to cross her arms over her chest.
Gray, as usual, looked perfect. He was wearing an obviously expensive dark-colored suit that only enhanced the trim, athletic body underneath. His thick, dark-brown hair was perfectly groomed, and his eyes were framed by long lashes that a girl would kill for. His strong jaw had just a hint of stubble beginning to appear. She tried not to think of how that rough texture would feel under her hands, and against her body. Gray was well over six feet tall and there wasn’t an ounce of fat on his superb body. Down girl, roll your tongue back in your mouth and get control of your body.