Makayla frowns. “He doesn’t. At least not that Max knows about.”

“Her name is Sia.”

“Oh.” Her face pales and my stomach sinks. “Actually she is a girl and a friend but not a girlfriend in the traditional sense of the word. At least not that I’ve heard. He’s more like a stand-in big brother for when Fuzzy’s not around. Something bad happened to her a few years ago and Fuzzy never lets her go out alone.”

I give a begrudging sniff. “They seem pretty close.”

Makayla twists her lips to the side. “Well…they spend a lot of time together, but I’ve never seen them kiss or hold hands or be intimate in any way.”

Jake and Sia choose this moment to join the party. When she clasps his hand and leads him over to the picnic table, my heart squeezes in my chest. “I can’t stay here. We almost…in the kitchen…and now… It’s too humiliating.”

“No.” Makayla grips my arm and rearranges her features into her cute scowl. “Talk to him. That was your problem before. Too much sex. Not enough talking.”

Shaking her free, I take a step toward the exit. “If I talk to him, I’ll hear things I don’t want to hear. Better to leave now and imagine them than to stay and find out they’re real.”

Chapter 8

DO NOT OPEN

A week goes by. The Redemption Renovation Extravaganza is a resounding success, as is my furniture and decorating shopping spree. My newly renovated office is clean and fresh and ready for clients.

Despite the Victorian fittings, I have decorated with corporate style. Navy and gray striped curtains hang from the windows in the massive reception room. Two navy couches and a wingback chair boast matching gray cushions and arm protectors. Glass tables, modern lighting, an abstract sculpture, and an abstract painting of navy and gray lines round out the look.

After two weeks of hard work and hours of financial analysis since agreeing to open the firm, I have started an eight-million-dollar civil lawsuit against Farnsworth for sexual harassment and effectively forcing me out of the firm. Max wrangled one of his litigation attorneys to help me with the finer details of preparing the complaint and to be on call to help when needed to compensate for my lack of experience. A security blanket. Max style.

The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee reminds me that I’m wasting my third cup of the morning, and I take a sip and stare at the blank piece of paper on my desk that was supposed to be a completed and actionable marketing plan three hours ago.

“Excuse me. I’m here about the ad for an office assistant.”

My head jerks up and my eyes widen when I catch sight of Penny in the doorway, neatly dressed in a peach pencil skirt, cream blouse, and a strand of pearls.

“Penny! What ad?”

Penny settles herself in the leather chair across from my desk. “I sensed you were about to advertise in the paper for a personal assistant. Here’s my CV.” She shoves a bundle of papers across the desk and smiles a cheeky Penny smile.

“What?” My brain is so busy playing catch up, it’s forgotten to tell me what to say.

“Am I too late?” She looks over her shoulder and then leans forward and peers under my desk. “Did you already hire someone? Is she or he hiding somewhere?”

“What’s going on?”

“If you’re planning on dazzling clients with your wit, charm, and eloquence, you may wish to expand your vocabulary.” Penny laughs and leans back in her chair. “Now, I can work eight until eight. Half an hour for lunch. On call weekends and evenings. I’ve taken a tour of the waiting room. A bit disappointing. It looks like a miniature Farnsworth & Tillman but with gray instead of teal. I also see you have monogrammed everything. Again, very Farnsworth & Tillman. I thought you would have taken the opportunity to do something unique…something you. But we can work on that. The room to the side will serve nicely as my office, but until you have a receptionist, I’ll sit out front.”

My jaw drops to the desk. “But…but…what about Farnsworth & Tillman? You have a great job there. I can’t pay you anywhere near what you are making with them. I can’t give you the same benefits. I don’t have big, exciting clients. And it’s just me. No gossip. It’s a lose-lose proposition all round.”

“You’ll need to work on your delivery for future interviews with office staff,” she says lightly. “You’re hiring people, not chasing them away.”

“I don’t understand.”

Penny smiles. “You don’t have to understand. I’m here and ready to work. Although you probably already know this, my favorite color is yellow. My favorite footie team is Man U. I love creamy desserts, shepherd’s pie, and, of course, I drink tea. I’m a closet death metal fan. Single. No dependents. Family lives in England. I’m still switched into the Farnsworth & Tillman gossip network. And I’ve just had a lovely breakfast with a hard-bodied private investigator named Ray who is looking to take on some extra work. He’ll be here later this afternoon.”

“Ray?” My mouth drops open. “Ray is going to work for me too? I’m just starting out. I can’t even pay myself, much less you and Ray. I have a handful of pro bono files I brought with me from the community legal aid clinic and only two cases: my lawsuit against Farnsworth and a case for one of the guys at Redemption. There’s also a bogus lawsuit against some of the Redemption fighters that I’ll handle if it becomes real, but that’s it.”