really wanted to laugh alongside his apprentice before he remembered he was supposed to be the boss.
While he had his phone out, he checked his messages, but there was nothing urgent. He scrolled through his contacts until he found Julia’s, and paused before using his thumb to type.
* * *
Just checking in that you gave me the right number.
He waited a second, but she didn’t reply, and why would she? She’d made it very clear that she didn’t need his help even if her father did. The real question was, why did it bother him? Why was he determined to make a connection with a woman who had never given him a moment of her time without making it feel like she was doing him a favor?
“Because you want everyone to like you,” Kaiden muttered to himself. “You’re a people pleaser.”
His cell buzzed and he picked it up.
Seems like I did.
Encouraged by the smiley face, Kaiden kept typing.
What are you up to this fine morning?
I’m bringing Dad into town to see his doctor at 12.
Cool, I might see you around.
Kaiden grimaced. There he went again asking for her attention. She didn’t reply, and he made himself put his phone away.
“How come you get to text, and I don’t?” Wes called out.
“Because I’m the boss.” Kaiden contemplated the climb up the ladder and made sure he had all the right tools with him before he ascended on high. “Now, stop yakking and get on with it.”
* * *
Julia spent way too much time trying to work out how to collapse her dad’s wheelchair so that she could put it in the back of his truck for their trip down to Morgantown. She had to wonder how he’d been managing by himself. A fresh pang of guilt ran through her as she finally shut the truck door. She’d taken his reassurances that everything was okay at face value, and used them as an excuse to work even harder, and not come back.
And where had that got her? A stomach full of acid, a full-time headache, and a new boss who hated her guts. Her cell rang, and she reluctantly answered it.
“Hi! Julia! It’s Melanie.”
Julia walked back inside the ranch house and paused in the kitchen, shutting the door so her dad couldn’t hear the conversation.
“Hi!” she said brightly.
“Blaine said you hung up on him yesterday.”
“The cell service here is very patchy.” Julia made sure the coffeepot was safely away from the range.
“Look, I know you wanted that promotion, Julia, dear, but you do realize we all have to work as a team now?”
“Of course.”
“Then why wouldn’t you help Blaine?”
“Because I don’t have access to the files he needs, Miley does,” Julia said simply. “I explained that to him. Did he suggest something else?”
The senior partner went quiet for so long that Julia really began to believe the connection was lost. She was just about to give up when Melanie spoke again.
“I’ve patched Blaine into the call, Julia.”
“Great!” Julia rolled her eyes and made gagging gestures. “Hi, Blaine.”
“I didn’t say you had the files, Julie. I just asked you where you’d put them when you’d left in such a hurry.”
“That’s a perfectly reasonable question, Julia,” Melanie said.
But not the one he actually asked me. Julia wished she had the nerve to say that, but as things were, she needed her paycheck more than ever right now.
“Miley has copies of every single file and project I was working on.”
“But she doesn’t have your experience.” Blaine sighed. “All I’m asking for is a little help, Julie, while I get settled into my new job. As Melanie said, we all need to be team players for the greater glory of the firm.”
Melanie’s indulgent laugh set Julia’s teeth on edge. “See, my dear? Blaine’s got the right attitude. You’re usually so conscientious, I can’t imagine why you’re not willing to help a fellow lawyer out.”
“I can’t help him from here. I don’t have access to the files, and I’m currently trying to take care of my father who is sick,” Julia said evenly.
“As to that, when do you think you’ll be back?” Melanie asked. “You’re missing a lot of billable hours.”
Julia pressed her lips tightly together and fought a sudden urge to cry.
“I only just got here. There is a lot to sort out and set up before I can leave.”
“Can’t somebody else do it?”
“No.” Julia gripped the phone so hard it was in danger of popping out of her hand like a cork. “It’s my responsibility