Yes Boss (Billionaire Bosses #4) - Miley Maine Page 0,42

that,” he warns. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Opal.”

“I do,” I say with a confident nod.

I hope I do too.

Chapter Seventeen

Jason

Come Monday morning, I was fully prepared to take Opal off my payroll and start drafting an advertisement for another secretary. In fact, I probably should have already done that last week while she was gone, but part of me was hopeful.

Stupidly hopeful, I correct myself as I make coffee and lean against the table in the kitchenette, staring grimly down into the murky coffee. I knew, when I gave Opal the week off, that I was also giving her the opportunity to use that time to find another job. With me as one of her references (she hasn’t asked yet, but I have no doubt she will – I’m half-surprised that I didn’t get a call about it last week) and her college qualifications, she’ll get snapped up by another company in a heartbeat.

And I doubt I'll have any problem filling in her position, too. Without trying to sound arrogant, most people would jump at the chance to work with me. Their salary would be better than any other job, the hours would be good, and the work would always be there. No one could turn away from that sales pitch.

Except, of course, Opal.

Though, I suppose that’s a matter more of history coming between us. I sigh silently to myself and straighten. Well, better get it over with.

I’ve only moved two steps toward my office when the elevator arrives on the floor, and I look over curiously to see who would be visiting me at this time of the morning. I almost drop my mug when Opal strides in confidently.

“Morning,” she says briskly with a firm nod at me. She drops her bag beside her desk and turns to me. “Have you added any appointments to the calendar while I’ve been gone?”

I blink at her, and it takes me half a second to catch up.

“Uh…one or two,” I say.

I feel like an idiot. But, at the same time, I simply can’t wrap my head around the fact that Opal is actually here, asking about work for the day, especially since I already resigned myself to the fact that she wasn’t going to return.

I gave her everything she needed to drop this job and run fast in the other direction. It honestly blows my mind that she didn’t take that chance.

“Right,” Opal says, and I rouse myself enough to see that she’s stopped in front of the wall calendar and is scrutinizing it closely. “I’ll add those to my book in case we’re ever on the move.”

“Why are you here?” I blurt out.

I didn’t mean to say it. Part of me is a little scared that voicing the question out loud will just remind her that she doesn’t want to be here and she’ll walk right out the door.

But I need to know.

“What?” Opal asks, confused as if I’m the one who doesn't make sense here.

“Here, in this office,” I say with a one-armed gesture, trying not to spill my coffee everywhere. “Why did you come back today?”

Her expression clears in understanding.

“I wanted to,” she says simply. “I’m going to go check the emails. They’ve probably built up to the hundreds by now…”

Unconcerned with me any longer, she drops down into her chair. I’m frozen in place. Dazedly, I wonder if she has any idea how important her words were just then.

She wanted to be here. Against all the odds, she chose to come back. To give this job and me one more go, despite how messy everything has gotten.

I don’t know why I’m so happy about this. Opal’s work has been amazing but, in my personal life, she’s caused nothing but trouble for me since I hired her. I should have been glad to see her gone.

Yet I’m not. I had buried it deeply, but there’s a reason why I couldn’t even think about drafting an advertisement until the last minute. I didn’t want to admit that I hated the thought of Opal being gone.

She’s capable. She’s magnetic. I like working with her because her ideas are clever and quick. Losing her wouldn’t have helped with the image of making this company my own that I’ve begun to build. I really couldn’t afford to lose her.

More than that, it made something tight in my chest clench at the thought of her leaving. I tucked that feeling away carefully, into a darkened corner where no one could see