Page 32 of At His Beck & Call

“You wouldn’t think so with the length of time it’s taken them to make him an equity partner. He should have been at that level already, but it’s a boy’s club, and Mr. Heath doesn’t play the game the way they want him to. He refuses to be drawn into their little Band of Brothers movement, and keeps insisting on ridiculous things, like hiring awomanas a senior partner.”

I snort, laughing at her tone. “Women get shit done,” I say, automatically quoting something Bethany and I have spouted to one another for years. I shut my mouth quickly, worried that I shouldn’t have cursed in front of Adelaide, until she smiles at me.

“You’re fucking right, we do.”

She rises, sliding some folders toward me, and I get back to work. Once she’s seated at her desk, I discreetly scroll to Oliver’s information on the system. He’s worked for AGS for over ten years and my eyes almost bug out of my head when I see his hourly rate. $2,500.

Who has that kind of money?

“You said you worked in legal before, right?” Adelaide asks. “You seem to know your way around things already. The work you did yesterday was excellent, by the way, it saved me a lot of hassle this morning.”

“Oh. Thanks. Yeah, I also took some pre-law classes in college, so I guess that helps.”

She leans around her monitor. “You did?”

“Until I was twenty, then I got pregnant and…”James told me to quit.“I couldn’t really continue.”

“Well, it shows. You understand how things should be organized. Plus, you tabbed all the relevant sections in the folders without me even having to ask you to.”

“Were they right? I was worried I might have misread some of it.”

“They were perfect.”

I nod, ridiculously pleased that I’ve helped even in a small way. When I was working under Francesca at the dental practice, I only ever heard from her when I did something wrong.Damn, I do not miss that place.

It’s nice to know I’ve made a positive change for once.

We continue working opposite one another for the rest of the day. The office is still quiet, but there are more people milling around today than yesterday.

Several people have come up to speak to Adelaide about cases that Oliver is working on. Almost no one knocks on his door, though.

I get the feeling people avoid him. He does seem kind of terrifying at first. Maybe some people never get past that first impression.

Early in the afternoon, when I get back from lunch, I don’t realize Oliver isn’t in his office until he appears in the hallway, speaking to one of the partners. They have a low, hurried discussion as Oliver types something out on his phone.

He has on a charcoal gray suit, a white crisp shirt, and a deep midnight navy tie with a subtle tonal texture. The suit fits him like a glove, and I wonder where he bought it from—there’s no way a suit off the rack would fit him.

“Thanks, Ruth, that’s great,” he says, putting the phone to his ear. He passes my desk, the first time I’ve seen him since our encounter yesterday, but he doesn’t glance at me, doesn’t even acknowledge my existence.

I don’t look directly at him, scared that everything we did yesterday will be written all over my face. He stops at Adelaide’s desk, and she hands him his mail before he goes into his office and shuts the door.

I’m not sure if I’m grateful or disappointed that he didn’t even look in my direction. I start to feel more anxious.

Is he bored with me already? Why didn’t he even glance in my direction?

I’m still mulling these thoughts over while I work through the remainder of the folders. We don’t have to send them off for a couple of days, and I’m pretty sure I’m ahead of schedule.

Adelaide tells me repeatedly how good my work is, which continues to brighten my day.

I really like it here. The atmosphere is calming, and the work isn’t stressful. It’s the first job I’ve had where I feel like I belong, right from the start.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” Adelaide says, pulling on a long purple coat from behind her chair and a lilac scarf. Even her phone case is purple.

“See you tomorrow,” I say.

“Thanks for your help today. You know that you can leave right at six, yes? Don’t feel you have to stay late.”

“Oh, I won’t. Thanks, Adelaide.”