Page 25 of Be My Valentine

Arrow chewed the first bite.

“Great, when can you start?”

“Start?” Kate looked at him puzzled “Is this an actual job? You mentioned a charity.”

“Which you’re not a part of. The foundation will pay you for your services. As far as I remember I think the fee is about three hundred dollars, my mother did the same thing afew years ago.”

Kate could hardly believe her good fortune. It was the amount she scraped together from tips at the pub.

“Three hundred dollars a week, of course.”

Kate choked on her water and flooded her steak with bubbles.

“Did you say per week?”

Arrow looked at the steak.

“It’s no longer edible. Anyway, I’ll confirm. Per week.”

“I’ll do anything for three hundred dollars a week.”

Kate thought she saw a predatory gleam in her boss’s eyes; it was only a moment. She stiffened instantly.

“Anything for Emma, of course.”

“It was implied.” He said, returning his focus to the food quietly.

I’m getting paranoid.

“Order something else, you weren’t eating anything anyway.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that. Am I making you nervous?”

“Yes, but you didn’t do anything. I mean, you offered me a job, two technically.” she said frowning imperceptibly“Why didn’t you fire me? After everything I said to you, I would have deserved it.”

“Because in part I think you were right, especially about not protecting you from my colleagues in Philadelphia; also, I think I was rather careless, I didn’t realize you were running errands for your colleagues-Mrs. Penn confirmed that it had become a bad habit in a short time.”

“Last in and recommended: getting a few coffees isn’t the end of the world.” She minimized.

“Annie Carson purposely put you on the spot twice. I should have acted immediately, I should have dragged them out of that club as soon as I realized what was going to happen, but I didn’t.”

“Well… you punched the blonde pig pretty hard, that counts.”

“I apologize, Kate.” He pierced her with those blue eyes, and she felt something melt inside.

“Apology accepted.” She said as if mesmerized.

“But eat something now, have some dessert or you’ll make me feel guilty.”

Kate looked at her watch.

“Do you have somewhere to be?”

“Unfortunately, not.”

“Am I such insufferable company?