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“You can bring her in with you,” he said before she could decide on a course of action. “There’s a small storeroom off the main office that would make a perfect temporary nursery. Flo, the woman who manages the office, loves kids. She would be thrilled to have Diane around.”

“I’ll bet,” Heather muttered. She was too confused to be having this conversation. Things were moving too fast. Although, knowing Jim, this conversation wasn’t completely unexpected. “You’re still trying to rescue me,” she said. “I don’t need rescuing. I’m perfectly capable—”

“Of taking care of yourself,” Jim finished for her. “I know. All I’m saying is I need someone in my office. You need a part-time job. I don’t care when you work and you need flexible hours. Besides, I’ll be able to see my best girl more often.”

For a split second, she thought he meant her. Then reality returned to her brain and she knew he was talking about Diane. I will not be jealous of my own child, she told herself firmly.

“So what’s the problem?” Jim asked.

You are, she thought to herself, but couldn’t say that aloud. He wouldn’t understand. She knew that Jim was not for her. Even if he was, she wasn’t interested in anything like that. So why was she tempted to accept his offer? It was crazy. She didn’t want another man in her life, in any form. Their friendship was already straining the promise she’d made to herself not to get involved. She knew all the risks and pitfalls of a relationship with a man. She’d lived through every possible variation on that theme, with the possible exception of accidentally dating a man who was gay.

Except Jim wasn’t talking about dating. He was talking about work. Was that safe? Could she stay friends with him and not get hurt? Was working for him crossing the line in some way?

She drew in a deep breath. The problem was that she was getting more and more involved. She needed him too much. This was the perfect time to tell him that their friendship was becoming too intense and that she wasn’t comfortable. Working for him would only make things more difficult and complicated. She had to tell him no.

Chapter Five

“I never meant to agree to this,” Heather said as she bent over her daughter’s car seat and unbuckled the seat belt. “I said no, didn’t I? I distinctly remember saying no.”

But when she pulled out the car seat and straightened, she found herself staring at a large sign that read Valley Helicopter Services. If she hadn’t taken the job that Jim offered her, what on earth was she doing here at his office?

Heather secured her purse more firmly over her shoulder, then closed and locked the car door before heading toward the main entrance to the building. There had to be a logical explanation, she told herself. A reason that she’d changed her mind. Unfortunately, she knew exactly what that reason was—Jim had made the part-time job impossible to turn down. Not only had he offered her a generous salary, the ability to set her own hours and the chance to work on an accounting program she’d wanted to learn for a long time, but he’d said she could bring Diane into the office with her. Which meant that she wouldn’t have to pay for child care or worry about being apart from her infant.

Between this job and the other work Jim had sent her way, she was closer than ever to reaching her goal of a full-time home business. She didn’t know that angels took the form of handsome six-foot-three-inch men, but she wasn’t about to start complaining now. She’d had her chance to refuse and she hadn’t, so for better or worse, she was about to become a part of Jim Dyer’s world. Oddly enough, she found the thought more comforting than upsetting.

She paused in front of the glass double doors and drew in a deep breath for courage. She didn’t doubt that she could do a good job for Jim. Working with numbers had always been easy for her and a real pleasure. She was more concerned about how she would fit in with the rest of the employees. She hoped no one would resent her for bringing her child to the office.

She’d just convinced herself that the sooner she went inside, the sooner she could get those awkward introductions over when the door was pulled open and a fifty-something woman with an incredible bosom and flame-red hair grinned at her.

“You must be Heather,” the woman said. “Jim told me you were coming, and I’ve been all excited at the thought of meeting you and your little girl.” She took the carrier from Heather and beamed down at Diane. “Aren’t you just the most precious little thing? I’m Auntie Flo and we’re going to be best friends. You’re even prettier than I was told, which means I’ll have to have words with your uncle Jim. Yes, I will. He said beautiful, but that’s not good enough. No, it’s not. You’re perfect. A perfect little girl.”

Diane had slept through the entire introduction. Now she stirred sleepily, yawned, but didn’t open her eyes.

The older woman laughed. “I guess she told me.” She turned her attention to Heather and held out her hand. “I’m Flo. Welcome to Valley Helicopter. I’m delighted to have someone else in the office. It gets pretty lonely when everyone is out, and when they’re in, they’re too damned macho for my taste. All those pilots thinking they’re God’s gift to women, not to mention the repair guys in their coveralls and dirty boots. I’ve been telling Jim we need curtains on the windows, but what does he go buy? Mini blinds. It’s not like a little gingham would’ve hurt anything.”

Heather stared at the tall, curvy woman and hoped her mouth wasn’t hanging open. Flo was unlike anyone she’d ever met. Her incredibly bright red hair was piled high on her head. She wore a tight black blouse and an even tighter black skirt, both of which showed off a womanly shape that left Heather feeling about as appealing as a stick figure. But it was Flo’s conversation that was the most disconcerting.

Flo shook her hand once, then released it and grinned. “Don’t pay any attention to me. I have an opinion on everything, and for the most part, I don’t care if anyone agrees with me. I just like to talk. Your desk is over here.”

Still carrying Diane, Flo led the way through a medium-size office furnished with a small sofa and two straight-back chairs placed by the front desk. Behind that, a low wall with a swinging gate separated the waiting area from the rest of the room.

An executive desk sat on the left, complete with attached credenza and computer station. The surface of the desk was relatively neat, with papers stacked into impressive piles. A couple of simple metal desks stood in the center of the room.

“The pilots use those for their reports,” Flo said. “Or to make phone calls and stuff. You’re back here.”

A doorway cut the rear wall in half. On the left side was a huge scheduling board, on the right an L-shaped desk flanked by several filing cabinets. Heather took in the computer setup, complete with printer, the neatly stacked files and a nameplate that read Heather Fitzpatrick, Senior Accountant.

“I’ve been promoted and it’s only my first day,” she said, confused by all that was happening.

Flo laughed. “Jim does that all the time. He likes to make people feel important. He claims it helps with morale. I’m the office manager, if you can believe it.” She set the baby’s car seat on the desk. “He’s that kind of guy. Always thinking about his employees and wanting them to do better. He’s the best boss ever. Smart, too. Not to mention good-looking. We fly some female executives and they’re forever requesting him as their pilot. I swear they just want to eat him up for breakfast. But it’s been a real long time since he’s been interested in a woman. He’s real careful before he makes a commitment.”

Heather stared into Flo’s face, noting the perfect makeup that accentuated her full mouth and huge brown eyes. She supposed she could be insulted by the obvious matchmaking, but instead it made her smile. She’d been worried about being accepted by the office staff. From the looks of things, it consisted of Flo, Jim and now herself. Jim was already a friend and Flo seemed to be the kind of person who wanted to give the world a big hug.

“You’re preaching to the choir,” Heather said when Flo paused for breath. “I think Jim is terrific. He’s a good friend and I’m lucky to have him in my life. But if you’re thinking about matchmaking, I have to tell you that neither Jim nor I want that.”

Flo placed her hands on her hips. “Well, don’t that beat all? Here I was so sure that boy had finally gone and fallen for someone.” Her mouth twisted with regret. “Shoot. Are you sure you’re just friends? He’s a sexy man. I could make a lot of money selling tickets to let women stare at his butt if I could find a way to make him cooperate.”

Heather laughed. “Yes, Flo, I’m sure. Jim and I are just friends, and we both prefer it that way.” She glanced around to double-check that they were alone in the office, then she lowered her voice. “However, I do agree with you about his rear end. It’s pretty amazing.”