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“I’d forgotten that,” she murmured.
“What are you studying?” Parker asked. As he spoke, he removed the tape from the recorder and handed it to Valerie, who wrote on the label.
“Business Administration,” Abby answered, conscious that Valerie was less than pleased with her.
Parker nodded, then swiveled back around, obviously finished with the small talk. “Schedule for this afternoon?”
Turning on her recorder, Valerie instantly began reading appointments from her book which Parker either confirmed, or amended, then added comments.
They spoke in a rapid shorthand that Abby could barely follow. Parker’s day was scheduled in fifteen-minute blocks until ten o’clock at night and, sometimes, he was doing more than one activity during a block.
He returned phone calls while exercising on the treadmill. He met with people during meals. He dictated during his commute.
The man apparently never took a break. It wouldn’t surprise Abby to know that he listened to self-help tapes in his sleep.
She, who worked full-time and went to school at night, felt like a slug in comparison.
“Abby, when do your classes meet?” he asked.
The question surprised her. “I’m just taking one this semester. It meets Tuesday and Thursday nights from seven until ten.”
Incredibly, Valerie was marking it on the master schedule.
“And your final exam?”
“This Thursday.”
“Block out Wednesday evening as well, Valerie,” Parker instructed. “She’ll need to study.”
Abby was both stunned and touched that a man who regularly functioned on a global scale would even think of such minute details—or care.
Perhaps that was his secret: think big, but don’t forget little. She was going to learn a lot in the month ahead.
For the next ten minutes, Abby listened to more rapid-fire directions and updates and wondered how on earth she would ever keep up.
“That’s enough for now.” Parker pulled his cuff back and glanced at his watch. “Let Abby update the schedule and then she can work with you this afternoon.”
A look passed between Parker and Valerie.
“Go ahead and get started on the schedule,” she said, closed the calendar and passed it and the tape to Abby. “The name of the computer file is printed at the bottom.”
Abby stacked the book with the directory and stood. They were going to talk about her, she knew. “Shall I transcribe the tape as well?”
Valerie nodded, and Abby walked briskly from the room.
“She’s very young,” Parker commented as he watched Abby’s retreat, then leveled his gaze at the woman who’d been his father’s Executive Assistant and then his when he’d become CEO of Laird Drilling after his father had died. “Interesting choice.”
“Abigail Monroe is bright and a hard worker.”
“I’ve read her performance reviews.” Parker tapped a file folder on his desk. “But she’s only been on staff, what, six weeks?”
Valerie shifted. “That’s true, however, I feel she’ll have more flexibility than Barbara or Nancy.”
“Flexibility is important.” Parker smiled inwardly. Valerie had been able to meet his eyes as she spoke, he’d give her credit for that.
He knew exactly what she was doing by leaving an inexperienced substitute in her place while she was gone, and under other circumstances, he wouldn’t allow it.
But these were not normal circumstances. The strongest quality little Abby Monroe had going for her was a freckle-faced, farm girl unsophistication that wouldn’t appeal to his brother, Jay.
Valerie must have been thinking along the same line. “Should I brief her on all the... unique aspects of the El Bahar project?”
“You can stress how important it is that Jay not be distracted in any way from his preparations to head up that operation.” Parker smiled grimly. “And I’ll make sure there are plenty of preparations to keep him occupied until the minute his plane leaves the ground.”
“Oh, Mr. Laird!” Valerie gripped her hands. “I shouldn’t be abandoning you now, of all times!”
“You don’t have a choice.” Reaching across his desk, Parker plucked an envelope containing two firstclass airline tickets from his blotter. He’d also upgraded their stateroom to a suite. “In all the years you’ve worked for me, Gordon has never complained about missed dinners and holiday crises. If you canceled his cruise, he’d never forgive either of us.” He slid the envelope over to her. “Happy anniversary.”
“Mr. Laird!” Valerie swallowed, obviously preparing to gush her thanks.
Parker forestalled her with an upheld hand. “Have a good time.”
Abby concentrated on keeping her knees from wobbling as she made her way over the thick carpeting and back to her desk.
She was going to be Parker Laird’s Executive Assistant!
Mentally, she repeated this astonishing fact until her breathing slowed and she could think once more. Reaching her desk, she dumped everything onto it, then allowed her knees to give way as she sank onto her chair.
Hello, I’m “Abigail Monroe, acting as Parker Laird’s Executive Assistant while Ms. Chippin is away. Mr. Laird will be entertaining a party of five Thursday evening at eight-thirty.
This is Abby Monroe, Parker Laird’s Executive Assistant. Please reserve the Presidential suite for Mr. Laird.
This is Abby Monroe...yes, that’s right. Parker Laird’s Executive Assistant...
How many times had she imagined saying those words or a variation? Becoming an Executive Assistant had been Abby’s goal ever since she’d started working at Laird Drilling and Exploration.
She hadn’t realized such a position existed until she’d listened to the office talk and then it seemed like a perfect job. Excitement, travel, responsibility, meeting famous people—that’s the kind of life Valerie Chippin had.
She rode in a limousine with a driver, attended luncheons at fancy restaurants with fancy foods, wore designer suits and traveled to exotic destinations. Valerie Chippin lived the way Abby had dreamed of back when she was growing up in the tiny town of Haste, Texas.
When Abby had been promoted to Valerie’s staff just weeks ago, she’d been thrilled, thinking her hard work was paying off.
And now this.
Abby stole a glance into Nancy and Barbara’s office. The two women were at lunch and Abby wondered if Valerie had told them the news yet.
Probably not. Abby doubted they would have been so calm. In fact, Abby didn’t want to be here when they were told the news.
It wasn’t that she didn’t get along with Nancy and Barbara, it was just that the two women had worked together for several years and Abby was the junior newcomer. Abby got the routine and less interesting work. Lunchtimes were staggered so someone was always available to answer the telephones, but Nancy and Barbara always went to lunch together and Abby went later, by herself.
She didn’t mind. She accepted the fact that she was the least senior of the group.
Until a few moments ago.
Abby checked her watch. No time for lunch today, though she was so excited she wouldn’t have been able to eat.
She immediately started work updating the schedule and was transcribing the tape when at ten after one, Nancy and Barbara returned. They were late, Abby noted, and they’d left five minutes early.
They probably thought no one had noticed, but now Abby knew that Valerie must have. Abby never left early and was never late. In fact, it was rare for her to take the full hour allotted to her.
Abby could hear the women talking in the office they shared. Through the fogged glass, she could see that Valerie was back in her office. She had to tell them Abby’s new position soon.
Sure enough, she heard Valerie’s voice on the intercom.
Feeling cowardly, Abby grabbed her purse and slipped away from her desk. She took the stairs to the floor below and headed toward the vending machines.
She should eat something so she would be sharp this afternoon, but her stomach rebelled at the thought of food. Abby settled for a plastic container of orange juice though she had to force herself to drink it.
No one else was in the tiny snack bar so Abby closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, trying not to think about the fact that she was about to embark upon the greatest opportunity of her career.
Even though it was only for a month, Abby would forever after be able to say on her résumé that she had worked as Acting Executive Assistant to Parker Laird, CEO of Laird Drilling and Exploration.
She would be an experienced Executive Assistant.
Abby threw away the empty orange juice container, then stopped by the ladies’ room to touch up her makeup and comb her hair.
She heard the voices even before she pushed open the door to the outer sitting area.
“I heard what she said, but I still don’t understand!” Nancy’s angry voice bounced off the tiled floor and walls of the rest room area. “One of us should be in charge while she’s gone, not Abby.”
Abby froze.
“Oh, it makes perfect sense.” Barbara’s voice was moderated.
“Yeah, right. You’ve been here six years, I’ve been here three, and Abby’s got less than two months under her belt. Perfect sense.”
“It’s not worth getting angry over.”
“Maybe you don’t mind spending the rest of your working career as a secretary to a glorified girl Friday, but I want to know that someday, I can aspire to be...that girl Friday!”
Barbara laughed. “Then pay attention. How many times has Valerie gone on vacation?”
“She never goes on vacation.”
“Right. And now she’s going to be gone for an entire month, a month in which Parker Laird will discover how much he depends on her because things are not going to run smoothly with Abby in charge.”
“Which is why one of us should be in charge.”
“Which is why one of us is not in charge.”
There was a silence.
Abby tried to understand what Barbara was saying, but couldn’t.
Nancy apparently couldn’t, either. “I don’t get it.”
“Valerie wants to have a job when she gets back—her well-paid, perk-laden job. She’s got Parker thinking she’s indispensable. If either of us took her place, Parker would discover that we can do the job just as well as she can, but Abby will mess up so much, Parker Laird will be thrilled when Valerie comes back.”
“She is so smart!” Nancy said, awe in her voice. “I’m going to remember this.”
And so would she, Abby vowed and slipped out of the rest room.
So she was expected to fail.
Well, then she wouldn’t. Abby climbed the stairs back to the twenty-sixth floor. She’d prove everyone wrong. She could do this job, she knew it.
Now all she had to do was prove it to Parker Laird.
CHAPTER TWO
THE following Monday, Abby arrived on the twenty-sixth floor at seven o’clock in the morning. She was armed with pieces of paper on which she’d scribbled the last-minute instructions Valerie had telephoned from the airport in Houston and astonishingly, again from Athens, waking Abby up in the middle of the night.
Quite frankly, Abby hadn’t relaxed until she’d called the cruise line to see if the ship had sailed. Even then, it wouldn’t surprise her if Valerie managed a ship-to-shore call.
Abby automatically sat at her own desk, then smiled when she remembered she was entitled to use Valerie’s office for the next month. Nancy and Barbara would be sharing receptionist duty. While she transferred her nameplate, calendar and glass paperweight from her desk to Valerie’s, Abby made a mental note to inform Mr. Laird of their schedule.
Arms full, she fumbled with the key to Valerie’s office door, the scratching sounds loud in the silence. Though always quiet, the twenty-sixth floor seemed eerie just because Abby knew she was alone.
The first thing she did after dumping her armload on the desk was to put Valerie’s nameplate in the drawer and replace it with her own. Abby had invested in the heavy etched glass because the design looked substantial, yet feminine, and more important than the brown plastic plates Laird issued to its employees. Beside it, she set the matching calendar.
The paperweight, though also of a heavy glass, wasn’t part of the set. Floating in the oval were foreign canceled stamps, reminding Abby of the places she could travel if she kept working toward her goal. She set the paperweight by the computer monitor.
Before she started to work, Abby drew the blinds all the way to the top of the windows and stared across the city of Houston. An orange sun burned through the exhaust haze as rush-hour traffic clogged the freeways.
No one in her family could understand the appeal of the big city to Abby. “Full of people, noise, traffic and pollution,” they said.
But Abby felt the excitement and energy—she’d yield on the pollution.
The city—this building—was where things happened and now Abby was an important part of it all.
Or she would be as soon as she figured out what to do next. Sorting through her notes, Abby shook her head. For a week, she’d been Valerie’s shadow and the recipient of volumes of minutiae, yet she wasn’t as secure in her knowledge of the routines as she’d like to be. It seemed that no day was a typical day, and Valerie kept entirely too much information in her head. She dispensed pieces of information out of context and whenever she remembered.
Abby decided that she’d start an instruction journal for the next time someone had to fill in as Executive Assistant.
She spent several minutes transferring notes into the master schedule, an oversized portfolio, and tossing snippets of paper before discovering a lump underneath the bottom layer.
A cassette tape. Mr. Laird’s cassette tape. It had probably been on Valerie’s desk when Abby dumped the papers onto it.
Popping the tape into the machine, she put on the headphones.
