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“Right, thanks, Jim.”
Pete stood beside David as the other two left. “Is your mother really opposed to women working with computers? That’s crazy.”
“I know. Mom’s that way.”
“Want me to go with you to tell her?”
David smiled. “No, I’m a big boy. I can face her on my own. You can go with me to talk to Susan, though.”
“Sure, good idea, since I’ll be the one to train her. I can see if we’ll work well together.”
They set out for the dress store where Susan worked. When they entered the place, Susan was ringing up a sale. As soon as she’d finished, David asked her if she could take a break. She got approval from her supervisor and the three of them went to a small café next door.
Once they were seated and ordered drinks, David explained their problem. “We’ve got to find someone who knows computer software to fill a sudden vacancy at the firm. And I thought of you.”
Susan’s eyes opened wide with excitement. Then she slumped back in her seat. “I’d love it, but you know how Mom is. She’ll be so upset if I—”
“I know, honey, but I think it’s time you worried about making yourself happy rather than Mom.”
“Wow, you sound like Alex,” Susan said with a giggle.
“Maybe I do. I thought Mom would change with time, but she hasn’t. Alex is right. You have the right to choose work you’ll enjoy. Maybe it isn’t in computers, but you’ll never know until you try.”
“You’ll back me up?”
“I will.”
“And I’ll be the one to train you,” Pete said, smiling warmly at Susan.
David shot a look at his best friend. Pete seemed really eager to train Susan. Taking a second look at his sister, he realized she was quite pretty. Hmm.
“Do you have to give notice to the store?”
“I think you’re supposed to, but I’ll tell my supervisor this is an emergency. It is, isn’t it?” Susan asked.
“Absolutely!” Pete said.
“Yeah, Pete’s right. It would be best if you came with us right now.”
“Then let me talk to my supervisor. They’ve got plenty of help right now. I don’t think my leaving will be a problem. Then I can follow you to the office and start this afternoon.”
“Maybe I should wait for Susan and ride with her to the office, so she won’t get lost,” Pete suggested.
David told him that was good thinking, though he knew it was totally unnecessary. But Susan wasn’t objecting, either.
He left them together and drove to his mother’s home, which she shared with her sister-in-law—Aunt Gladys, Alex’s mother.
“Mom, I need to talk to you,” David announced after he’d entered the house. His mother and Gladys were sitting together knitting in front of the television.
“Yes, dear?”
“I’ve talked Susan into quitting her job and coming to work for the company.”
That got his mother’s attention. “What? Oh, no! I can’t allow that! You should’ve talked to me first.”
“I’m sorry, Mom, but Susan has a lot of training in computer work. I think she should be using it, not working in a dress store. She doesn’t even like the job, according to Alex.”
“Alex is always trying to talk her into being independent!” his mother snapped.
Gladys laughed. “That’s my girl! Strong-minded as ever.”
“Yes, she is, isn’t she. She was at the office this morning, helping us find a spy. She and Jim interviewed and checked backgrounds and found out who had been passing our information on to the competitor. That’s why we need Susan. If she doesn’t like it, I’ll help her find another job, Mom. I’ll make sure she’s happy.”
“Who’s this Jim?” his mother demanded.
“He works with Alex at Greenfield and Associates. They did a great job.”
“Is Alex interested in him?” Gladys asked hopefully.
“No, I think she’s dating a cop,” he said casually.
“Oh! I didn’t know. She never tells me anything.”
“Well, if this Jim’s not married,” his mother said, “Alex could introduce him to Susan.”
“He’s married, Mom. Susan will find someone.” His other sister, Janet, was married, and it seemed to be his mother’s goal in life to marry off Susan.
“I had hoped you’d introduce Susan to someone, but you never have.”
“I did try a few times, Mom, but it never worked out.”
“Well, I don’t like you hiring Susan to work for our company. She shouldn’t have to work there.”
“She thinks it might be fun to try, Mom. So can I tell her you don’t mind?”
“I suppose. But if she doesn’t like it, you must help her find a nice job at once.”
“I promise, Mom.”
Though his mother protested his leaving so quickly, he headed back to the office. He found Pete and Susan in Pete’s office. He was already teaching her “Quality Assurance,” which had been Judith’s job.
“Everything going okay?” David asked.
The pair jumped as if they’d been doing something illegal.
“Oh, David, yes, everything’s fine,” Susan said. “Pete is doing a wonderful job of teaching me what to do. Did…did you talk to Mom?”
“I did, and she agrees, as long as I promise to find you another job if you don’t like this one.”
“Thanks, David,” Susan said.
“No problem. Pete, everything okay with you?”
“Sure, everything’s great,” Pete answered, but his smile was directed to Susan, not David.
David made a mental note to keep an eye on his friend. He thought a lot of Pete and wouldn’t mind having him in the family. In fact, he preferred Pete to his current brother-in-law, Janet’s husband, Jerry. He worked in his father’s stock brokerage firm and David found him pretentious and snobbish. But David’s mother was very impressed with him.
Returning to his office, David sat for a moment to think. He knew Alex would approve of what he’d done today, though he hadn’t done it for her approval. He’d been worrying about Susan for a while now. She hadn’t seemed happy. Maybe now….
His thoughts turned to Alex. He’d always tried to be a big brother to her, too, since she had no brothers. His desire to protect her was what had prompted him to pay a visit to Greenfield and Associates.
Of course, she didn’t appreciate his efforts. But she was working with Jim. She’d be okay. He wished he could say as much about her latest boyfriend. Neil Logan was a divorced cop and seven years older than Alex, who was only twenty-four, the same age as Susan.
He focused his mind on his work. He’d given enough time to thinking about his family today. Besides, thinking about the company was important to his family, since they enjoyed the proceeds.
ALEX WAS THRILLED. She’d just successfully completed her first case at her job, and tonight she’d get to tell Neil about her job change. Now if he was interested in a future with her, there was nothing to keep them apart.
She was in the kitchen when she heard Neil’s knock on the door. They usually ate at her apartment since Neil said it would be better if they kept their relationship quiet. That was another reason for her leaving the police force. She wasn’t comfortable with secrets.
When she opened the door, Neil swept her into his arms and kissed her. “Hey, did you miss me?” he asked.
“Of course I did.” She smiled. He always wanted to know if she’d missed him, even if it was only a day or two since she’d seen him. “How was your family?”
She listened patiently while he talked about his family. She was waiting for him to finish, hoping he would ask about what she’d done during his vacation. Dinner was over before he got to that stage. By then, Alex was more than a little irritated.
“So, what did you do while I was gone?” he finally asked.
“I got a new job,” she said casually.
“You what?”
“I got a new job.”
“You left the police force?” he asked, astounded. “You should’ve discussed it with me first!” His tone held anger.
Alex stared at him in disbelief. David had been concerned, but he hadn’t acted like this. “Why? Don’t you think I can make decisions for myself?”
“Of course I do, but I think I know what’s best for you.”
Why hadn’t she noticed how controlling he was? He usually dominated the conversation, it was true, but she’d figured that was because he’d had more experience and thus, more to say. It seemed she’d been mistaken.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I can probably pull some strings and get you back on the force.”
“No, thank you,” she said clearly.
“Yeah, I can talk to the sergeant and tell him you made a mistake and—”
“I don’t want you to talk to the sergeant, and I didn’t make a mistake!”
“Come on, Alex, I’m just trying to help. I don’t want you working somewhere else.”
“Doesn’t it matter what I want?”
“Sure, baby, but we won’t get to see each other as much.”
“Why not? I won’t be working nights, and it won’t matter if someone sees us together if I’m not on the force.”
“I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to be seen with a quitter.” Neil reared back in his chair, as if challenging her.
Suddenly Alex knew what she had to do. “You’re probably right,” she said.
He grinned at her. “I knew you’d come around. I’ll talk to the—”
“No, I’m not agreeing to come back to the police force. I’m agreeing that I shouldn’t be seen with you.”
“So you want to keep our relationship a secret?”
“No. I want to end it.”
“What are you talking about?” he roared.
“You heard me. I don’t want to see you again.” She stood and went to the door, holding it open.
“Come on, honey, you can’t mean that.”
An hour ago, she probably wouldn’t have meant it, but now she saw Neil in a different light. He no longer had any authority over her. “Yes, I can. I’ve made a choice that I’m happy with, and I wouldn’t want to embarrass you by being seen with you.”
“But if we keep meeting here, no one will know.”
“Hurry up and go, Neil. Bugs are getting in.”
He stalked out of her apartment. “I had plans for us,” he said from the doorway. “We could get married. We could have a couple of kids and you wouldn’t have to work.”
An hour ago that plan would’ve thrilled her. Thank goodness she’d woken up in time.
Before she could say anything else, Neil continued, “After all, you get money from the company your family owns. It’s not like we’d be hard up.”
“Goodbye, Neil.”
“You think about it. Let me know when you come to your senses.”
“Right.” She closed the door in his face.
After he’d left, she plopped down on her sofa. She’d made the right decision; she had no doubt about that. But she hated that she’d wasted so much emotion and time on a man who wanted to control her and take advantage of her income.
She’d been a poor judge of character. Maybe it was because he was a higher rank on the force and had seemed so interested in her. She’d almost slept with him. She’d been tempted a couple of times, but something held her back.
Now she was glad she hadn’t given in to momentary urges. He was a handsome man, but underneath… She wondered about his marriage and divorce. Maybe his wife—
