Ready for Love (4 page)

“Yes, that was part of my studies. I know which gloves to use for different materials.”

“Good. I won’t have to stand over you to make sure you’re doing the job right, then.”

“No, you won’t.” Kylie had a rapt expression on her face. “I want to thank you for your generosity toward me. I really appreciate it.” She smiled. “I can hear in your voice how passionate you are about this.”

LJ wasn’t used to hearing this kind of praise—particularly when it included the word
generosity
. “We shall see how grateful you are after a week, Mrs. Wilcox.”

“Yes, I expect we will. Any chance you could call me Kylie? ‘Mrs. Wilcox’ sounds like some stuffy old woman.”

LJ crinkled her forehead. What was it about the woman that made her feel disorientated? “You are here to do a job, Mrs. Wilcox, not be my friend.” She ground her teeth. “I am expecting you to start as soon as possible, which means tomorrow.”

“Understood. Is tomorrow around noon okay?” Kylie asked. “I have some things I need to take care of before I begin.”

LJ snorted.

“Listen, Dr. Evans, I just called for this appointment at nine o’clock this morning. This afternoon I still have to fill in a stack of forms and most likely have a physical. After that, I need to make arrangements for my daughter and reorganize my life, and I can’t do that overnight. I’m asking for a morning, and that isn’t unreasonable.”

LJ couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had gone out of her way to make sure the woman was available for her child, and now she wanted to start at her pace. She sucked in a breath and took a moment.
Exactly what do I do now? Shit, I hate this type of thing. Give me artifacts any day.
“Why don’t you plan on starting Wednesday?” Her cold persona was back firmly in place. “When you get here then, park your car in the employee parking lot at the back of the building and use the entrance there. It will be unlocked. Make sure you lock it after you come inside.” She didn’t know what else to say and felt awkward. Being nice was not something she ever considered, yet here she was doing exactly that. “I will see you then.” As an afterthought she added, “Glad you’ll be working here.”

Kylie blinked as the doctor turned and left. “Sure, see you then.”

Dr. LJ Evans was an enigma, that was for sure. She was cold and distant, and for the most part, she never acknowledged Kylie’s comments or questions. Yet, when she spoke of her work, her voice was soft, warm, and passionate.
How can that be?
She crossed her fingers that she’d made the right decision.

The comment about not being friends stung, even though Kylie had already come to the same conclusion. Ted had always told her that the workplace was no place for friendships, because when it came down to it, your colleagues would throw you under the bus in a tight situation.

She made her way out of the workroom and up the elevator to the floor that housed Rob’s office. When she went inside, Ruth looked up and smiled. “I have a stack of forms ready for you to fill out.” She tapped on a piece of paper. “Here is the address of a clinic for your physical.”

“Is it okay if I take them home? I’d like to get the physical first so I won’t have to ask my parents to pick up Ryan.”

“Certainly. I didn’t expect you to fill them out immediately.” She smiled. “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?”

Kylie blew out a breath, then laughed. “It’s like I hopped on a merry-go-round and it won’t stop. I’ve never had a job before.”

“Not to worry, dear. Once you get into the routine, it will all make sense.”

“I hope so. Is it possible to speak with Dr. Ludlow for a moment?” She bit her lip. “If he’s free, that is.”

The door opened, and Rob walked out of his office. “Kylie. Is there a problem?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Have you decided not to take the job?”

“I’m taking it, Rob. I just wanted to speak with you. It won’t take long.”

Rob looked at his wristwatch. “Of course. Why don’t you come on into my office?”

Kylie followed him, and when he shut the door, she turned to him. “I wanted to thank you for making sure my hours would coincide with Ryan’s school day and for the more than generous salary.”

Rob shook his head. “I had nothing to do with that. It was all Dr. Evans’s doing.”

“Really? She doesn’t come across as someone who would be that thoughtful.”

“I suspect that once you start working with her, you will find that LJ is a different person under the cold exterior she shows the world.” Rob moved closer and gave her a hug. “It will be all right.”

“Thank you, I hope so.” Kylie moved out of his arms. “I’ll let you get back to work, and I’ll see you on Wednesday when I start.”

“She didn’t have a problem with that?”

Kylie grinned. “At first she did, but she finally agreed.”

Rob shook his head and smiled. “Amazing. I think this is going to work out after all.”

“Thanks, I hope so.” Kylie left the office more puzzled than ever by the paradox known as LJ Evans.

†

Kylie didn’t get to the walk-in clinic in time to be able to pick up Ryan and had to call her dad to get her from the bus stop. She parked in her parents’ driveway and went to the front door carrying a bottle of chilled champagne she’d picked up on her way there. When she entered, a squeal of delight from Ryan greeted her.

“Mommy.” Ryan ran toward her.

Kylie dipped down and picked her up. “Hi, sweetie, how was your day?”

“Good, Mommy. I have to make a
diomama
.”

“Diorama.” Kylie laughed

“How was the doctor appointment?” Virginia Aldridge asked as she entered the front room. “Are you sick?”

Kylie put Ryan down and held up the bottle of champagne. “I got a job at the history museum.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you wanted a job,” Virginia said.

“What’s this I hear about a job?” Kylie’s father, Carl, came into the room with Ryan tagging behind him.

“Hi, Daddy.” Kylie hugged him. “You are looking at the new assistant to Dr. LJ Evans.”

Carl looked at his daughter, his expression puzzled. “I thought Ted left you with enough money so you didn’t have to work.”

“He did. It’s not for the money, but for me. I can’t spend the rest of my life playing bridge and doing volunteer work. I need more.”

“Why didn’t you come to me if you wanted to work? I still have contacts and could have gotten you a decent job.”

“Daddy, this is a decent job,” Kylie countered.

“You belong in an office.” Carl shook his head.

“I’m sure the job is great,” Virginia said, giving her husband a harsh glare. “Dinner is ready. Let’s all sit down and you can tell us all about it.” She hugged Kylie. “I’m so proud of you.”

A few minutes later, Kylie was sitting at the kitchen table and humming around a forkful of deliciousness. “Mom, as usual, your lasagna is fantastic.”

“Who exactly is this Dr. Evans?”

Kylie put her fork down and looked at her father. “She is renowned and well respected as the chief research archaeologist at the museum. It is a very prestigious position, especially for someone so young.”

“How old is she?” Carl waved a fork in Kylie’s direction.

“I’m not sure, but I think she’s in her mid-thirties.”

“What will you be doing there?” Virginia asked.

“She went to Peru on a dig last summer, and I’m helping catalog the finds and restore some of the objects.”

“What about Ryan? Are you expecting your mother to take over your responsibilities?”

Kylie bristled at the comment, suddenly being reminded of Ted saying something similar.

“Carl. Enough.” Virginia glared at him again. “Darling, I remember how much you loved your archaeology classes, so this sounds perfect for you.”

“Yes, I agree. At one point I thought I wanted to be an archaeologist. I’ve often wondered what would have happened if I had pursued that career and how different my life might have been.” Kylie looked at her daughter, who was happily eating a piece of garlic bread, then smiled at her mother. “I wouldn’t have Ryan in my life though, so my choice was the right one.”

“Yes, it was. What can I do to help you?” Virginia asked.

“They were very generous and planned my hours around the school day, so I should be good. On the days school is out or if she’s sick, I’ll need someone to watch her, so I’m going to look for a babysitting service.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Carl said. “Your mother and I will do that.”

“I can’t ask that of you, Dad, especially now that I know you’re against my working.”

Carl took her hand. “I’m not against you working, sweetheart. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“I know I should have discussed this with you first.” Kylie suddenly felt vulnerable. “But for so many years I let Ted dictate what I did or didn’t do. I needed to do this for myself.”

“All he wanted to do was take care of you,” Carl countered.

“No. All he wanted to do was control me.”

“Surely it couldn’t have been that bad.” Virginia looked at Kylie with concern etched on her face.

“He took care of us, but it was always on his terms. Any time I mentioned working, he would berate me, telling me that he wouldn’t allow his wife to work like some commoner. Like a coward, I gave in. I wish I hadn’t.” She shook her head. “I know now that I should have had more of a backbone where he was concerned.”

“Grammie, what’s for dessert?” Ryan asked.

Everyone laughed, and the tension in the room immediately dissipated.

Virginia said. “I made your favorite, Ryan.”

“Yeah, brownies! Can I have ice cream too?”

“Of course, but first we have to celebrate your mommy’s good fortune with champagne.”

†

“You didn’t say much about your new boss at lunch. Is he handsome and single?” Lynne asked.

Kylie, reclining on the couch and engaged the speaker on her phone as she laughed. “Hardly. It’s a she, not a he, and I have no idea about the single part. I
kinda
doubt it. As I said at lunch, she doesn’t have much of a personality.”

“A woman. You’re working for a woman. You know what happens when you work with women, don’t you?”

“I don’t, but I bet you’re going to enlighten me.” Kylie finally could feel her body relax. Ever since her father’s lukewarm acceptance of her getting a job, she’d been on edge. Talking to Lynne always made her feel good about herself.

“Well, I of course have never personally experienced this, but I’m told that when women work together, their cycles eventually sync and it’s a massive bitch fest during that time.”

“Where on earth did you come up with something so ridiculous?” Kylie was laughing, and it felt good.

“My sister-in-law who works with an office full of women told me. She said they all know when not to piss each other off.”

“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You said she doesn’t have much of a personality. What does that mean?”

“The truth is I don’t know. In the interview she was a
hardass
and asked me inappropriate questions.”

“Like what?”

“She wanted to know if I was there hoping to find a man to marry.”

“No. What did you say to that?”

“I walked out.”

“Good for you. Wait, you walked out and she still hired you?”

“Yeah. Go figure.” Kylie grinned. “I think she was desperate for someone to work there.”

“So, is she a shriveled-up, old hag who gets off on spooky old relics?”

“No. I’d guess she is in her mid-thirties, and she’s very attractive.”

“But a bitch.”

Kylie laughed. “Pretty much, but I have a feeling that’s just smoke and mirrors.”

“Why?”

“Because she made sure my hours would match up with getting Ryan off to school and picking her up. That doesn’t gel with the bitch persona she tries to project.”

“Probably not. Let’s settle on a time for our night at the Rusty Nail. I can’t wait to go back to our old stomping grounds and just have fun.”

“Me either.”

†

LJ opened the door to her apartment and locked it behind her before placing her wallet and keys on a small table near the door. Her day had been both interesting and troubling. At last, she had an assistant who she thought would do the job without needing constant direction. The disturbing part was the woman who had taken the job.

She made her way to the tiny galley kitchen, opened the refrigerator door, took out a Shiner Bock, and held the cold, dark bottle to her cheek. A vision of Kylie Wilcox came to mind, making her shake her head to dispel the image. “What’s wrong with me? I was nice to her and gave her concessions I never even considered with anyone else.” She took a swig of her beer. “She should have started working today, not in two days.”

Disgusted with herself, she moved into the sparsely decorated living area and flopped down on the worn but comfortable dark brown leather couch. From what she ascertained about Kylie Wilcox, she was intelligent, had a good understanding of archaeology, and was easy on the eyes, which in itself was a plus. LJ found she could push her just so far before a fiery temper emerged, and that meant she couldn’t bully her as she had so many others. That in itself would be a challenge, and LJ had a feeling her new employee would be up to whatever she threw her way.