Stella in Stilettos (25 page)

He plied her with a friendly smile. “Stella’s not here.”

Corrine let out a bothersome exhale. “You’re right, Ace. She’s not.”

“Where is she?”

Corrine’s light scowl turned into a heavy frown. “What am I, a human-satellite? I don’t track everyone’s whereabouts.”

Alex couldn’t believe she’d said that with a straight face. The woman knew everything, which meant she knew where Stella was. Probably even knew what she was wearing. He was set to match her frown, but thought better of it. “You think I’m slime. I get it. I also know you and Stella are close, so I’m sure she’s told you all about us.”

Corrine studied him for a few long seconds. “Go on,” she insisted blandly, the gleam in her gray eyes contradicted her tone. It said this was new and interesting information.

Now what? He couldn’t make stuff up because she’d make him pay when she found out the truth. He cleared his throat and was set to say he and Stella were seeing each other, although nothing could be farther from the truth. “I’m in … I like Stella.” Damn. He almost said love. Where the hell did that come from? Desperation made his voice crack. “I hurt her and I need to fix it. Can you please tell me where she is?”

“Nope,” Corrine stated matter-of-factly. She crossed her arms and leaned toward him as though waiting for more juicy tidbits.

Alex shuttered his eyes. “Really?”

“Really,” Corrine spouted. “I have no idea where she is.”

Frustrating
woman
. Corrine was being loyal to Stella and he couldn’t fault her for that. “Okay,” he said sullenly.

Corrine let him walk halfway back to his cubicle before she tossed him a bread crumb. “I don’t know where she is exactly. She called in to say she’s taking vacation the rest of the year.”

“What?” The news wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but at least he could stop worrying that she might be hurt – at least in the physical sense.

Corrine snapped at him with her eyes. “You’re a smart guy. You’ll figure it out.”

Despite her sarcasm, Alex hurried back and gathered her in a hug. “Thanks, Corrine.”

Corrine mixed up her expression – part glare, part grin. “I had to make you work for it.”

Alex shook his head. “Women.”

The office door opened and Corrine’s grin faded. “Brace yourself, Ace.”

Maggie barreled at them with her coat thrown across her arm, briefcase in one hand and a travel mug in the other.

“Good morning, Alex,” she chirped, ignoring Corrine.

“Morning, Maggie.” He took her briefcase.

Corrine coughed purposely.

“Good morning, Corrine.” Maggie sounded like it was an enormous bother to greet one more person.

Alex rolled his eyes which brought the grin back to Corrine’s face. Then he followed Maggie into her office.

“We need to talk,” he told her straight away.

Maggie vexed him with a grating tone and tossed everything except her coffee in the chair across from her desk. “I don’t have time this morning. I need to get things cleaned up before I leave for the Christmas holiday.”

Alex stowed the briefcase in the corner. “Make time,” he said with conviction.

Maggie spilled some of her coffee and rushed to sop it up, not before sending him a black look. “Are you forgetting who you’re talking to?”

He was determined to make her listen. His relationship with Stella depended on it. “With all due respect, I’m trying to get you to do the right thing.”

Maggie gave him a puzzled, yet vile look. “By bullying me?” She added a string of four-letter words to the question.

Did she really think she could intimidate him with cuss words? Hell most of those words were part of his vocabulary. “I think you need to call Stella and give her that promotion. She’s worked hard for it.”

Maggie plopped down in her chair. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I told Jett…
and Marc
…that I didn’t want the damned promotion. I told you too. So what did you do? You told the whole world that I’m the new assistant VP. Why did you do that?”

 Maggie looked mad enough to spit nails. “Why do you think everything is about you? For your information, it’s not. The world does not revolve around Alex Clay.”

“You’re not making any sense, Maggie.”

“Am I going to have to draw you a picture? I’m trying to move up, you blockhead. I don’t want to spend the rest of my career in the advertising department and I want qualified people in place when I make my move. Comprende?”

Sooooo, Maggie did have her own agenda. He’d known it but hoped he was wrong. The f-word fired repeatedly through his thoughts. Maggie didn’t give a shit about Stella or anyone else. “Whether you’ll admit it or not, Stella is a key player in this department. She’s like a walking-owner’s manual. There isn’t anything she can’t fix or figure out.” He shook his head thoughtfully. “She’d make one hell of an assistant VP. Actually, she could run this place without you.” The comment made Maggie flinch. Bingo! That was it. Maggie was worried that Stella would outshine her.
News flash, Maggie, Stella already has
.

* * * *

Stella walked from the bedroom, to the family room, to the kitchen and back. She’d wanted time to think. All it amounted to was a miserable solitude.

She finished off the last of the coffee, booted up the computer and clicked into her email account: two doctor-jokes from Misty, a recipe for crock pot pizza from her mom, nothing from the man known only as Mr. Right. “I guess he wasn’t meant to be either.”

It didn’t bother her that things had fallen off with him although she wouldn’t mind knowing why. She couldn’t fix what she wasn’t aware of.

Stella revisited some of their conversations and determined things fell off when she withheld her name. That had to be it. She should’ve told him. After all, in a few days they’d be saying hello face to face and it would feel weird calling each other by their nicknames. She compiled a lengthy apology for not telling him sooner and signed it, Stella. She stared at the message and drummed her fingers on the edge of the keyboard until she hit the delete key.

She click the email account closed and opened the catamaran excursion website to study the boat particulars. Restlessly she went back into her email.

In the short time she was out of her email account, she’d received a message from Barton James Enterprises.
Hmm
. The name sounded familiar. She quickly opened it.

‘Dear Miss Matson, We received your application and resume, and would like to grant you an interview. Please call our office as soon as possible to set it up. Sincerely, Barton James’.

Stella couldn’t believe it. Someone actually noticed her resume. Nervous adrenaline made her spring out of the chair. She started to pace again; this time with less misery. In fact, she couldn’t stop smiling. She had a job opportunity. A chance at a fresh start.

She hurried back to retrieve the phone number at the bottom of the message. After scribbling it on napkin, she resumed pacing – the phone in one hand, the napkin in the other.

She took a deep breath and dialed, expecting to get a secretary. A powerful voice said, “Barton James.”

The call went directly to the President and CEO? Her knees buckled slightly. He most likely had given his secretary time off for the holidays, that’s the only thing that made sense. Stella cleared her throat modestly. “Mr. James, this is Stella Matson. I’m calling in regards to your email about an interview.”

There was a soft chuckle on the other end. “You’re very quick, Stella. I just sent it.”

“Too eager?” she asked.

“No. No.” He chuckled again. “In fact, I have time this afternoon if you’re free. How does three o’clock sound?”

Stella clapped her hand over her mouth in shock. She had a real interview. Not one just for show like she had with Maggie.

She glanced at the clock. In three hours she would try to dazzle Barton James. Suddenly she was energized and ready to get down to business. She compiled an email to Mr. Right. ‘My friend and I will be sipping margaritas on the sun deck. I’ll be wearing a baby-blue tank top and white Capri pants.’ So she wouldn’t think this one to death, she sent it off – without a signature.

The sound of a snowplow scraping the street made her stroll to the window. Thirty-six hours from now, all the frozen precipitation and chaos would be behind her. She’d be on a jet-powered vessel heading to the playground of pirates, authors and anyone looking for a good time. She’d be soaking up the sun, meeting a lot of strange-named people and hopefully anticipating her first day with a new company.

Stella dashed to the bedroom and pulled a suitcase from the closet. After it was stuffed with everything from shorts to underwear, she pulled the silver stilettos from the shoe bag she forgot to give to Misty. She slid them in amongst her underwear.

She was bubbling with joy. The time away was going to be a positive thing, even if it killed her. She was going to bask in the sunshine and drink margaritas. Although the thought of more alcohol made her stomach twinge. She would have to pace the margaritas especially on a vessel that rocked back and forth.

She vowed not to freak out if Mr. Right turned out to be another Mr. Wrong. He probably wouldn’t show up anyway, so she didn’t need to fret.

* * * *

Aged-blue eyes studied her from across the desk. “Tell me again why you left your last job.”

Stella shifted with uncertainty. She’d already explained with clear, concise verbiage how she and Maggie didn’t see eye to eye and how she fell in love with a co-worker. It hadn’t been easy, but she put it all out there. The only way to get a new start was to hide nothing.

Why did he want her to tell him again? Did her story sound so contrived it couldn’t possibly be true?

She wrung her hands in her lap, met his eyes and repeated the truth. Coming clean felt like a punishment and it was taxing her soul.

What employer in their right mind was going to buy into this kind of nonsense?

Barton James appeared to be mulling over her words. Instead of the glacial chill she’d expected, he was warm. Before her appointment, she combed the Internet for information regarding him. According to the comments, she should be quaking in her shoes. She wasn’t.

“Who was this fellow?” he asked.

The question made her sit up straight. Besides being a privacy issue, she had a sudden need to protect Alex. Giving his name could possibly sully his reputation, in no way did she want to do him harm. She asked for clarification. “You want his name?”

Barton’s eyes sparkled with something indefinable. Understanding? “No, Stella, I’m interested in his position with regards to yours.”

The tension eased from her shoulders and she audibly sighed with relief. “Same position.”

Barton studied her resume and then held it up. “Incredible document. I’d be a fool not to hire you from this alone. However, I have a feeling there’s a piece missing from the puzzle. Am I right?”

No wonder this man was a success. He was able to take a minimal amount of data and find a bigger picture.

Chances were he already knew everything, but he was going to prod her until she spilled her guts. “Yes. There’s more.” She took a deep breath. “Twenty of us were vying for the same promotion. Management narrowed their choice to one.” She couldn’t fine-tune it any more than that. Tears threatened to make an even bigger mockery of the interview.

Stella lifted her chin with the little confidence she had left. “So here I am. Unable to go back to my current job because of it. Actually, I’m able to go back. I don’t want to.” This was excruciating. She felt deflated. Void of strength. Void of dignity. “That’s the complete and wretched truth.”

Barton James shook his head. “I can honestly say I’ve never interviewed anyone quite like you, Stella. I get fake smiles and people trying to pretend they’re the ones in control.” He leaned back in his leather chair, while he scrutinized her. “I don’t know if I’m getting soft in my old age, but I feel your pain.” He grabbed her resume again, looked it over and laid it back down.

A heavy moment of silence ensued.

Barton finally smiled. “I get a ton of spectacular talent looking to join my firm.” He crossed his arms. “Most of them get turned away for one reason – they lack heart. But you, dear girl, have given me hope that it still exists.” He ran a hand over his chin. “You bared your soul, which took guts.”

Actually, her gut churned with nervousness and she hoped she wouldn’t decorate his office with the contents.

“I need gutsy people. I also need loyal people. You proved you’re top-notch in both arenas because you didn’t drag your current employer through the mud.” He smiled and stretched his hand across the desk. “You have real class, Stella, Welcome aboard.”

Stella was overwhelmed with delight. She wanted to rush around the desk to hug this sweet, sweet man, but he just said she had class and she didn’t want him to revoke the statement. “Thank you, Mr. James. Thank you so much.”

“Can you start the second of January?”

She nodded with happiness. “Yes.” She’d even consider shucking Key West if he wanted her to. Trish would have her head on a platter if she did, so she was glad it didn’t come to that.