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‘I don’t have a “good lady” in that sense.’
‘You’re not married?’
‘Nor living with anyone,’ he answered coolly. ‘I do have a kind soul who comes in and tidies up and cooks a bit most days.’ He shrugged, and challenged, ‘You like housekeeping so well that you want to continue with it when your stint for my uncle is done?’
She shook her head. ‘I needed a break from PA work—I’m now ready to go back to it.’
‘Back to Mellor Engineering?’
Subtle question. ‘No,’ she replied coldly. ‘And, to answer your next question, no, I was not dismissed on the spot,’ she informed him defensively.
He eyed her silently for long interminable seconds—and she was sure she was not going to say another word to the wretched man. ‘But you did leave—on the spot?’ he enquired, with that sharp intelligence he had. She refused to answer. ‘Care to tell me why?’ he persisted.
‘No!’ she retorted. ‘It’s nothing to do with you.’
‘You—had a small breakdown?’ he fished.
‘No, I didn’t!’ she exploded. Honestly, this man! If it was her house she’d chuck him out. She counted to ten, felt calmer and, since he had witnessed for himself that she had been upset that day in the lift, conceded, ‘I was—upset—at the time. But now I’m looking for a job I can well and truly get my teeth into.’
‘You want a career?’ he enquired mildly. But she had a feeling, as steady grey eyes held hers and he took in her every word, look and nuance, that this seemingly mild-at-the-moment man missed not a thing.
‘To have a career is paramount to me,’ she agreed. ‘My first priority.’
‘You have a second priority?’
‘I could do with finding somewhere to live.’
‘Where do you normally live when you’re not here in Knights Bromley?’
‘At home. In London.’
‘With your parents?’
‘My parents are divorced.’
‘You live with your mother?’
‘Honestly!’ she gasped. ‘Is there no end to your questions?’ He smiled, totally unperturbed. And, to her own surprise, she found she was telling him, ‘My mother lives in Africa. I live with my father and stepmother, actually.’
‘Ah!’
‘Ah?’ she queried.
‘I take it your stepmother is of the wicked variety?’
Her lips twitched again. What was it about this man that even when she was annoyed with him he could make her want to laugh? ‘So?’ she queried, determined again not to smile.
‘So,’ he replied, ‘while I’ll leave you to deal with the second of your problems, I might be able to help with your first.’
Keep up, Taryn, she urged, and realised he must be referring to her first and her second priority. Second was fresh accommodation; first was a PA career job.
She looked at him, seeking more of a clue. He looked back, saying nothing. ‘You’re saying you have PA vacancies at the Nash Corporation?’ she asked, bringing out slowly the only thing she could think he must be meaning.
‘From time to time,’ he replied, accepting that his great-uncle had told her of his company. ‘Though as secretaries are upgraded they are more usually filled internally.’
Taryn was not at all certain that she wanted to work for the Nash Corporation. Even if it was true that, as career moves went, she would be hard put to it to do better. ‘But you have one vacancy that you can’t fill internally?’ she guessed, while at the same time she could hardly credit that Jake Nash, the head of the whole shoot, should be talking to her about it—if indeed this was the case—when it went without saying that he must have a very efficient Human Resources department within his organisation who took care of all that.
He did not answer her question but instead asked her, ‘Tell me, Taryn, how long were you working for Mellor Engineering?’
He was interviewing her for a job! She stared at him wide-eyed, and not a little disbelieving. But she saw no harm in answering. ‘Five years.’
‘Has it been your only job?’ he wanted to know.
Apart from her waitressing stint, she had on rare occasions typed out a report or something or other for her aunt or one of her aunt’s clients. But Taryn hardly thought he would be interested in that. ‘I did an extensive business and secretarial course until I was eighteen, and from there went straight to Mellor Engineering.’
‘You were a PA there?’
‘Not straight away. I had all the theory I could possibly want. But after three years’ actual work in that field, I was promoted to PA to Brian Mellor.’ She experienced a moment of surprise that Brian’s name had left her lips without the slightest falter.
But there was no time for her to wonder about that, because Jake Nash was going on, ‘You worked for Brian Mellor himself? Impressive. You must be good.’
It seemed immodest to retort, I am, but Taryn had had enough. ‘Look here,’ she erupted—a touch arrogantly, it had to be said. ‘If you’re interviewing me, and I can’t see what else this is about, then—while I’m not sure I’m applying for the job anyway—I wouldn’t mind hearing what this job actually is. Or even if there is a job.’
He did not care for her uppity tone. She could tell that from the slight narrowing of his eyes. But, whatever he was thinking or feeling, he covered it well to inform her, ‘There is a job…’
‘A PA’s job?’ She might be interested, she might not be. But, since this was her career she was thinking of, it had to be PA or nothing.
‘Yes,’ he agreed, but warned, ‘It may only be temporary.’
‘I’m not interested in temporary,’ she said straight away. ‘I’m not even sure I’m interested anyway.’
‘Of course you are!’ he countered bluntly, causing her to think he needed a slap.
‘Why “of course”?’ Her tone was belligerent—she’d never had a job interview like it!
‘The experience you’d gain alone would stand you in very good stead when you’re ready to move on. As my PA you’d—’
‘Your PA!’ she gasped. Oh, no, not on your life! But her head was instantly abuzz. They didn’t come any higher than Jake Nash—and he was suggesting she might be his PA!
‘The vacancy isn’t common knowledge yet,’ he replied.
‘You’re getting rid of your present PA?’ Taryn exclaimed, her dark blue eyes saucer-wide.
‘I wouldn’t dream of it; she’s far too valuable.’
‘I’ve lost you somewhere,’ Taryn owned, feeling in quite a fog.
He took pity on her. ‘Kate Lambert has worked for me for the last seven years. I confess I’d be totally lost without her.’
‘But you’re thinking of letting her go—temporarily?’ Taryn had stayed with him so far.
He threw some light into her darkness. ‘Kate, in confidence, is newly pregnant.’
‘Ah!’ Taryn breathed. ‘You want maternity cover for her?’
‘A bit more than that. To put it mildly, Kate is having a pretty torrid time of it. And while in normal times she copes excellently with what I appreciate is a very exacting job, her pregnancy seems to be taking a lot out of her. Poor Kate—she is quite drained at times.’
‘She is easily tired?’ Taryn put in.
‘I’m afraid so. And while, in order to have longer with the baby when it arrives, she wants to carry on working as long as she possibly can, I think she is already finding it quite a struggle.’
By the sound of it he wasn’t thinking of taking on someone for cover only while Kate Lambert was away, but someone sooner. ‘It’s temporary, this job?’ Taryn questioned.
‘Kate says she wants to return at the end of her maternity leave. I’d be more than pleased if she does.’
‘But you don’t think she will come back?’
‘Kate’s a perfectionist. She’ll want to do both jobs, being a mother and being a PA, in perfect fashion. I think there’s every chance she’ll want to stay home if she can.’
That seemed natural enough to Taryn. But she was suddenly startled to realise she was starting to be interested—even to the extent that she might end up working for this man she did not like. No, she denied, she definitely did not want to work for him. Hang on a minute, though. As he had suggested, any experience she gained while working for him would be invaluable and, as he’d said, would stand her in very good stead when she went on to her next job. ‘How soon would you want me to start?’ she asked.
‘Not so fast, Taryn,’ he replied. ‘I haven’t offered you the job.’
She flushed red, and had never felt more embarrassed. ‘Forgive me,’ she said coolly. ‘I thought you had—were…’
‘I’m sorry,’ he apologised, his eyes on her flushed skin. He smiled gently. ‘I’m not used to this initial interview practice.’ And, having taken the blame on himself, ‘Human Resources would normally deal with that, but I don’t intend to involve them at the moment. Nor have I told Kate yet that I’m looking for someone to work in tandem with her who would carry on to cover her while she’s on maternity leave,’ he said, going on to explain, ‘Kate’s hopes have been dashed too often in the past, apparently, and she had started to believe she would never have a baby. Because she is having such a tough time—yet still fearful something might go wrong—she has asked me to not tell anyone of her condition.’
‘She doesn’t know you’re getting someone to take some of her workload?’ Taryn asked, as that bit jumped out at her. ‘Will she mind?’
‘Hopefully, when she adjusts to the idea, she’ll be all for it. My thoughts were—seeing that you want to get back into PA work—that I’d see how you felt about coming to work for me, then ask you to come into the office at your first opportunity. Kate can then tell you what the job entails, and she can also judge if she thinks you’re capable of doing it.’
‘And you will have the final yea or nay?’
He nodded. ‘That’s right,’ he acknowledged. ‘I know I’ve rather dropped this on you,’ he added. ‘I’ll ring you early next week, when you’ve had chance to consider how you feel.’
With that he got to his feet, just as his great uncle came into the kitchen. ‘Jake!’ he said gladly. ‘I didn’t see or hear your car!’
‘I needed to stretch my legs,’ Jake replied easily. ‘I walked up from the road.’
Taryn got up and refilled the kettle, knowing her present temporary employer would like some tea. But as he smiled at her, and he and his great-nephew ambled out to look at some machine part Osgood Compton had unearthed and they had been discussing last Saturday, she could not help but still feel stunned that it looked as if she might possibly have a new temporary employer within the same family! Did she want to work for Jake Nash, though?
It was a question that would return again and again to plague her over the next few days. But even as the weekend came and went she was still unsure—always supposing the job was offered.
She did not like him. Against that, though, did she have to like him? She had loved her previous employer and ultimately, because of that love, she’d had to leave that job.
By no chance would that happen if she did go to work for Jake Nash. Theirs would be a strictly professional working relationship. Love certainly wouldn’t come into it. No, basically, she did not have to like him.
Mrs Ellington telephoned on Monday and said she would be returning on Thursday morning. And, knowing then that she would be leaving on Thursday afternoon, Taryn acknowledged that, as sweet and lovely as Osgood Compton was, she had had sufficient of keeping house.
What she wanted was a job she could knuckle down to. A career job. One that would take her to the top of the PA tree. She had to smile at that—the top did not come any higher than PA to Jake Nash, albeit temporary, albeit in tandem with his invaluable and present PA.
He, Jake Nash, had left her to consider how she felt. He had told her it was a temporary job and that she would only be assisting Kate Lambert until she went off to have her baby. But when Taryn put her mind to considering the experience she would gain, she knew by Tuesday morning that she wanted the job.
The problem was, would she get it? From what she could remember she had rarely shown Jake Nash anything other than her antagonistic side. And while it was true, as he said, that they had started off ‘on the wrong foot’, it was odd that should be so. She was usually much more amiable with people she came into contact with. Which led her to wonder, given that she had been slightly off with him from the word go, would he want her working with him?
On pondering over it, as she pottered about making everything spick and span so that Mrs Ellington would not have to roll her sleeves up and get into heavy work as soon as she returned, Taryn realised that, while she did not like Jake Nash, he would see no need for him to have to like her either. All he would require from whoever he took on would be someone he could confidently leave to keep his office running smoothly. Someone who would work hard and not put down her pen at the stroke of five.
Well, she could do that, and she never had been a clock-watcher.
Though before she got chance to prove that, there were hurdles to clear. It was plain now why he had not put this temporary vacancy through his Human Resources section. With Kate Lambert not wanting it broadcast that she was pregnant, he had decided that he personally would deal with the issue of getting her some help.
Briefly Taryn wondered why he had not thought of sounding out someone within the company to assist Kate Lambert. But that did not take too much thinking about. Kate’s assistant had to be someone with PA experience. And any experienced PA within the group would already be assigned to someone in management. And, while perhaps they would be happy for the chance to work for the head of the corporation, they might not feel so happy when Kate Lambert’s maternity leave expired and—despite what Jake Nash had said about Kate maybe deciding to stay home with her baby—she wanted to come back and take over again.
But, putting first things first, by the time she was serving dinner that night Taryn had begun to feel quite edgy that Jake Nash had not yet fulfilled his promised to ring her ‘early next week’. If he didn’t ring her soon she wouldn’t be there for him to ring!
Which, with her feeling all on edge, perhaps explained why she was not at her most friendly when the phone rang that evening. Dinner was over and Osgood Compton, having earlier spoken with his daughter and not expecting another call, was in his garage, inspecting his beloved Daimler Double Six car.
‘Hello?’ Taryn queried, picking up the phone and admitting to churning insides.
‘Jake Nash,’ answered a well-remembered voice, to set her antagonistic vibes a-flutter—what was it about this man? ‘You’ve had time to consider our discussion?’ he enquired, getting straight down to business, apparently only needing to hear her say that one word ‘hello’ to know he had got the right person.
Although logically, Taryn supposed, since she was the only female supposed to be there, it would not take an awful lot of guesswork. ‘I’d like to come and see Kate Lambert,’ she replied. Two could play the straight-down-to-business game.
He didn’t say good, but, since neither did he say that he had reconsidered, Taryn took it that, subject to her passing muster with his present PA, she was still in there with a chance. ‘Has my uncle’s housekeeper advised when she’s returning?’
‘Thursday morning,’ Taryn replied. And before she could draw another breath began to understand that Jake Nash had no time to waste.
‘Kate will see you at eleven-thirty Friday,’ he decided—and, take it or leave it, he was gone.
For all of ten seconds, feeling more than a touch put out, Taryn felt like telling him what she could do with his decisiveness. But when she had calmed down she knew that she still very much wanted that job.
Mrs Ellington arrived as promised on Thursday morning. Taryn prepared lunch for both Mrs Ellington and Osgood Compton, and was then happy to relinquish the reins of what had after all only been meant to be a two-week fill-in job. She bade an affectionate farewell to Osgood Compton, and left his tranquil home.
That her own home was far from tranquil was an abrupt reminder to Taryn that she needed to find somewhere else to live.
‘Thank goodness you’re back,’ her stepmother greeted her. From that Taryn knew that the new housekeeper had not stayed the course.
‘What would you like for dinner?’ she asked. She might as well volunteer to cook it as wait to be asked; she knew she would be doing the honours anyway.
Her family’s domestic arrangements were far from her mind the next morning, however. She dressed with care in a fine wool navy suit, the skirt’s length just touching her knees. She wanted to look her best, and was glad she had good legs. They were long, shapely, and she was blessed with trim ankles to go with them.
Taryn owned to butterflies in her tummy as she drove to the offices of the Nash Corporation. She wanted this job, and hoped she would be lucky enough to get it. She reminded herself that she knew PA work, was a speedy typist, had good computer skills and—most important—had been told she had an efficient but natural and warm way of dealing with people.
She left her car hoping that Kate Lambert would like her, and that she would assess her as being up to the job. Only then, Taryn knew, would she get through to be interviewed for real by Jake Nash himself. The final decision would rest with him.
Taryn took to Kate Lambert on sight. Kate was short, dark-haired and somewhere past thirty. ‘Come in,’ she greeted her warmly, shaking her hand as the security man who had shown Taryn up to the top floor went away. ‘Would you like coffee?’ she asked.
‘Please,’ Taryn answered with a smile, thinking that it would set a friendly tone, but wanting to make it herself—Kate Lambert looked more than a shade delicate.
‘Jake—Mr Nash—he explained the—um—confidential circumstances of the vacancy?’ Kate began.
It was a fact that in a few months or so the PA would not be able to hide that she was going to have a baby, but for now Taryn would not have been able to tell. ‘Yes, he did. Congratulations,’ she replied, wanting to say more, but not wanting to appear gushing.
Kate smiled her thanks, and then got down to asking Taryn about her work to date, and to letting her know some of what was involved in being a PA to a high-powered executive. And the more she spoke, the more she whetted Taryn’s appetite for the job. She would ultimately, while Kate was on maternity leave, be running the office of the top executive. She would be dealing with people from all over the world and would be in attendance at ‘top brass’ meetings. The job was no sinecure, and it paid extraordinarily well. But Taryn was under no illusions; from what Kate was saying, she would earn every penny of the fantastic salary.
It would be a wonderful challenge, Taryn felt, experiencing a buzz in her very bones. She had known before she had come to the Nash Corporation building today that she wanted the job. But the more Kate explained the work she would be doing, the more eager Taryn felt to take it on.
‘How do you feel?’ Kate asked. ‘Have I put you off?’
‘Not at all!’ Taryn exclaimed enthusiastically. ‘It sounds very much the kind of work I would love to be involved with.’
‘You’re aware the job will only last a year tops?’
Taryn agreed that she was. ‘Just until you return from having your baby.’
‘Good,’ Kate commented. And, causing Taryn’s hopes that Kate was ready to recommend her to rise, ‘I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we didn’t find a way of keeping you on in one of the other offices in a year’s time.’ Then, confirming Taryn’s hopes, ‘I’ll just check if Mr Nash is free to see you now.’
From that Taryn realised that, had Kate Lambert thought her unsuitable, she would have said something to the effect that they would write to her, and would then have bidden her goodbye. But the fact that Kate was phoning through to ask Jake Nash if he was free indicated to Taryn that things had gone well. What she had to do now was hope that her interview with Jake Nash went equally well.
‘Mr Nash says to give him five minutes,’ Kate reported, coming off the phone. ‘Now, is there anything you would like to ask me?’
To Taryn’s mind they had discussed everything pretty thoroughly. And just then Kate had to take a call, so Taryn was left starting to feel the nip of nerves. Very shortly she would be seeing a man who always before had seemed to bring out the worst in her. Only today, if she was to have any chance of this job she was now realising she wanted so badly, she must hold down those impulses to spark up at him.
It was most unfortunate in her view that, when she had worked for a whole two years for Brain Mellor without once feeling the need to fire up at him, Jake Nash had barely to say more than a few sentences and she was straight in there. But there was no comparing the two—one ex-employer and one new one, hopefully. Brian for the main part had been placid and easygoing. Jake Nash just had the knack…
The door opened. And there, business-suited, tall, dark-haired and just as she remembered him, stood Jake Nash. ‘Sorry to have kept you,’ he offered urbanely. ‘Come in, Taryn.’
Taryn got to her feet, her heart giving a funny little skip. She preceded him into his office—a large, light and airy affair, with a couple of other doors leading from it, one to the outside corridor, she guessed, the other probably a cloakroom of some sort.
There was a three-piece suite—a three-seater sofa and two matching armchairs—at the far end of the room. But it was to an upright chair by the side of his desk that Jake Nash indicated when he invited, ‘Take a seat.’ As she did so, he went round to his chair behind the desk. ‘Kate has filled you in on what is expected?’ he enquired.
‘It all sounds very interesting,’ Taryn agreed. Actually, he had rather nice eyes—and, her eyes strayed, his mouth wasn’t all that bad either. Good heavens! Taryn brought herself up short—what on earth was she thinking of?
‘And how do you feel about it?’
She started to feel scratchy with him again. The very fact that she was still there should have told him that she was interested. ‘I believe I can do the work,’ she replied.
He took that in, and enquired bluntly, ‘You appreciate that some of the work in this office is highly confidential?’
‘Confidentiality, is all part of a PA’s remit in my view,’ she replied.
Jake Nash did not appear too impressed—she would have given anything to know what went on behind that cool exterior. ‘You’ll be able to supply references, of course?’
‘I…’ She hesitated.
‘You seem unsure?’ He was straight in, and again Taryn felt her antagonism fairy give her a poke.
‘It isn’t…’ she began. Somehow she felt awkward about Brian Mellor being approached for a reference, even though she did not doubt he would give her a good one. ‘I’ve only ever had the one permanent employer,’ she stated, as calmly as she could in the circumstances.
‘And you left him in rather a hurry,’ Jake Nash said, not a smile or anything the least encouraging about him. ‘Why was that?’ he demanded sharply.
With difficulty Taryn reined in the spurt of aggravation his sharp tone aroused. He wanted confidentiality, she’d give him confidential! ‘That’s confidential,’ she stated, making no apology.
‘I’ll accept confidentiality in business,’ her would-be employer retorted. ‘But your reason for leaving was personal.’
‘How do you make that out?’ she flared.
‘That it was personal? I’d have thought that was obvious!’ he rapped, and was unrelenting when he demanded, ‘Why did you and Brian Mellor fall out?’
‘We didn’t fall out!’ she denied, aware that this job she had coveted was getting away from her, but feeling powerless to do anything to stop it.
‘Oh, come on,’ Jake Nash grated impatiently. ‘You stayed with the man for two whole years and then walked out at a moment’s notice? According to you, Brian Mellor didn’t dismiss you—so it had to be personal.’
‘He didn’t dismiss me!’ she said forcefully, twin spots of angry colour appearing in her cheeks.