The Expectant Secretary

Amy chuckled. “All that, huh? The ‘wonderful’ I can imagine. The ‘terrifying’ is understandable being a single mom. But why ‘strange’?”

Jillian laughed for the first time in days. “I’ve turned into the biggest klutz.”

Tilting her head back until her long golden ponytail stretched the length of her spine, Amy laughed. “I don’t believe that.”

“It’s true.” She sucked on the tart lemony flavor of the candy in her mouth. “I’ve never tripped or spilled so much in my life. At the office everyone has started keeping clear of me. The government could declare me a disaster zone at any time. And I can’t seem to remember anything. I start to look up a file and I forget what I’m searching for. I’ve lost my keys twice this week. I guess it’s a good thing the baby’s attached at this point or I might accidentally forget it somewhere.”

“I doubt that.” Rubbing her socked feet together, Amy asked, “Want some hot tea?”

“No, thanks. I’m feeling a little better. As long as I keep something in my stomach I’m okay.”

“So we need to let you graze all day.”

Jillian rolled her eyes. “Great. By my ninth month I’ll look like a cow.”

“You’ll look maternal, glowing, that’s all.”

She tugged on the band of her skirt that pinched her waist. “Won’t be long and I won’t be able to fit into any of my clothes. Or yours.”

Amy smiled sympathetically. “So when do you think you’ll tell your boss?”

Shrugging, she felt her nerve endings vibrate as her thoughts switched to Brody. “Not until I have to. This promotion came with a raise. And I need to keep it. I need to show him I’m indispensable. I don’t want to be sidelined just because I’m pregnant.”

“But he’ll have to learn about it sometime.”

“I know.” She compressed her lips together. “Just not right now.”

“So what’s he like?” Amy asked. “You haven’t said much about him.”

Jillian pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She hadn’t told anyone about her previous relationship with Brody. Sighing, she twisted her fingers together as she remembered the kiss he’d given her. “He’s…”

Dark and brooding.

Sweet and generous.

Sexy and too tempting for my own good.

“I don’t know,” she finally finished.

“The accountant type?” Amy wrinkled her nose.

“Not really.”

“Not one of those buttoned-down, Type-A personalities?”

“Well…” It could describe Brody. In a sense. But it didn’t encompass all of him. He was certainly more serious now than when she’d known him in college. Of course, he was an executive. He had serious matters to consider.

“What, then?” Amy brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “Does he carry his calculator in his front shirt pocket? Comb long strands of hair over a bald spot? Have crooked teeth? Crossed eyes?”

Trying to envision Brody with any of those maladies, Jillian laughed. “Not at all. In fact…”

“Yes?” Amy prompted, her hazel eyes twinkling with curiosity. “Go on.”

A hot sensation that reminded Jillian of Brody’s kiss and the heat it had generated made her face burn. “Well, he’s…” She couldn’t admit that he was sexier than Mel Gibson. Or as intriguing as Crocodile Dundee. “He brought me a bagel at work today.”

“That was nice.” Her sister’s gaze narrowed. “You don’t have a thing for your boss, do you?”

“Depends on what you mean by ‘thing.’”

Amy groaned. “Oh, no, Jill. This is not a good idea.”

“You mean ‘wasn’t a good idea.’”

Her sister’s brow wrinkled with sudden concern. “What happened? Did he make a pass at you? Did you make one toward him?”

Jillian flushed. For a moment she thought she might faint again, but realized she was experiencing a different type of headiness. “Past tense.”

“Are you purposefully trying to confuse me?”

“Not really.” She shrugged. “Maybe I am.” She confused herself. Forget Brody, she warned herself. But she knew it was an impossible feat. She popped another lemon drop into her mouth and slid it across her tongue until it lay between her cheek and gum. “Remember when I went to school in Australia?”

Amy nodded.

“Well, I knew Brody—my current boss—then. We, um, sort of dated.”

Amy’s eyes grew round with disbelief. “You’re kidding!”

“I wish I were.” She gave a heavy sigh. “It ended badly. But we’re trying to go on about our business now. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Uh-huh.” Amy gave her a sly grin. “I think I know why you’re a klutz and forgetting things lately.”

Jillian arched an eyebrow.

“It’s not your pregnancy, little sister. It’s Brody. The new man in your life!”

Three

Brody is not the new man in my life!

Jillian didn’t need a man.

Didn’t want one.

Certainly not Brody.

She repeated that mantra throughout the rest of the week, especially when she was in his presence. She refused to let him affect her. Negatively or temptingly as he once had. He did not make her feel things she shouldn’t. He did not make her feel anything at all.

Carrying a tray with a couple of sandwiches, bags of potato chips and ice-cold drinks, she fortified her resolve and, pushing open the door with her hip, backed into his office. Either he was starving or he was expecting company for lunch.