Saying 'Yes!' to the Boss: Having Her Boss's Baby / Business or Pleasure? / Business Affairs. Shirley Rogers
with this. I went home to talk to my mom and get her to help me figure out how to say all that.”
She glanced at him and saw him watching her. There was no way she could tell what he was thinking, which was probably a good thing.
“What happened?” he asked.
Noelle explained about the job change and the stack of bills. “They’re still paying for my hospital stay and the physical therapy. I feel so horrible about that.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said. “You didn’t run into the tree on purpose.”
“I know, but guilt is such a time-honored tradition. Anyway, I realized I couldn’t burden them with another child. In a couple of years, I’ll be on my feet and they won’t have to worry about me.” She glanced down at her lap, then back at him. “I’m taking the easy way out. I wanted you to know that.”
Noelle spoke with a combination of shame and conviction Dev had never seen before. There had been no reason for her to confess all this to him. He wondered how much of her need to bare all came from her age and how much of it was who she was inside.
“This is me at my worst,” she continued. “If you can handle that, we’ll be fine.”
She couldn’t have found it easy to admit what she saw as her worst fault. How many other people would have been willing to be so honest? How many others would have simply taken what was offered?
Until this moment she’d been little more than the virgin Jimmy had knocked up. Suddenly she was a person, very possibly one he could respect.
“If this is as bad as it gets,” he said gently, “we won’t have any problem. Don’t worry, Noelle, I have more than my share of faults. They’re just not so easy to define.”
Her blue eyes widened slightly. “I’ve just admitted I’m using you. How can that be all right?”
“You’re agreeing to what I offered. There’s a difference. I know exactly what I want and I’m getting it the best way I know how. You’re not using me.”
“But…”
He shook his head. “We’re both going to come out ahead on this deal. You’ll get to spare your family the expense of the baby and the embarrassment of their oldest daughter being pregnant and unmarried. I get to take care of my brother’s child, be a part of his or her life and make sure the baby has the family name. It’s a fair trade.”
“Not for you,” she said stubbornly. “This is costing you a lot.”
“It’s only money.”
She stared at him. “How can you say that? It’s a lot of money.”
He shrugged. “Which I’ve always had. Giving some away isn’t very meaningful because I’ve never done without. I work for a living, but only because I chose to.”
“You say that as if you don’t like what you do and you don’t work hard. I’ve read the reports and you’ve doubled the size and the profits of the company since you took over. That doesn’t happen by chance.”
He was surprised she knew that. “My point is, I’ve never done without so I won’t miss what I give you. Don’t make me out to be a hero, Noelle. I’m getting everything I want at very little cost to me. Don’t forget that.”
They had dinner in the kitchen. Noelle liked the round table next to the bay window and the view of the side yard, which was probably thirty or forty feet deep.
They shared fajitas, enchiladas, rice, beans and chips. Dev had a beer with the meal, but didn’t offer her one. She wasn’t surprised—not only was she underage, but she was now pregnant.
Pregnant—it didn’t seem possible. She didn’t feel any different. But she knew what had happened and her luck wasn’t good enough for the test to be wrong.
“We have a lot of logistics to work out,” he said. “But I think we’ve dealt with enough stress for tonight. Are you willing to put them off for a while?”
She nodded. No doubt his logistics were about things like living arrangements and when they would get married. She could go a long time without dealing with those.
“I don’t have any relatives,” he continued, “but I will have to meet your family.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh.
“You could try to be a little enthused,” he teased. “I don’t eat with my hands.”
She smiled. “I can see you have very nice manners. It’s not that. It’s just…everything. We’re all really close and I don’t know if I can fool them. I mean, they know I’ve been dating someone at work and my mom’s been bugging me to bring him around, but why would they believe you’re interested in me?”
He frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
She shrugged, not willing to say out loud that she wasn’t all that special. “You’re different from the other guys I’ve dated.”
“Older, you mean.”
“Well, that, too.” She wondered if her parents could be tricked. “I’ll write up some information on my parents and sisters for you. Just a few notes so you can convince them we’ve been together for a while.”
“Good idea. I’ll do the same about myself. We’re going to have to act as if we’re in love.”
In love. He said the words so easily. She’d never said that to a man. How many times had he whispered the words to someone?
“What were you like growing up?” she asked instead of dealing with the love issue.
“I was a typical kid,” he said. “I liked sports, didn’t like school all that much, hated girls, had lots of friends.” He smiled. “I got over the girl thing.”
She smiled back. “I’ve heard.”
“My mom died when I was sixteen and Jimmy was six. That changed things.” His expression tightened. “My dad couldn’t handle the pressure, so he took off.”
“That’s so sad,” she said, not sure how any parent could abandon his children.
“My grandfather stepped in and he was great. So I did okay, but it was harder for Jimmy. There was the big age difference. We’d still been close until Dad left. Then we grew apart.” He took a drink. “Maybe he resented me taking over and being in charge. I don’t know. The older he got, the less we got along.”
Something about the way he told the story made her feel bad. As if he had regrets and they still hurt him. But before she could think of what to ask, the doorbell rang.
Dev glanced at his watch. “Right on time,” he said as he stood. “Come on. You’ll like this.”
She had no idea what he was talking about but she followed him into the foyer. He opened the door and shook hands with a small, older man carrying a wide briefcase.
“Noelle, this is Frank Gaston. He owns Gaston Jewelry.”
“Mr. Gaston,” she said, shaking hands with him.
Mr. Gaston smiled at her, then turned to Dev. “She’s very pretty. I hope you’ll be happy together.”
Dev smiled at her. “I’m sure we will be.” He led the way into the dining room and indicated that Mr. Gaston should put his case on the table.
“I asked Frank to bring over a selection of engagement rings. I thought this would be easier than going to a store together.” He moved next to her and lowered his voice. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to wear the ring until we’ve figured out how we’re going to tell your family.”
She nodded because speaking was impossible.
He was buying her an engagement ring?