Page 86 of Too Good to Be True

If Nick felt uncomfortable in Eric’s presence, he didn’t show it.

“Okay. When do we start?” Eric said, sounding resigned to the situation.

“Now’s as good a time as any,” Fran said.

“I came down here to talk to Stacy, so if you can give me a few minutes…”

“Of course. Nick can wait here until you’re done.”

They’d effectively been dismissed. Stacy didn’t look at Nick as she left the office, knowing he probably wasn’t too keen about Eric wanting to meet with her. She and Eric went down the hall to her office, and then he closed the door behind them.

“Damn. I was really hoping for that job. When Don told me he was quitting, I just assumed… Oh, never mind.”

His admission made her feel sorry for him all over again. However, there must have been a reason why Mark and Fran had chosen Nick over Eric for the position. Not that it was any of her business.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” she asked, praying it was nothing personal.

“The writing seminar. I just wondered if you’re all set or if you need anything from me.”

She swallowed her sigh of relief. “I’m all set, but thanks for asking.”

“Most of my department signed up, but you should probably add Nick to the list too.”

Her first impulse was to tell Eric that Nick didn’t need it. She’d seen his notes, and his spelling and grammar skills were fine. Not to mention his bedroom skills…

“Oh. Well, maybe you should ask him first.”

Eric cocked his head and gave her a funny look. “Why? There’s enough room for one more, isn’t there?”

Not wanting to add to his potential resentment of Nick, she said, “You’re right. Which date should I sign him up for?”

“Might as well be Friday, the same day as me.”

She nodded, though the thought of having them both in her class at the same time sounded daunting. So much for her earlier good mood.

“Well, I better get back to my new coworker. See you later, Stacy.”

After he left, she sent Nick an email regarding the training class on Friday. As she was typing it, she realized she could tell him in person since she was going to his place after work. For the sake of professionalism, she sent the email anyway. That way, nobody could accuse her of giving him special treatment.

Special treatment…hmm… She smiled, thinking about the special treatment they’d given each other over the weekend.

Shortly before noon, the receptionist called her desk phone.

“Hi, Sherry.”

“Hi. You have a delivery up here.”

“A delivery?” She hadn’t been expecting anything, but it was probably something sent by one of the training companies she bought materials from.

“You’ll have to come and see,” Sherry said mysteriously.

“Be right there.”

When Stacy went into the lobby, she saw a large vase of spring flowers sitting atop Sherry’s desk. She assumed Sherry had brought them in to brighten up her workspace, but then Sherry nudged the vase toward her.

Stacy blinked in surprise. “For me?”

“Um-hmm. The local florist just dropped them off. There’s no card, but he gave me your name.”