could handle Seth Wyatt.
***
She felt less sure of that later that day when Miss MacGregor arrived to pick her up.
Wyattâs current assistant stood nearly six feet tall and wore a business suit like a suit of armor. Pippa had the urge to pinch the shiny gray material and see if it squished or clanked. How could she compare with a monster of efficiency like this?
âIf youâll drive me to the airport in the morning, Miss Cochran, Iâll leave you the use of my car while Iâm gone. Youâll need one living out there. Doug isnât reliable, and Mr. Wyatt wonât let anyone else drive his vehicles.â
Considering what Durwood had done to the BMW, Pippa could understand his reluctance. He had trouble hiring qualified employees, it seemed. She wondered how heâd kept Miss MacGregor.
As if hearing her unspoken question, MacGregor supplied the answer. âI would have left the place long ago if he hadnât bought me this car and offered a pension plan. Iâm near retirement age, and itâs quite a temptation, believe me. I could have worked for any major corporation in the country. Iâve had them inquire often enough. But Iâm accustomed to doing things my own way now and donât think I could change.â
Oh, swell, another neo-Nazi with no loyalty whatsoever. Wyatt certainly knew how to pick them. Or maybe his employees just reflected his own character. She didnât have any difficulty believing that.
âIâll show you my filing system this evening. I hope youâre familiar with Microsoft. Itâs the only software Mr. Wyatt uses. I understand youâll have some charge over the child also. I wish you well. Heâs completely uncontrollable. I hope Mr. Wyatt is paying you well for the extra duty while Iâm gone. Iâm certain the boy will be your main duty when I return.â
Pippa was beginning to suspect she wasnât paid half so well as Miss MacGregor, or even half as much as she deserved if she survived. No wonder the cad had agreed to her terms so easily.
âI dislike leaving Mr. Wyatt when heâs so close to deadline, but the circumstances canât be changed. Supply him with plenty of coffee and donât let anyone disturb him until heâs done for the day. Heâs quite irrational when disturbed. You wonât need a strong grasp of grammar and spelling for your editing duties. The software is quite good and Mr. Wyatt knows his business well. Youâll learn his few idiosyncrasies after a chapter or two. You can learn from the work Iâve already completed.â
A chapter or two? Pippa stared at the lantern-jawed woman expertly guiding her candy-red Mazda coupe up the road. âA chapter or two of what?â she inquired politely, hoping the question wasnât too stupid.
It was. Miss MacGregor turned and gave her a disbelieving stare. âOf his book, of course. Why do you think he hired you? Weâre halfway through it now. He writes one a year, but he always waits until the last minute. Itâs due the first of June, but heâs hit his usual midbook slump. It would help if he could bounce ideas off you. Once heâs back in stride, you wonât hear anything out of him for days at a time. Youâll just find the pages on your desk in the morning.â
âI thought he was in the publishing business,â Pippa answered weakly. Actually, now that she thought about it, they had never discussed precisely what business he was in. Megâs letter about the printing plant had led her astray.
âOh, he is,â Miss MacGregor replied airily, navigating the last hairpin turn with surprising speed. âHe owns an independent publishing house for small-press books and magazines here in California, another in Tokyo, and heâs negotiating for one in Boston. He has printing plants and warehouses across the country. Heâs in a position to compete with the big houses, but he
Eric Cantor;Paul Ryan;Kevin McCarthy