Kiss of a Stranger (Lost Coast Harbor #1) by Lily Danes, Eve Kincaid Read Free Book Online Page B

jeans.
    She’d tried not to watch him. She hadn’t been very successful.
    “I’m nervous after yesterday.” Maddie indicated the cargo stacked high and the men milling about it. The crane was out of commission until the mechanic checked it out.
    Oliver considered the crates. “It looks stable. Someone got sloppy yesterday, but everyone’s on high alert now. It won’t happen again.”
    “We should still know who was responsible. I keep telling you to get those security cameras working.”
    “Uh-huh,” he said absently. Oliver tended to hear what he wanted to hear and little else. “I’ve got something to cheer you up.”
    Maddie stilled. This was it. He’d decided to let her work on the real estate acquisition.
    “My father’s having his annual Winter Blues Ball this weekend, and for the first time he’s inviting all of his employees. Last minute decision, I guess.”
    Maddie’s stomach dropped, but she managed to paste on a smile. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was still a big deal. Peter Hastings’ Winter Blues party was famous in town. Held every January, it was a way to extend the festive holiday season into the dreariest month of the year. He hired all the best caterers and florists and lit the mansion from top to bottom until it looked like a fairyland. She’d only gone once before, the year before she’d married Charlie and was still being asked out by respectable boys. She didn’t remember what her date looked like, but she still remembered the mushroom tarts served that night.
    “Really? Your dad’s willing to have Harold and Vince at his fancy party?”
    The two men stood on the dock, smoking cigarettes that had turned their white beards yellow years before. Their bloodshot eyes suggested they drank a few too many beers at Vista del Mar the night before.
    Oliver chuckled. “Who are we to understand the mind of my father?” He held out a folded piece of paper. “The party will be fun, but I’m hoping this is what cheers you up.”
    She reached for the paper greedily. Maddie read it twice, then stared at Oliver, unsure. “What is this?”
    “I know it’s not what you asked for, but I can’t get you on the Stanwick job. My father is firing trained paralegals because they don’t have the experience to manage the documents involved. There’s no way he’ll consider you. But my assistant’s leaving and you’re the only one I trust to take over. Did I mention it comes with a hiring bonus that’ll let you buy a very nice party dress? Keep in mind that I’ll cry if you turn me down. Do you really want to make a grown man cry?”
    Maddie read the job offer again, biting her lip. “It’s a nice offer, but…”
    Oliver waited for her to finish the sentence.
    “But I want more.” The words burst out. “Why do you think I’ve been going to night school? I want a job that doesn’t have ‘assistant’ in the title.”
    Her boss blinked at her. “I thought you wanted to open your own business. You’d be great at that.”
    Considering how much she adored her boss, it was amazing how often she wanted to throttle him. “Half of all new businesses fail! Why would I ever want that? I’m looking for a career.”
    “Oh. Okay. I can do that.” He nodded a few times, thinking. “I’ll start giving you more projects, then, to expand your skill set. In a few years, we’ll see what other jobs are available. You’re sure you don’t want your own business?”
    Maddie huffed out air and decided it was time for lunch. Usually, she ate at her desk, but today she took her sandwich to the far end of the dock, away from both her boss and Gabe.
    A few more years? An assistant’s wages were enough to get by, but she was trying to get ahead. She didn’t expect a six-figure income in her mid-twenties, but she at least wanted to be heading in that direction, not languishing in another desk job.
    Oliver had saved her when she was drowning, but she wanted to do so much more than swim. She wanted