The Job Offer by Eleanor Webb Read Free Book Online Page A

walked up giving him an excellent view of
her naked back.  She turned around suddenly to look at him when Jane said his
name.
    "It is nice to see you too, Jane. 
Jim.  Anne."  He acknowledged each of them individually.  Now that he was standing
there next to Anne, he was suddenly tongue tied.  Searching for something to
say that did not sound like pure blathering, he commented on the nice weather. 
Did they think it would last through the weekend?  Yes?  Well, that was good.  Anne
looked up at him with a curious expression on her face.  He knew that he did
not sound like his usual self-assured self, and certainly not like the CEO of a
company.  "How is the water this year?  I thought I might kayak over to
Waldron Island tomorrow."
    "It's fine, Ben.  The water along
the northeast shallows is quite warm already.  Good enough to go swimming, or
so I’ve been told," Jim reported.
    "Anne, you just said that you
wanted to kayak over to Waldron," Anne’s mother chimed in.  "Why
don’t you and Ben go together tomorrow?"  Anne blushed beautifully and
shot her mother a pleading look to stop.  Apparently you were never too old to
be embarrassed by your parents.  Ben stifled a laugh at the obvious setup.  He
was all for it.
    "I don’t want to impose on Ben’s
time, Mother."  Yup, Ben thought.  Anne was either angry or nervous.  He
remembered that she became formal when she was angry and nervous.  He wondered
which one it was.  Hopefully it was nervousness.  He felt plenty of that
himself right that second.  "He has so much to do."
    "That’s quite alright, Anne.  I
would certainly be available for kayaking tomorrow."  She liked being
manipulated even less than being set up.  But she also could not be rude,
especially to a guest, something that worked in Ben’s favor.
    "Ben, would you like to come with me
tomorrow?  I would be delighted if you joined me."  She suddenly asked the
question then relaxed and smiled up at him.  She never could keep a bad emotion
for long, especially when he would charm her out of one.
    "I would like that, Anne." 
Her smile made his stomach flutter.  Tearing his eyes away from her face, he
looked back at her parents.  "I must get over to my table.  Thank you for
your suggestion.  Enjoy your dinner."
    "You also, Ben," both of
Anne’s parents said by way of a goodbye.  Ben noticed that Anne remained
silent.  Hoping that was a good sign, he made his way across the room to his
table and sat down.  After he sat, he looked over at Anne again.  She was
staring at him.  When she saw him looking back at her, she turned away and
talked to her parents.  Yes, Anne Petrovic, he thought.  We will definitely
become reacquainted this week.

Chapter
5
     
    The next morning Anne dressed in her red
bikini and covered it with blue shorts and a light pink tee shirt.  Keeping her
face clean of makeup except for her customary sunscreen and lip gloss, she
clipped her hair behind her head then headed up to the inn to eat and find
Ben.  She already ate her breakfast at her parents’ house.  It consisted of her
typical one slice of peanut butter toast and coffee, but she decided that she
was still hungry and wanted some extra coffee.  Her sleep the night before was
quite restless, making that two nights in a row where she did not sleep, and
she yawned several times as she walked up the path.
    She was supposed to go kayaking with Ben
today.  How was she supposed to sleep last night after being maneuvered into
issuing the invitation?  It did not matter that she actually wanted to spend
time with Ben.  Could it get any more embarrassing than to have her mother push
her into issuing the invitation?  What if Ben was not been able to go with
her?  There was no question that he wanted to go.  They never even had another
moment to talk to arrange a time to meet that morning or to give him an out. 
How was she to give him an out if they could not talk?
    She ran into Ben in the dining