The Personal Assistant by Penny Ward Read Free Book Online Page A

his eyes find mine—almost before I see their red-rimmed blueness.
    And one long stride after another, he marches straight to our table.
    To me he says, "Emma, I found you."
    My voice is cracked. "Yes, Caleb, you did."
    Betty looks at me, then at Caleb, then back at me, and squeezes my hand.
    "Nothing is the same without you around. I need you back. I need you. Is there somewhere we can talk?" he states.
    His strong body and square jaw do little to hide his vulnerability.
    Caleb Hawksley never has to beg for anything, yet here he is.
    Perhaps the new girl isn't up to scratch?
    If only he wanted the same as me.
    If only he wanted me as a woman and not as his damn housekeeper.
    "What do you want, Caleb? Can't you see I'm busy? I’m about to be served the best Chicken Chow Mein in the city. It would have to be mighty important to disturb me from that."
    "Can we go somewhere private?" He glimpses my friends, and with pleading eyes and a quiet voice he says to me, "Somewhere we can talk?"
    “Talk?”
    “Yes, Em. Talk.”
    The nerve - things aren't working out with his new housekeeper so he thinks he can track me down and order me around?
    "I don’t work for you anymore Caleb. You have a new housekeeper. If you have anything you want to say you can just as easily say it here. These people are all my friends.”
    I can't be his employee, not anymore.
    It isn't enough.
    He frowns, runs a hand back through his hair, and licks his lips, "Okay, I will."
    The restaurant isn't full, but those who were eating and minding their own business are now more interested in the handsome, well-dressed man bothering a table of people than in their own food. "So say it?"
    He snaps his knuckles, which is something he stopped doing years ago. "I miss you. There, I said it."
    Yep, he wants me back as his freaking maid.
    "You miss me looking after your every need more like it. The agency sent you my replacement. If she's not good enough, get someone else or train her better. The running of your house is no longer my problem, remember? I quit. I don’t want to work for someone like you anymore Caleb. My life is taking a new path."
    "The new housekeeper is fine, that's not it."
    Oh?
    I'm suddenly jealous that I've been so easily replaced.
    "I mean, she's not you, but she gets the job done. She doesn’t understand me, but she cleans well."
    So…
    "What are you talking about then?" I ask, full of hope.
    "I miss you , not your domestic professionalism," he shrugs, "I miss how you make me laugh no matter what time it is or how grumpy I am. I miss how you keep my feet on the ground, with your don't-mess-with-me attitude. I miss how you laugh at my faults, and how you were always there to make me see what's important."
    Everyone in the restaurant is gripped, and the tension is palpable because I have no words to break it.
    I can’t think of any words to say.
    This is not what I expected.
    "Lately it feels like the sun turned cold, and we live in LA."
    Everyone stares at me, waiting for my reaction.
    All I can say at first is, "Oh."
    The truth of things dawns on me slowly, like his words take a moment to melt beneath my skin.
    Is he talking about friendship?
    Does he want to catch up for coffee?
    "What exactly do you want from me, Caleb? Our noodles are getting cold."
    He holds his arms out towards me, "You…Man, you don't make this easy, do you?"
    Betty butts in, "Why should she? You let her down already. Maybe you don't deserve a second chance."
    "Yes," he says, looking at my pal and wincing at the memory. "You're right. I was such an idiot." He rakes his hands back through his hair, "I did ask you to the ball last minute, and I did ask you because Demi let me down."
    Everyone at my table groans in unison, including me.
    "But…" he raises his hands in surrender, fear behind his eyes, "Once I did ask you, I thought about how it might be with you at one of those stuffy functions instead of one of my usual dates. The more I thought about it, the more I