Page 3 of Doughn't Let Me Go

“Mr. Jones?”

“Yes,” I say, pulling my nose out of my phone and standing to greet the older woman hovering at the end of the table who I didn’t even hear approach.She’s a ninja—noted.“You must be Fran. Please, call me Porter.”

Much to my dismay, this Fran looks nothing like The Nanny.

Which is probably for the best. The last thing I need to do is get involved with my employee…again.

“Have a seat, Fran.”

She scoots into the booth, pushing her shoulders back and holding her chin high.

Confident—I like that. I like her already.

But I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me. When I announced to my team I was possibly moving to the other side of the country permanently, it was hardest for me to tell Mel, my assistant, we’d no longer be working together directly.

Over the last two years, Mel and I have grown close. Not in a romantic way, which wouldn’t work for us anyway considering she doesn’t play for my team, but in a way you would be close to a sibling. When Foster left, Mel was all I had to help me cope with the divorce and the fallout of everything that came with it.

Though I was crushed when she told me she couldn’t move to North Carolina with me, I completely understood. I was already uprooting my little family; I couldn’t ask her to do the same.

She did, however, jump at the opportunity to help me find a new assistant out here. Since she probably knows me better than anyone else, it’s no surprise I already like the candidate sitting across from me.

“Tell me a little about yourself, Fran.”

“Well, I’ve lived here my entire life, save for a few years I did at State, but I moved back right after graduation. I’ve been a receptionist at my father’s chiropractic business off and on for years, but I’d like to do something a little more adventurous now that my kids are all in college and my divorce is finalized. I’d like to expand my horizons a bit.”

“Ah, another recent divorcee. I can relate to that.”

“Yeah? Did your husband cheat on you with his dental assistant too?”

I frown, letting my shoulders slump. “Worse—he never even loved me.”

Her lips twitch at the dramatics. “His loss.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“I think I like you, Mr. Jones.”

“I think I like you too, Fran. And please, call me Porter. I’ve never been a fan of formalities, and if we’re going to be working closely with one another, you might as well get used to calling me by my name now.”

“Does that mean you’re hiring me?”

“Straight to the point—I like it.” I laugh. “Yes, I’d love to hire you. I trust Mel implicitly, which is why I’ve basically left her in charge while I get everything settled, so if she picked you as her top candidate, you’re hired.”

“Well, hell, kid.” She blows out a breath, relaxing into the booth for the first time. “That was easier than I thought it was going to be.”

I laugh. “You can start tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, definitely. However…”

“Ah, here they come—the stipulations.” I wave my hand in a circle. “Let’s hear ’em.”

She chuckles. “I just need to know one thing. The pay your assistant mentioned…is that real? And the benefits too?”

It’s my turn to laugh. “It’s very real. My business is doing a lot better than I ever expected and I’m needing all the help I can get. I’m willing to take a personal pay cut in order to provide my employees with top-notch pay and benefits to keep them working hard for me so I can one day give themandmyself more.”

“Are you even human?”

I blink. “According to my ex-wife, no.”

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