Page 7 of Daddy's Best Friend

They followed me like lemmings as I carried my trash to the bin, then headed for the elevators. Terry asked a few more questions about Trevor’s childhood which I couldn’t answer, and Heather questioned me about his wife’s current status—like I knew. By the time we got to the fifth floor where our offices were located, I had them eating out of my hand. We staggered out of the elevator like a bunch of teenagers with a hot scandal to chew on.

We parted ways as I headed down the executive hallway, Terry turning toward accounting and Heather joining Pam at the reception desk. It was a good day. I felt more confident here than I had in months. Things seemed to finally be going right. Until I settled in at my desk to have a second glance at the reports Alan expected. My proofread revealed an error in the Excel document.

So I took a deep breath and dug into the formulas, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t find the error. Annoyed at myself and slightly embarrassed, I pulled out my phone and texted Alan, asking him to come to my office and show me where I went wrong. It took exactly 30 seconds for him to pop in, but the grimace on his face made me cringe.

“Did I interrupt?” I couldn’t help but feel bad. I was about as independent as they came, so asking for help often meant feeling ashamed or stupid for needing someone to show me things.

“No, you didn’t interrupt.” Alan stalked to my desk and leaned over me, staring at my computer screen.

“What’s wrong?”

He huffed out a sigh. “You texted me on my private cell phone?”

I wilted, shrinking back as he straightened and peered down at me like a disappointed father. “Sorry, Dad gave me the number. He told me you wouldn’t mind.”

Alan’s face softened and he rested a hand on my shoulder. I expected him to react like my father, lecture me, shout, anything but this. He seemed to relax a little as he gave my shoulder a squeeze.

“It’s okay, Ella. I’m sorry for reacting that way. Please don’t give that number out. Alright? It’s okay that you have it, but if you need me for work things, you can just press one on the intercom.”

It was refreshing to have such honest communication. I smiled at him and settled in, asking my questions. He remained there answering them one at a time until I understood where I went wrong—I entered the wrong cell for an input in the formula which threw off the whole spreadsheet. Once I saw the mistake, I felt foolish.

“Gosh, I feel like an idiot.” I shrank back again, pushing my chair back from the desk so I could look up at him.

Alan turned and sat on the edge of the desk and folded his arms over his chest. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re learning new things every day. It’s natural that you’ll make mistakes. Making mistakes is part of learning, and anyone who expects perfection has never tried anything new. I’m proud of you. This spreadsheet is actually very impressive. Rene usually just did printouts or screenshots of some of our numbers. This—” he gestured at the computer screen “—is far better and more professional. Maybe I don’t need to find a temp to keep an eye on things while she’s out. Do you feel up for more challenges?”

My heart soared. This was very high praise coming from the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar hospitality giant. And I got the feeling that it wasn’t just because we were family friends either. Alan had a way of building me up and making me feel confident and capable, two things my father had never done.

“Of course, I love a good challenge.”

“You know, Ella, when your father asked me to give you this position, I expected something different. You have far exceeded every one of my expectations.” His smile was genuine.

“Like how?” I felt a blush creeping across my cheeks. I had come into this position hoping to learn new things. I had no idea I would leave such an impression on Alan. But I wasn’t a shrinking violet. I wanted to know what I’d done to deserve this praise, so I could reproduce it and earn more. It felt good to be valued and esteemed.

“Well, your father said some things about you that I honestly find quite contrary to what I’ve experienced with you here.”

I tried not to let my irritation with my dad show. I peered out the window for a moment, watching the traffic down the street and the waves on the beach before turning back to him to answer.

“He told you I drink a lot? Party all weekend? Don’t take life seriously?” There was no point avoiding the truth. I knew what Dad had probably said to him. It was all true, so I’d just own it. Why be anything other than completely real? I was nailing this job.

“Yeah, he said some of that. He’s worried about you.” Alan’s look of compassion softened my heart. I wanted to rage and tell him what an imbecile my dad was. He couldn’t let me be my own person, do my own thing. Alan at least had the decency to seewhat I was capable of without demeaning me and treating me like a child.

If I worked for my father, it would have been nothing like this. He’d have spent hours telling HR how messed up I was, and they would have treated me with kid gloves. Alan threw me in the deep end and told me to swim and I was an Olympic gold medalist already.

“Well, he’s right. I like to party. I party hard because… why take life so seriously.” I shrugged like it was no big deal, but I was a little upset with Dad for making me sound irresponsible. I was completely capable of separating my work and home lives.

Alan chuckled. “There is nothing wrong with cutting loose, as long as you know your boundaries and protect yourself.” He slid off my desk and headed for the door. “You’re doing a great job here, Ella. But if you need anything—” His eyebrows went up. “Listen, if you’re not busy, you should come have dinner with Trevor and me tonight. Bring your suit, splash in the pool. What do you think?”

“I don’t think so.” I rolled my chair back into place behind the desk. After the way Trevor ogled me on Monday, I’d rather stay home with my vibrator and another bottle of whiskey. “I have to study.”

“Sure.” Alan seemed a little disappointed, but he couldn’t pay me enough to hang out with Trevor. Now that I knew the guy was into me, I would avoid him at all costs. Guys my age were immature and irresponsible. I preferred a moreseasonedtype. “Well, if you change your mind, I can send a car. Just text me.”

Alan left my office, and I felt my smile growing. For the first time in my life, I felt like someone appreciated my accomplishments. Even if it was my boss.

6

ALAN

The water was nice, a little cool compared to the ninety-degree air, but refreshing. I toweled off as I strolled past the row of blue lounge chairs toward the back door. Before I entered, I could see Trevor seated at the island, eating a bowl of cereal. His disheveled hair and dark blue pajama bottoms made him look like a homeless person. It felt out of place compared to the almost half-million-dollar smart kitchen. He had his phone in front of his face and his thumb flicked across the screen. The sliding door didn’t open, so I looked up at the camera so the facial recognition feature would unlock it. It beeped twice and I heard the locking mechanism click, which drew Trevor’s attention.

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