In the corner was a baby crib, a changing table, a bookshelf filled with books and toys, pictures of Mickey Mouse lined the walls and teddy bears lined the floor. The area had obviously been set up for a well loved child, she thought with a sad smile.
"That's for my little buddy," Mr. Bradford said with a warm smile.
"What's his name?" she asked, taking the seat he gestured to.
"Cole, he's just a few months shy of one," he said proudly as he took his seat behind the large desk. "May I?" he asked, holding his hand out for her application.
She handed it over, fighting back the urge to ask what her old job said about her. As she sat there trying not to squirm he looked over her application, absently nodding every few seconds.
Was he looking for a polite way to tell her that he wasn't interested? She didn't remember being this nervous at her last job interview, granted that was over three years ago. She really wasn't sure that her poor stomach was going to be able to handle the stress of going on any more job interviews.
"When can you start?" he asked, startling her.
Once again even though she knew she should keep her mouth shut she didn't listen. "Um, did you check my references?"
"Mmmhmm, everything checked out."
"Everything?" she asked, wishing she could just shut the hell up. Seriously, what was wrong with her?
"Yup, you worked for some real ass**les," he said, smiling and throwing her a wink. "Don't worry, Trevor filled me in this morning. It also didn't hurt that you've already met my wife and she vouched for you."
Zoe sighed in relief.
"So, can you start tomorrow?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to answer when a large angry man wearing a black Bradford Construction tee-shirt and tool belt stormed into the office.
"I want her fired!" he said, slamming a piece of paper on top of Jared's desk.
It didn't take Zoe long to figure out this man was another Bradford. Actually, the man looked more like a younger version of Jared, large, muscular and devastatingly handsome.
"Not this again," Jared mumbled warily, rubbing his hands over his face.
"Yes, this again. She assaulted me and took advantage of me and this time I have a witness," the man declared triumphantly. He looked over his shoulder expectantly. "Get your ass in here!"
She heard a long drawn out sigh and then a much shorter and leaner man wearing a shirt and tie stepped into the office, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else but there.
"I'm sorry, Jared. I had no idea what he was up to until he dragged me from my office."
"It's fine, Brad," Jared said, leaning back in his chair.
"Bullshit! You hired a woman who can't keep her dirty little hands off of me! You need to fire her!"
Zoe's brows arched as she spotted the man's wedding band. Well, it was nice to see a man who was committed to his wife, she thought. Most guys would enjoy the attention.
"Tell him what you saw yesterday," the large man demanded.
Brad sighed. "You mean when you had her pinned against the back of the coffee truck yesterday while devouring her mouth?"
Okay.......so apparently he enjoyed the attention, Zoe thought, feeling oddly disappointed that there really were no happily married men out there. It didn't leave much hope for someone like her.
The large man gasped. "You betraying bastard! You saw what she wanted you to see!"
"Uh huh," Brad said, taking the chair next to her. "Hi, I'm Brad and I'm really sorry about my friend. We're all pretty sure that he's gone insane," he said with an easy smile.
"Zoe," she said, wondering if she should just leave.
"Can't you see that I'm in the middle of something?" Jared asked the larger man while he gestured to her.
"What is more important than making sure that your secretary keeps her dirty little hands off your precious son?" the man demanded, earning sighs of exasperation from both man and a muttered curse.
"Zoe O'Shea," Jared said, gesturing to the large man, "this is my son Jason, Jason, this is the nice young woman I was trying to interview for the secretary job before you came in here acting like an ass."
Jason folded his large arms over his chest as he glared down at her. "Will you be able to keep your hands off of me?"
"I'm pretty sure I can manage that," she said, wondering if the man truly was insane.
"That's really all I can ask," he said, sighing, sounding completely serious.
"Don't worry, Zoe, he only works for me during the summer and one weekend a month during the rest of the year," Jared said, picking up the paper Jason slammed on his desk moments earlier and rolling his eyes.
"And the rest of the time he spends shaping the minds of our youth," Brad said dryly, earning a chuckle from Jared and a glare from Jason.
"You know I'm going to show your mother this one," Jared said, giving his son a stern look.
"Shit!" Jason said, reaching out and snatching the piece of paper away. "I should have known you'd take her side!"
"Are you done interrupting my meeting with Miss. O'Shea?"
Jason narrowed his eyes on her. "You're taking the job, right?"
"I guess I-"
"Good," he said, turning his attention back to his father. "Then fire the other one."
"I can't fire her. She needs to train Zoe," Jared patiently pointed out even though she couldn't quite remember agreeing to take the job. She didn't know how she felt about working with insane people. Then again she did just spend the last three years working for the soulless.
"Have mom do it." He gestured lazily to the large Mickey Mouse wall clock. "It's almost twelve o'clock and she's not even here. You should fire her lazy ass."
"She had a doctor's appointment this morning, you jackass," Jared snapped. "Now stop being such a baby. I'm not firing your wife."
Zoe felt her eyebrows climb to her hairline. The man was trying to get his wife fired? The man really was insane. Thankfully Brad took pity on her and explained the situation before she tried to come up with an excuse to get the hell out of there.
"She's seven months pregnant and he doesn't want her working. So everyday he writes her up for sexual harassment or some other bullshit and we all laugh behind his back."
Oh.......
That was kind of sweet in a psychotic sort of way.
"She shouldn't be working," Jason said, glaring at his friend.
"She likes to keep busy," Jared pointed out.
Zoe stood up. "Maybe I should step outside," she said, feeling a little awkward.
"No, that's-"
"Dad?" a woman called out from the other room, cutting him off. "Could I get a hand? I'm about to drop the plate of brownies I made!"
The word "brownies" was barely out of the woman's mouth when Jared jumped up from his chair and rushed towards the door the same time Jason turned to leave. Jason was almost at the door when Jared grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him backwards, causing him to stumble. Just before he crashed into her she found herself yanked back and out of the way. As soon as Jason was able to catch his footing he was off and out the door.
"The most important rule you need to learn if you work here is never come between a Bradford and his food," Brad said, sounding completely serious.
"Those are my brownies, you bastard!" she heard Jason yell.
Zoe swallowed. "I guess so," she mumbled, allowing him to steer her out of the office even though part of her thought that maybe it would be safer to hide under the desk until the brownies were gone.
She received another shock when she walked back into the reception area. When she realized Jason was married she'd automatically assumed he married a tall voluptuous blonde to go along with his ego. What she didn't expect was the short cute chestnut haired woman with glasses and one of the sweetest smiles she'd ever seen. If there was any doubt in her mind that this woman was his wife the look of total adoration he was sending her squashed it. Jason placed a hand on the woman's round stomach as he leaned down and gave her the sweetest kiss Zoe had ever seen.
"That's for my little buddy," Mr. Bradford said with a warm smile.
"What's his name?" she asked, taking the seat he gestured to.
"Cole, he's just a few months shy of one," he said proudly as he took his seat behind the large desk. "May I?" he asked, holding his hand out for her application.
She handed it over, fighting back the urge to ask what her old job said about her. As she sat there trying not to squirm he looked over her application, absently nodding every few seconds.
Was he looking for a polite way to tell her that he wasn't interested? She didn't remember being this nervous at her last job interview, granted that was over three years ago. She really wasn't sure that her poor stomach was going to be able to handle the stress of going on any more job interviews.
"When can you start?" he asked, startling her.
Once again even though she knew she should keep her mouth shut she didn't listen. "Um, did you check my references?"
"Mmmhmm, everything checked out."
"Everything?" she asked, wishing she could just shut the hell up. Seriously, what was wrong with her?
"Yup, you worked for some real ass**les," he said, smiling and throwing her a wink. "Don't worry, Trevor filled me in this morning. It also didn't hurt that you've already met my wife and she vouched for you."
Zoe sighed in relief.
"So, can you start tomorrow?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to answer when a large angry man wearing a black Bradford Construction tee-shirt and tool belt stormed into the office.
"I want her fired!" he said, slamming a piece of paper on top of Jared's desk.
It didn't take Zoe long to figure out this man was another Bradford. Actually, the man looked more like a younger version of Jared, large, muscular and devastatingly handsome.
"Not this again," Jared mumbled warily, rubbing his hands over his face.
"Yes, this again. She assaulted me and took advantage of me and this time I have a witness," the man declared triumphantly. He looked over his shoulder expectantly. "Get your ass in here!"
She heard a long drawn out sigh and then a much shorter and leaner man wearing a shirt and tie stepped into the office, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else but there.
"I'm sorry, Jared. I had no idea what he was up to until he dragged me from my office."
"It's fine, Brad," Jared said, leaning back in his chair.
"Bullshit! You hired a woman who can't keep her dirty little hands off of me! You need to fire her!"
Zoe's brows arched as she spotted the man's wedding band. Well, it was nice to see a man who was committed to his wife, she thought. Most guys would enjoy the attention.
"Tell him what you saw yesterday," the large man demanded.
Brad sighed. "You mean when you had her pinned against the back of the coffee truck yesterday while devouring her mouth?"
Okay.......so apparently he enjoyed the attention, Zoe thought, feeling oddly disappointed that there really were no happily married men out there. It didn't leave much hope for someone like her.
The large man gasped. "You betraying bastard! You saw what she wanted you to see!"
"Uh huh," Brad said, taking the chair next to her. "Hi, I'm Brad and I'm really sorry about my friend. We're all pretty sure that he's gone insane," he said with an easy smile.
"Zoe," she said, wondering if she should just leave.
"Can't you see that I'm in the middle of something?" Jared asked the larger man while he gestured to her.
"What is more important than making sure that your secretary keeps her dirty little hands off your precious son?" the man demanded, earning sighs of exasperation from both man and a muttered curse.
"Zoe O'Shea," Jared said, gesturing to the large man, "this is my son Jason, Jason, this is the nice young woman I was trying to interview for the secretary job before you came in here acting like an ass."
Jason folded his large arms over his chest as he glared down at her. "Will you be able to keep your hands off of me?"
"I'm pretty sure I can manage that," she said, wondering if the man truly was insane.
"That's really all I can ask," he said, sighing, sounding completely serious.
"Don't worry, Zoe, he only works for me during the summer and one weekend a month during the rest of the year," Jared said, picking up the paper Jason slammed on his desk moments earlier and rolling his eyes.
"And the rest of the time he spends shaping the minds of our youth," Brad said dryly, earning a chuckle from Jared and a glare from Jason.
"You know I'm going to show your mother this one," Jared said, giving his son a stern look.
"Shit!" Jason said, reaching out and snatching the piece of paper away. "I should have known you'd take her side!"
"Are you done interrupting my meeting with Miss. O'Shea?"
Jason narrowed his eyes on her. "You're taking the job, right?"
"I guess I-"
"Good," he said, turning his attention back to his father. "Then fire the other one."
"I can't fire her. She needs to train Zoe," Jared patiently pointed out even though she couldn't quite remember agreeing to take the job. She didn't know how she felt about working with insane people. Then again she did just spend the last three years working for the soulless.
"Have mom do it." He gestured lazily to the large Mickey Mouse wall clock. "It's almost twelve o'clock and she's not even here. You should fire her lazy ass."
"She had a doctor's appointment this morning, you jackass," Jared snapped. "Now stop being such a baby. I'm not firing your wife."
Zoe felt her eyebrows climb to her hairline. The man was trying to get his wife fired? The man really was insane. Thankfully Brad took pity on her and explained the situation before she tried to come up with an excuse to get the hell out of there.
"She's seven months pregnant and he doesn't want her working. So everyday he writes her up for sexual harassment or some other bullshit and we all laugh behind his back."
Oh.......
That was kind of sweet in a psychotic sort of way.
"She shouldn't be working," Jason said, glaring at his friend.
"She likes to keep busy," Jared pointed out.
Zoe stood up. "Maybe I should step outside," she said, feeling a little awkward.
"No, that's-"
"Dad?" a woman called out from the other room, cutting him off. "Could I get a hand? I'm about to drop the plate of brownies I made!"
The word "brownies" was barely out of the woman's mouth when Jared jumped up from his chair and rushed towards the door the same time Jason turned to leave. Jason was almost at the door when Jared grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him backwards, causing him to stumble. Just before he crashed into her she found herself yanked back and out of the way. As soon as Jason was able to catch his footing he was off and out the door.
"The most important rule you need to learn if you work here is never come between a Bradford and his food," Brad said, sounding completely serious.
"Those are my brownies, you bastard!" she heard Jason yell.
Zoe swallowed. "I guess so," she mumbled, allowing him to steer her out of the office even though part of her thought that maybe it would be safer to hide under the desk until the brownies were gone.
She received another shock when she walked back into the reception area. When she realized Jason was married she'd automatically assumed he married a tall voluptuous blonde to go along with his ego. What she didn't expect was the short cute chestnut haired woman with glasses and one of the sweetest smiles she'd ever seen. If there was any doubt in her mind that this woman was his wife the look of total adoration he was sending her squashed it. Jason placed a hand on the woman's round stomach as he leaned down and gave her the sweetest kiss Zoe had ever seen.
