Eve's Christmas

By Janice Gallen

What can Eve Benson do when she falls deeply in love with her handsome, recently divorced boss, Chris Melville, who doesn't seem to notice her as a woman? She decides to resign, but when he asks her to accompany him on a business trip to China a journey with him proves to be irresistible.
While overseas they make love and Eve falls pregnant. Should she tell Chris? She knows he has integrity, yet he’s expressed bitter feelings about his former wife who trapped him into marriage. She doesn't want to lose his respect. Resigning and moving away seems the best option.
What will Eve decide? Will Chris find out he’s going to become a father? Will she consider marriage when he doesn't love her? Will her love be enough? Or will she realise the truth?
Sometimes being in love isn't enough.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Janice Gallen
• Release date: Dec 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311362629

Janice Gallen

Janice grew up in the coalfields of Hunter Valley, New South Wales. She developed a passion for writing after winning an inter-school essay contest on unionism at age eleven. After graduating from high school she went on to study teaching at Newcastle Teachers’ College and taught in the district for a few years before going into business. Living in the area from the 1940’s and right through until 1992 has given her an understanding of the people and the environment..The desire for creative writing was always there and Janice signed up for a correspondence writing course. Family commitments and work got in the way of fulfilling her goal to become an acknowledged author. However, that spark remained, and over the past ten years Janice has managed to fit many creative writing workshops into her busy life. During that period she enjoyed the privilege of being mentored by a published author for over three years. When the inaugural Redlitzer anthology was promoted by Redlands Library, Janice won a place with her short story: Always. This success, accompanied by encouragement and critiquing from two writing groups, has allowed her to follow her dream, and complete and publish her first novel: All Naked & Bare.

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Eve’s Christmas/Janice Gallen 79

Eve’s Christmas

By

Janice Gallen

Copyright 2014 © Janice Gallen

Cover by Ramona

[e-mail]

Smashwords Edition, License Notes on the last page

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Chapter One

Chris Melville slammed his palm against the window ledge. He didn’t need this turmoil. Heaps of work waited: things needing his immediate attention. Yet here he stood, staring out the window and allowing his mind to wander. If one of his employees acted like this he would want to give him a good shaking.

Clenching his fists, he made a silent promise. He wasn’t going to let his ex-wife win. Too much depended on him. Too many jobs were at risk if he let her gain the upper hand.

‘Damn her!’ he swore softly, and turning to sit at his mahogany office desk, he grabbed the latest projections on Marville Chemical’s newest product before picking up the inter-office phone.

‘Harold? How’s everything coming along?’

He could almost feel the excitement pulsating through the handset as his research chemist, Harold Robson, filled him in.

‘I’ve done every conceivable test. This new treatment is unbelievably good in controlling botrytis. When can you get the ingredients we need for manufacturing in bulk?’

‘Everything’s under control; I plan to leave for China within the next couple of weeks. Keep up the good work!’

Chris replaced the phone and leaned back in his chair. He wished it were true –everything under control. Closing his eyes, he tried to blot out his worries. He needed to focus. He couldn’t afford to let his personal problems interfere with what he had to do.

* * *

‘Eve, do you have a minute?’

Chris stood in the doorway of their adjoining offices. Eve’s stomach tightened. Dismay at seeing her boss’s unhappy face was probably an over reaction on her part, but he’d been frowning every time she’d seen him this morning. She wanted to touch his forehead, soothe away the lines. But that was more than a PA was supposed to do. And, however tempting it might be, she wouldn’t, couldn’t do it.

Standing, she pulled at her white top, straightening it. Did she look too fat in her flared skirt? The saleslady had assured her it was a slimming style. Not that Eve needed help, the saleswoman told her; she looked stunning, the chocolate brown contrasting well with her auburn hair.

Smiling wryly, Eve gathered her notepad to follow Chris into his adjoining office. The woman had made a sale. As a competent PA Eve knew how to make a client feel special. She did it on many occasions as she worked alongside Chris, promoting the company’s products. She needed to lose a few pounds and wasn’t going to be taken in by any flattery.

Tapping on Chris’s open door, she waited until he responded, beckoning her into the room. His phone rang, and he picked it up and motioned for her to sit down. As she watched his familiar actions, she realised she wouldn’t be doing this for much longer. She was going to miss it – and him most of all.

Her gaze drifted around his office while he spoke quietly into the handset. She’d always thought it strange his ex-wife had never bothered to add a few feminine touches like flowers or a photograph to the sparsely furnished room. If she were his wife a wedding photograph would have taken pride of place on his desk, to remind everyone who entered this good-looking man was taken.

Who am I fooling? she thought, focussing on Chris. He’s out of my reach. It was then, as she stared at him, she really noticed how tired he looked. Shadowy circles bagged under his dark eyes and a single strand of black hair curled onto his forehead, pulled down and twisted, she knew, when he was deep in thought. Another of his endearing traits that tormented her.

She was falling for him, had been from the moment she’d met him eighteen months ago. That was why a letter of resignation sat on her desk: a letter she intended to give him today. Later, when he seemed a little less stressed.

Eve knew she was a good personal assistant, diligent in her work. She loved her job, but she couldn’t have what she wanted more than anything else – the man sitting across from her – the man who didn’t know she existed as a woman.

‘Eve,’ Chris said, putting down the phone, giving her a welcoming smile and deepening the dimples in his cheeks. ‘There’s something I wanted to ask you.’

Warm colour flushed her face and she dipped her head for a couple of seconds. Why did he have to affect her like this? Silently cursing her fair complexion, she tried to look composed, composed and business-like. She had to stop noticing things like the way his face creased when he smiled, the attractive lines crinkling around his dark eyes. But most of all, she had to forget how gentle and kind he could be, and yet how intent and professional when promoting Marville Chemicals.

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and forced herself to meet his magnetic gaze. What she needed to do was leave the room: to go immediately and get her letter of resignation, so she had some kind of barrier to place between them.

‘We’re getting closer to perfecting our improved botrytis controller,’ he said, apparently not noticing her uneasiness.

‘That’s great news,’ she replied, returning his smile. She was familiar with the treatment used to fight fungus on grapes. She’d worked alongside Chris while he investigated the potential for use, price and marketing. ‘You must be pleased now everything is coming together.’

She really meant what she said. She’d been a part of his success and had enjoyed the journey. Disappointment unsettled her stomach a little. She would miss the excitement, the thrill of launching the new chemical. But she’d made a decision to move on.

‘I was hoping, as I need someone conversant with our products to help me out, you might be available to go to China with me.’

Chris looked at her expectantly, and for a moment her spinning mind didn’t allow her to voice an answer. Slightly stunned, Eve realised she held her breath. Raggedly she let it out and then drew in some air in quick, successive bursts. She wasn’t game enough to look at Chris. He was probably thinking she was having some kind of emotional breakdown.

‘For how long?’ she asked, managing to form the simple question through dry lips.

Her eyes met his and she could see he was puzzled by her behaviour. Once she would have been eager to work on a new project with him. Her lack of enthusiasm obviously bothered him, although in his usual manner, he remained in control.

‘Just over a week. One thing Eve, do you have a passport?’

‘Yes, I do.’ It sat in a drawer at home, unused. She’d been planning to go to Hawaii with a friend. But her friend had met a man, and after a whirlwind courtship, had married. Eve hadn’t been able to face the thought of going overseas alone: another thing that had been pushed aside until she felt ready.

‘Well, that solves that problem. I’d like you to accompany me and we need to leave soon.’ He shuffled through some papers on his desk and placed them in a folder. ‘I’ve got some brochures here that will tell you a little about where we’re going. There won’t be much time for sightseeing but we might get a little in.’ Chris rose from his chair. ‘Here take this. We have to be in China within ten days, so you’ll have to book a flight as soon as possible and arrange rooms. I’ve circled some of the hotels where I’ve stayed before.’

Almost in a daze Eve took the cream folder, walking through to the adjoining room to place it on her desk. She’d deal with it in a few minutes. Confusing emotions tumbled through her mind, making it too hard to concentrate.

Going away with Chris. Should she tell him she planned to leave so he could take someone else? She shook her head. No, she would be selfish for once. This was too good an opportunity to let pass. Just the two of them. What would it be like? Would they be eating together, as any other couple away on a holiday would do? Would they go sightseeing? How hard was it going to be, to spend time with him and then come back home to resign?

She rubbed at her forehead. Why did she have to think about that now? An overseas holiday would be fun – one last fling before she had to look for another job, before she had to say good-bye. Besides, because of the way things had turned out, she’d never been overseas – and it was time she had the experience. This was when to plan where they would be staying. It was exciting, incredible and intense.

Nothing could stop the exhilaration racing through her body, sending tingles up her neck. Shivering a little, she placed the papers Chris had given her on the desk and then she saw it – the letter of resignation. It seemed to radiate like a neon light. After crumpling it into a ball, she threw it into the bin, before thinking better of it and taking it out. Piece by piece she tore it up, before letting the tiny bits float through the air to settle back amid the rubbish.

She should be feeling guilty, but Chris didn’t have anyone else he could take with him, so she was really helping him out. She was doing the right thing.

‘Eve Benson! What are you doing? Destroying a letter from a secret admirer?’ Samantha, the office receptionist, spoke from behind her, causing Eve to start. If only.

Forcing herself to appear cool, Eve turned to face her friend. ‘Oh Samantha, are we on early lunch today? I’ll make sure my calls are transferred through and I’ll be right with you.’

‘What do you fancy today? Hamburger, Chinese take-away, or just an old-fashioned sandwich?’ Samantha asked, once they’d left the building and headed towards the café.

A tinge of envy stabbed at Eve while she watched the slim, girlish figure hurry beside her. Samantha was dating. Seriously dating. Even hoping for a child. Sometimes it hurt knowing her friends were settled, when she didn’t have anyone.

But she’d made a major decision today. She would hand in her notice as soon as they got back from China. And that wasn’t the only way her life was going to change. No more mooning around, wishing for someone she couldn’t have. She’d start socialising. She was only twenty-four and deserved to enjoy life.

As they gave their orders for sandwiches and coffee and settled at a table, Eve’s mind wandered. Samantha chattered on about her boyfriend, Peter Barton: how amazing he was, and how their relationship was becoming more serious now he’d asked her to move in with him.

Closing her eyes, Eve began to daydream. She’d seen enough travelogues on Asia to be able to imagine being pulled along in a rickshaw, enjoying the bustle of a crowded city.

‘Eve, have you got a new boyfriend?’ Samantha’s question had Eve opening her eyes immediately.

‘New boyfriend? I don’t even have any old ones.’

‘I don’t know why you talk like that. You’re one of the best looking girls I know,’ Samantha said, her hazel eyes glowing with sincerity. ‘If you would start believing in yourself, instead of putting yourself down, and if you would go out more, I know things would change. After all, it’s not likely some guy is going to turn up on your doorstep wrapped in a red ribbon, is it?

Eve smiled at her friend, refusing to be drawn into the debate. She knew most men were attracted to skinny girls: girls who looked good in minuscule bikinis. She’d found that out when she was sixteen. And to her knowledge things hadn’t changed in the past eight years. Besides, she was deeply in love with someone she couldn’t talk about.

‘I do have some good news, Samantha,’ she said, deliberately altering the course of their conversation. ‘Chris has asked me to go with him while he negotiates in China for some chemicals. We should be leaving next week.’

‘Well, I suppose he needs to get away, especially now.’ Samantha brushed a strand of her light brown hair back from her face and settled back in her chair.

‘What do you mean?’ Eve’s tone sounded a little sharper than she intended. There was no way she would allow her personal feelings for Chris to be found out by any of the staff, even her friend, Samantha. The gossip around the office could be spiteful.

‘Eve, you work more closely with him than anyone and you haven’t heard?’ Samantha widened her eyes in an exaggerated manner.

‘You hear more than I do, talking to the salesmen. They always seem to know what’s going on.’ Eve answered, fiddling with her straw. ‘Besides, you know I don’t like talking about Chris. If he thought I gossiped about him’

‘Then you don’t want to know?’ Samantha teased, her face splitting into a wide smile.

‘Know what?’

‘Apparently his ex-wife is causing him trouble. From what I’ve heard, their divorce hasn’t been amicable. There’s another man involved, and they’re trying to take Chris to the cleaners.’

A sharp sensation stabbed at Eve’s belly. She hadn’t known about the trouble with his ex-wife. Chris hadn’t confided in her. Now she sat here, hearing about Chris’s personal and business life from someone who shouldn’t know as much as his PA. Disappointment churned her insides. She definitely knew where she stood, and all hope of forming any kind of relationship with him was gone. This news didn’t alter her decision, just the opposite. She would go ahead with her resignation as soon as they returned from Hong Kong.

But she didn’t want to talk about it now, and she didn’t want to let on she’d been completely in the dark. She made sure her cool demeanour didn’t waver; she’d had lots of practice. ‘So what’s changed?’

‘Peter saw Chris coming out of a solicitor’s office a couple of weeks back. I told Peter if anyone would know what was happening it would be you.’

Eve shook her head. ‘I don’t know anything. Chris has been pre-occupied lately, but we have been busy with our newest product, and I put it down to that.’

Eve thought back. She’d only seen Chris’s former wife once since she’d been with Marville Chemicals, and that was just after she’d started, over eighteen months ago. That must have been when their divorce proceedings had begun. And now she considered this morning’s happenings, Chris had been unlike his customary self, and had seemed in an unusually serious mood.

She needed to change the subject. Discussing Chris’s private life like this seemed disloyal. She already felt guilty about agreeing to go to China when she intended to quit her job.

‘I’d like to leave early, Sam. I have to make plans for our trip.’ Eve got to her feet. ‘Finish your coffee. I’ll see you later.’ With a smile she left Samantha and headed back.

* * *

A couple of days later Chris stood in his office doorway, his hands in his trouser pockets.

What is Eve doing?