When Love Prospers: When Love trilogy, #3

By Melanie Macek

The timing of the job at Larsen Financial is perfect for Helen Randall. Coming off of a several failed relationships, she desperately needs not only the boost to her bank account but also to her self-esteem. When her immediate supervisor leaves for a two week vacation, Helen will be forced to work with Trevor. When her personal life intrudes on her professional one, Trevor becomes an unexpected ally. It becomes difficult to keep from thinking about her boss in a less than professional manner.

Trevor Mcintosh is good at his job. When the CEO of Larsen Financial offered him the opportunity to start up and run the San Francisco branch office, he jumped at the chance. After six months in the city, he’s getting tired of the constant round of parties, women and meetings. When he’s forced to work one on one with Helen, he finds that the woman he barely acknowledged in the past poses a serious threat to his sanity. He’s ready to give up his late nights out in exchange for evenings in with one woman. Can he convince her they would be better as a team outside of work too?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melanie Macek
• Release date: Mar 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507033562

Book preview

Dedication

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To the friends who said this just had to be a trilogy. This book wouldn’t have existed without your prodding.

To my husband Clint. Thank you for all your support in this endeavor. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Acknowledgments

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I want to thank Bethany S., Fern B. and Allyson C. for reading, plotting and helping me fix the little things. To Colby C. with Calcote Creations for creating the beautiful covers on the First Editions of these stories. Those first covers will always hold a place in my heart.

Chapter One

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Helen Randall sat at her desk, awaiting five o'clock. If her hair were longer, she would twirl it in order to keep her hands busy. A few strands of her brown hair slipped out of the pin, teasing the tip of her ear. She yanked the pin out, cringing when it caught on a single strand in her haste.

The sun sat low in the sky over San Francisco Bay. Outside the large pane glass, Helen watched as workers slowly filled up the sidewalk, the spring in their step noticeable as they rushed toward the cable cars and bus stops.

Reorganizing the files on her desk for the umpteenth time, Helen didn't look forward to the next two weeks of work. She loved her job as office manager for Larsen Financial. The work kept her interested and was the only job she'd ever really loved going to every day. She just hoped she continued to love her work.

Her immediate boss, Emma Alexander, now McElroy, would soon leave on an extended honeymoon with her husband Jack, and Helen would be left to run the office with Trevor Mcintosh, the only other employee in the San Francisco branch.

Emma's chipper voice called out, breaking her reverie.

Helen, can you lock the front door and come to the conference room?

With the open layout in the office, they could easily converse without yelling. Helen locked the door and took her notepad and pen to the conference room. Trevor sat lounging in the chair furthest away from the door. She nodded, then sat at the opposite end of the table, avoiding eye contact with him. Though they'd been working together half a year, he still made her nervous. Their conversations consisted of his requests to retrieve or file client information.

Emma came in, setting her notepad on the table.

All right. I know you two will be fine while I'm gone, but I just wanted to make sure neither one of you had any concerns or questions that needed to be addressed before I leave.

Helen shook her head in answer. She felt a slight twinge of envy. Her boss practically glowed and she wished the couple all the happiness in the world. Emma would spend the next two weeks lounging on some tropical island, with a handsome man and no cares in the world. Truthfully, Helen was happy for her.

Trevor?

Not that I can think of. I scheduled my meetings to take place here so Helen wouldn't be alone the next two weeks.

He winked at her and she looked away. He'd loosened his tie and the top button of his shirt. He never wore a jacket unless expecting a client and sometimes not even then. She willed the blush not to redden her skin. Whenever she blushed, she thought she looked blotchy instead of flushed. She didn't want Trevor misinterpreting the flush.

Thanks for that. I'd hate to think of her withering away here without anyone to talk to. Helen, do you have anything?

No.

Usually, she didn't have a problem talking to Emma, but with Trevor in the room, she could barely force out one word. Her boss sat then and looked at both her and Trevor with a look of trepidation.

Trevor, I want you to make every effort to help Helen. Helen, make sure you ask him questions if anything comes up. I doubt anything will, but I don't want you two thinking that you can't talk to the other. Trevor, make sure you let Helen know if your schedule changes. Nothing much should change, you just won't have to listen to wedding junk anymore.

Emma smiled and Helen couldn't help but smile back.

I'm sure we'll be fine. I'll have the hardest adjustment. I'm not used to spending so much time in the office at one stretch.

It took supreme effort not to grimace. Having Trevor at the office would be an adjustment for her too. She had no idea why he made her so nervous. Beside the fact that he looked like he walked off the cover of a fashion magazine, his caramel brown eyes always seemed to look right through her.

They went over Emma's open files, Helen taking notes as Emma and Trevor discussed what needed to be done for the clients. After all the files had been gone over, Emma smiled.

Okey dokey folks. If that's all, I'm off to start my honeymoon!

Helen was wrapped in a quick hug, then watched as Emma threw a paper clip at Trevor before she walked out of the conference room. Helen grabbed her notepad and walked toward the door, jumping at the light touch on her shoulder.

I promise not to bite. Truthfully, the next two weeks will probably go by quick.

The smile reached his eyes and she wondered how many women had fallen under his spell. A lock of sandy brown hair hung over his ear and her hand itched to tuck it behind his ear, to feel it between her fingers.

She simply nodded and rushed out of the room. How would she survive the next two weeks if she couldn't talk to the man?

~~~

Traffic in San Francisco on a Monday morning could never be called pleasant, but today it seemed worse than normal. Several cars honked at Helen as she balanced her coffee, messenger bag and box of donuts, weaving her way across the crowded sidewalk.

Reaching the office, she almost dropped her precariously positioned load when Trevor swung the door open from the inside. Smiling her thanks, the nerves she'd ignored all morning took flight in her belly. Today would be the first day she would work strictly with him.

Let me get that. He took the donuts from her, opened the lid and grabbed one. He set the box next to the coffee pot as he shoved half the donut in his mouth. Helen set down her bag and coffee and started her normal morning routine. When she went to make coffee, she wasn't sure how to ask him to move without sounding room.

Excuse me. She finally squeaked.

Sorry.

He moved out of the way, her hand shaking slightly as she took the carafe off the warmer and went to fill the pot. Returning from the small kitchen, she found Trevor had already put new grounds into the dispenser and stood back to let her fill the reservoir.

Thanks.

Least I can do. You know, you don't have to bring donuts every Monday. You're spoiling us.

She felt her cheeks fire up with the comment. I don't mind. It makes Monday easier to deal with.

He smiled at her and she nearly dropped the carafe. Very true. So, what's on the agenda today?

Breaking eye contact, she went back to her desk and looked down at her calendar, reciting the times of the meetings scheduled. He simply stayed propped on the edge of the table where the coffee pot and cups sat.

Did I book all those today?

I believe so. One is Emma's client who needed something done, but the rest I believe are yours.

Man, I can't believe Glenn let her take two weeks off.

Helen did laugh then. Well, it is her honeymoon after all.

Still. Two weeks.

Shaking her head, she booted up her computer and tried to settle her mind.

At least she waited until after tax season.

Trevor simply grunted a response and took another donut to his desk.

The next two weeks would be nerve-wracking for sure. Without Emma to balance out the team, Helen didn't know how she'd deal with him on her own. Especially with him staring at her. Typically, he barely looked in her direction whenever he breezed in and out of the office unless he needed something from her.

It had been this way since her first day of work. Oh, he was good looking and a charmer for sure. But that wasn't the only thing that made her nervous. He was the only guy in a long time to really look at her and pay attention when she talked. She'd essentially been invisible at every other job she'd worked as an office assistant.

A few minutes after they officially opened, the phones started ringing and rang consistently for the first few hours. She greeted clients when they came in, offering them a beverage before leading them to Trevor's office. A client called around four and Trevor rushed out of the office without a word. Helen simply stared as the door closed. Must be an emergency for him to move that quickly.

~~~

The day ended without hearing from Trevor, so she locked up the office. Walking the few blocks to the cable car pick up, she waited for the next one to arrive. Slightly wrinkled suits and dresses worn by the work weary mingled with the shorts and t-shirt wearing, bag-carrying tourists. Somehow, the dance worked almost seamlessly every evening.

Her mind wandered as the car jounced over the busy streets. Every now and then, the sun would peek through the buildings and she blinked, squinting against the rays bouncing off the panes of glass of the businesses lining the road. She watched as cars and pedestrians alike wove in and out around the cable car.

The clang of the bell brought her out of her musings long enough to move off the car just before the wheels started rolling again. Staring at the houses lining the street, she wished she had enough money to find a place of her own. With her current roommate, she never knew what to expect when she came home from work.

Opening the door, a sigh escaped when blissful silence greeted her ears. She went to her room and changed, throwing her purse down on the side table that doubled as a desk. Her stomach growled, but the thought of cooking dinner didn't appeal to her. Settling instead on a bowl of cereal, she curled up on the couch and turned on the television.

Nothing held her attention and she hit the button on the remote. She washed and dried her bowl, putting everything back in the cabinets. She paced the small room, looking out the window to watch the setting sun. The sun itself was already behind the surrounding buildings, but the glow that peeked out over the rooftops helped calm her mind.

The sound of rock music came softly from the bedrooms and she wondered if her roommate were actually home, then realized it was her cell phone. Running to her room, she answered it right before it went to voice mail.

Hello?

Helen, where the hell are you? Your parents said you moved out of their house months ago.

Her knees gave way as she sank onto the bed.

Brad, what do you want?

To talk. They wouldn't give me your address so I decided to call you.

The pain she expected to squeeze her heart was blissfully absent. Three months ago, she'd gone out with a few friends and seen her boyfriend sucking face with a bleach blond, fake-breasted woman when he'd told her he would be home 'hugging the throne', as he'd called it.

I asked them not to. Why did it take you so long to call? I thought you said you were heart broken when we split?

The line went quiet. Well, things happened and I didn't have a chance.

Realization hit her and she felt a twinge of not really disappointment, but sadness for Brad.

She finally dumped you, huh.

We weren't dating, so she couldn't dump me. Besides, I don't get dumped. He snapped back at her.

Shaking her head, she couldn't believe she ever thought there might be a future with someone like him.

No, you just slept with her. Goodbye, Brad.

A smile played on her lips as she disconnected the call. When she'd seen him playing tonsil hockey with the blond, she never thought she'd get over the pain squeezing the air out of her lungs. What had surprised her was her friends' reactions. Or rather, their lack of reaction. They hadn't seemed too surprised to catch him cheating.

The thought of joining a convent had briefly gone through her mind. Luckily, her friends helped bring her back to her senses. Out of three serious boyfriends, two of them had cheated on her and one came out as gay two months into their relationship. She was beginning to think something might seriously be wrong with her.

Flopping back on the bed, she wondered why guys thought they could walk all over her? Was she too nice? Was it because she wouldn't have sex with them on the first date? Once a guy found out they wouldn't be sleeping with her that night, she rarely saw them again.

Helen realized why the overheard conversations in the office bothered her. Trevor reminded her of the rest of the men she'd dated in San Francisco. Talk about cliché, but the fact that the good ones were either taken or gay was true. The older she got, the more inviting the convent seemed. No men, no distractions and lots of hard work. She could handle that, right?

~*~

Trevor sat at his desk staring at the computer screen. He'd come back to the office after Helen left, trying to get work done. The ability to concentrate had apparently deserted him at some point in the evening. He gave up and went home.

Traffic to the Mission District was minimal thanks to the late hour. As he pulled into his driveway, the stress pulling his shoulders forward slowly slipped away. He went through his normal evening workout, ate a quick meal, and was about to get in the shower when his cell rang. Groaning, he answered.

Hello, Celeste.

Trevor, sweetheart! I've missed you. Insincerity dripped from her words.

I'm in the middle of something, can it wait until tomorrow?

He heard her sigh, a breathy moaning sigh, and knew it was strictly for effect.

It's not business related. I want to see you. I'm in town for the next two days and thought we might catch up on things.

I don't think seeing you is a good idea right now. If I remember our last conversation, I believe you said if you never saw me again, it would be too soon. Isn't that about right?

Oh, Trevor. You are always so serious. I said those things while in one of my moods. I didn't mean it. And then you moved up here and, well, I just didn't know what to do.

He scoffed. And it took you six months to figure it out?

Well, Daddy wanted me to go fix a few things at the main office in New York and this is the first chance I've gotten to do something I want to do.

Her father, Richard Williams owned several companies headquartered out of New York. The companies had branch offices all over the country and a few overseas. That's how Trevor and Celeste first met. Their finances were one of the first cases Glenn had let him in on. Williams Holdings had several analysts to keeping track of all the investments. Each analyst handled the investments for one of the subsidiary companies within the Holdings firm.

So, how is old Dick?

She hmmphed, not a very refined reaction.

Trevor, you know how I loathe that nickname of Daddy's. He's fine. You keep changing the subject on me. Will you meet me for dinner tonight?

I don't.... She didn’t give him a chance to finish.

"I know you just got home.