Page 53 of Courting Catherine
Chapter Ten
“Here are the papers you asked for, Mr. St. James.”
Oblivious to his secretary’s presence, Trent continued to stand at the window, staring out. It was a habit he’d developed since returning to work three weeks before. Through the wide tinted glass, he could watch Boston bustling by below. Steel-and-glass towers glittered beside elegant brownstones in an architectural potpourri. Thick traffic weaved and charged on the streets. In sweats and colorful running shorts, joggers paced themselves along the path beside the river. Then there was the river itself, streaming with boats, sails puffed full of warm spring breezes.
“Mr. St. James?”
“Yes?” He glanced around at his secretary.
“I’ve brought you the papers you requested.”
“Thank you, Angela.” In an old habit, he looked at his watch. It occurred to him, painfully, that he had rarely thought of the time when he’d been with C.C. “It’s after five. You should go home to your family.”
Angela hesitated. She’d worked for Trenton for six years. It had only been during the past couple of weeks that he had begun calling her by her first name or inquiring about her family. The day before, he’d actually complimented her on her dress. The change in him had the entire staff baffled. As his secretary, she felt obligated to dig out the source of it.
“May I speak with you a minute?”
“All right. Would you like to sit down?”
“No, sir. I hope you won’t consider this out of place, Mr. St. James, but I wanted to know if you’re feeling well.”
A ghost of a smile played around his mouth. “Don’t I look well?”
“Oh, yes, of course. A little tired perhaps. It’s just that since you returned from Bar Harbor, you seem distracted, and different somehow.”
“You could say I am distracted. I am different, and to answer your original question, no, I don’t think I am entirely well.”
“Mr. St. James, if there’s anything I can do...”
Studying her, he sat on the edge of his desk. He had hired her because she was efficient and quick. As he recalled, he had nearly passed her over because she’d had two small children. It had worried him that she wouldn’t be able to balance her responsibilities, but he’d taken what he’d considered a chance. It had worked very well indeed.
“Angela, how long have you been married?”
“Married?” Thrown off, she blinked. “Ten years.”
“Happily?”
“Yes, Joe and I are happy.”
Joe, he mused. He hadn’t even known her husband’s name. Hadn’t bothered to find it out. “Why?”
“Why, sir?”
“Why are you happy?”
“I... I suppose because we love each other.”
He nodded, gesturing to prod her along. “And that’s enough?”
“It certainly helps you get through the rough spots.” She smiled a little, thinking of her Joe. “We’ve had some of them, but one of us always manages to pull the other through.”
“You consider yourself a team then. So you have a great deal in common?”
“I don’t know about that. Joe likes football and I hate it. He loves jazz, and I don’t understand it.” It wouldn’t occur to her until later that this was the first time she’d felt completely at ease with Trent since she’d taken the job. “Sometimes I feel like wearing earplugs all weekend. Whenever I feel like shipping him out, I think about what my life would be without him. And I don’t like what I see.” Taking a chance, she stepped closer. “Mr. St. James, if this is about Marla Montblanc getting married last week, well, I’d just like to say that you’re better off.”
“Marla got married?”
Truly baffled, Angela shook her head. “Yes, sir. Last week, to that golf pro. It was in all the papers.”
