“Evie, I’d like to see you in my office after you transcribe the notes from the recording of yesterday’s phone call with Mr. Meadows.”

The petite blonde looked up from her computer in the reception area, powder blue eyes wide behind her reading glasses, and nodded. Her stomach fluttered at the grave tone in Mr. Lynch’s voice, and it stirred up an irrational fear of being fired in spite of the five years of dedicated work she’d done as his personal assistant. After all, Evie had only landed the job on a pure stroke of luck.

“Yes, sir.” As she watched him retreat into his office, she silently noted that he was wearing his best three-piece suit, and his coal-black hair was artfully disheveled. He looked attractive and intimidating all at once. Her eyes strayed to her custom mousepad, smiling at the image of her on vacation in St. John with her parents. It struck her that if she were fired, she wouldn’t even need a box to clear out her personal items. The mouse pad was it. She shivered, choosing to ignore that train of thought, and focused on transcribing the recording at lightning speed. The speedy, rhythmic clicking of the keys soothed her nerves and she sucked in slow, deep breaths of cool air, glad for the office’s air conditioning system in spite of the unit’s annoying hum. She was finished in the space of a few minutes and uploaded the document to the network server so Carter could access it.

            She stood, straightened her charcoal gray pencil skirt, smoothed the front of her lavender silk blouse, and reached up to tuck the tendrils of golden-blonde hair that had come loose from her chignon back behind her ears. If she were going to be fired, at least she would look good while she was at it. Evie took her glasses off and set them on her desk so she wouldn’t fidget with them while Carter was talking to her. She gave his office door a timid knock, trying to ignore the voice in the back of her mind that was screaming at her, telling her that she was in trouble.

“Come in and have a seat,” he called.

She let herself in, hovering near one of the two leather chairs in front of his elegant cherry wood desk for a moment before sitting down, clutching the chair’s arms and trying to squelch her anxiety. “What can I do for you, Mr. Lynch?”

She looked at everything in the office but him, afraid that if she looked him in the eyes, it would somehow seal her doom. Although the furniture was luxurious, his office was even more Spartan than her reception area in terms of personal items. She stared out the window, able to see waves of late August heat radiating off the cracked asphalt and a glimpse between buildings of Mobile’s now empty cruise terminal in the distance. She jumped when his low, soft voice shattered her train of thought.

            “First of all, you can stop calling me Mr. Lynch. Five years of impeccable work has earned you more familiarity than that. Call me Carter.” The warmth in his amber brown eyes made her sigh with relief and release the arms of the chair.

            “All right, sir...I mean Carter. What else can I help you with?”

            He sat down across the desk from her and looked at her over steepled fingers, his tanned, clean-shaven face unreadable. “As of last night, Lynch Hospitality is bereft of a VP. You know Mr. Jones was in Scotland seeing to a real estate deal on my behalf? He was found dead in Glasgow last night, apparently mugged.” He paused, ran a hand through his hair, and shot her a meaningful look.

“And you want me to help you interview new candidates for the position?”

He shook his head and shot her a dazzling smile. “No. I want you to take the position.”

Evie’s mouth fell open, and she was momentarily speechless. “Me,” she squeaked, “Why?”

Carter cocked a dark brow at her. “Seriously? I don’t know of anyone who’s more efficient and familiar with the business than you. Besides that, you’ve got an unimpeachable reputation and are well regarded in the business community. You’re the perfect choice.”

Heat rushed up her neck and pooled in her cheeks. “I’m very flattered, Carter, but I really have no idea what to say.”

“Simple,” he shrugged, “Say yes.”