© Copyright 2001 by Meag Brorman
Chapter Two
Cameron paced in the front office. Where was that girl? Eleven thirty and still no sign of her. He grabbed the phone, found the number he needed, and dialed.
Lexa grabbed her phone on the fifth ring and prayed the other party hadn’t hung up yet.
“Hello?” She answered breathlessly.
“Yes,” a strong voice growled impatiently. “I need to speak with Alexandra Campbell.”
“This is she. What can I do for you?”
“You’re late! You were supposed to be here three and a half hours ago! What do you think this is, your own business?”
Lexa was stymied. The voice was unfamiliar and she was positive she had nothing going on that day. She checked her day calendar to be sure.
“Sir, I have no idea who you are, but you must have the wrong person. I have nothing scheduled for today.”
“What are you talking about? I called you two days ago and told you to come in today!”
Lexa became indignant. She was normally an even-tempered person, but this was ridiculous. What kind of person just calls up people, doesn’t identify himself, and demands them to come here, wherever “here” was.
Lexa tried to keep her voice calm. “Excuse me sir. I don’t even know who you are or what your talking about. Would you please tell me what’s going on?”
The man sighed impatiently. “This is Cameron Burke. I called you two days ago to let you know that you were supposed to start work this morning but I’m beginning to doubt my decision, or rather my sister’s decision. If you can’t even remember to get here on time, I may just have to fire you.”
Lexa couldn’t believe it. This guy was unreal. She’d gotten no phone call from either Cameron or Sarah and here he was treating her like a truant child.
“Mr. Burke,” Lexa said, trying to calm down enough to think. “I received no call two days ago or otherwise concerning my job so don’t try putting the blame on me for your mistake!”
“So now you’re trying to blame me? Let’s just add dishonesty to truancy!” Cameron spat out.
Lexa was aghast. Who was he to blame her, wrongly, for anything.
“You better calm down Mr. Burke if you expect to keep me as an employee!” Lexa shot back.
“Me calm down?” Cameron yelled incredulously. “How about you? And who wants a dishonest employee anyway? Oh shoot! The other phone line is ringing. Hold on.”
Lexa heard a thump, a mumbled expletive, then elevator music. Then she waited, and waited, and waited. She tapped her foot. What was so important that he couldn’t take two seconds to say whether she was hired or fired.
The wait gave Lexa time to think and before long her conscience began bugging her. Sarah did say that her brother could be a bear at times, and maybe he was just having a bad day. The sounds on the other end of the phone line were indicative of that. And she had agreed to take the job if asked. Maybe this was why she felt she should come to San Antonio. Just because Sarah was a Christian didn’t mean her brother was.
She finally decided that if Mr. Burke would have her, she would take the job. If in a few months the job was still unbearable, well she’d come to the bridge when she got there. Cameron Burke needed help and she was willing and able to give it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cameron hung up the phone. Things will be so much easier around here when I finally get a secretary he thought to himself. The secretary! He’d left her on the other line. He picked up the phone to see if she was still there. She wasn’t.
“Great,” he muttered. “Just great. On the most hectic day of you life, you blow up at the one person who can make your life easier.”
He picked up the phone to call Sarah, but just as he began to dial he remembered that she’d gone to visit her fiancé in Dallas.
“Guess your on your own today buddy,” he told himself.
“Mr. Burke?”
Cameron looked up. Just what he needed. More people bothering him. He rubbed his temples. He could feel the migraine starting. He frowned.
“Yes?” he asked gruffly.
The girl walked into his office with a steely resolve. “I’m Alexandra Campbell. We spoke on the phone earlier.”
Cam couldn’t believe it. Not only did she have the audacity to yell at him on the phone, but now she wanted to do it in person! Well not today. Not with him.
“I already told you. I won’t have dishonest, not to mention disrespectful, employee. Goodbye!”
“Wait!” She held up her hand. “Before I leave I have a few things I need to say.”
Cameron rolled his eyes. Here it comes he thought.
“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for the way I acted on the phone earlier.” She looked contrite.
Cam stopped short.
“It was wrong of me to get so angry at you. I had no right. I want to ask for your forgiveness.”
Now this was something he hadn’t been expecting. Yelling, yes. Tears, probably. But an apology? Where was this girl from?
“Let me get this straight,” he said bemusedly. “You came all the way down here to ask for my forgiveness? On the phone you said I was to blame.”
Alexandra shook her head. “It doesn’t matter who was wrong and who was right. I handled the situation wrongly. Please forgive me.”
Cameron thought about it. Maybe he was to blame for her ire. It was possible that he had thought about calling her but had never actually gotten around to it. Tuesday had been busy.
“Okay, I forgive you and,” he sighed, “It’s possible that I did forget to call you.”
“You forgive me?” She looked relieved as she gave him a big smile. “Thank you so much.”
He noticed that she completely glossed over the fact that their disagreement and heated words were most likely his fault.
“I also wanted to ask you, Mr. Burke, if I could still have the job. I can see Sarah’s gone today and that you could use a little help. I noticed that it’s a little busy today.” As if on cue the phone rang.
“Umm, yeah, the job is yours. Can you get the phone?”
She smiled, “Sure thing Boss!” and left his office.
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