Page 16 of Falling for Raine

“I’m sorry, but I’m giving my notice,” she blurted in a rush.

“Notice?” I cocked my head curiously. “Notice for…what?”

“I’m leaving The Horsham Group, sir.”

I furrowed my brow. “You’re leaving? Now?”

Her throat bobbed as she twisted her hands nervously. “Effective May first.”

Two weeks.

“I see. May I ask why? And also…why now?”

“My husband was transferred to Aberdeen last summer. I’ve made the trek to Scotland to visit when I can, but it’s been rather difficult.”

I rubbed my beard thoughtfully. “You never mentioned it.”

“I did, sir. You’ve been busy here, though and?—”

“Very busy,” I agreed. “Surely, you realize this is a most inopportune time to lose a trusted assistant.”

Julia nodded miserably. “Yes, and I’ll do what I can to make the transition as seamless as possible for my replacement.”

I wrinkled my nose in confusion. “What replacement?”

“I’ve hired a new assistant. I mentioned it, if you’ll recall.”

“The assistant was supposed to be for you. Not me. That was meant to lessen your workload whilst we’re in the middle of negotiations.”

She worried her bottom lip and shook her head. “Yes, but Edwards can be my replacement. He’s quite experienced, comes with a glowing referral, and he’ll be at the office Monday.”

“Monday,” I repeated irritably.

“Yes. I can arrange for you to meet him when you have time, but of course, I’ll begin showing him the ropes immediately.” She paused to take a breath and commenced wringing her hands, adding, “I’m sorry, Mr. Horsham. I’ve postponed this move a dozen times, and I can’t do it again.”

I held her gaze, then glanced out the rain-streaked windows, unseeing.

Well, this was unfortunate. And untimely. I supposed it explained why she’d seemed out of sorts lately. She’d been dealing with personal strife and while I sympathized, I couldn’t help thinking this was a great example of one of the undesirable byproducts of relationships. For fuck’s sake, did she really want to move to Aberdeen?

Not my business.

In the grand scheme of things, a personnel change wasn’t a total disaster, but at the moment, it bloody well felt like one.

I sighed heavily and turned to face her. “I need two months, Julia.”

“Mr. Horsham, I?—”

“I’ll double your pay and cover all moving costs. You’re invaluable and I simply can’t lose you…till summer.” I curled my lips in something I hoped resembled an encouraging gesture.

Julia opened and closed her mouth twice. “Uh, well, I…I should talk to Paul.”

“Certainly.”

“He’ll probably agree that another two months wouldn’t hurt.”

“It would be helpful,” I said absently, resisting the urge to throw more money her way and beg her to stay. “Talk to him.”

She sat up a little taller and brushed her hair from her eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Horsham. I appreciate this. I’ll get back to you tomorrow or?—”