BECOMING MRS. ABERNATHY (SAMPLE)

Prologue

"Is Olivia Spencer here?"

Mary leaned across the desk and pressed the intercom button. "Yes, sir." she replied.

"Send her in, please."

"Yes, sir." Mary smiled at Olivia. "Mr. Abernathy is ready for you. You may go in."

Her stomach clenching from nerves, Olivia gathered her things and stood. She smoothed out her skirt, took a deep breath, and crossed the room.

"Good luck," Mary said.

"Thank you," Olivia croaked.

"Relax, dear. Mr. Abernathy is a kind man, very personable." She winked. "And easy on the eyes too."

Olivia smiled at the older woman. Taking another deep breath, she opened the door and stepped into the office. The man sitting behind the large desk pushed back his chair and stood.

Her breath caught in her throat. With broad shoulders, hair as black as coal and eyes the color of milk chocolate, Zach Abernathy was one of the handsomest men she had ever laid eyes on.

"Miss. Spencer," he said, gesturing to the chair in front of the desk. "Please have a seat."

His voice slid over her like warm honey. On shaky legs, Olivia moved toward him. She offered him her hand and he clasped it firmly yet gently. A tingling sensation shot up her arm. She held in a gasp, her gaze meeting his.

Zach gazed into her bright green eyes. The sudden spark of electricity between them threw him for a loop. It had been a long time since he had felt like this. He released her hand and forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Please sit," he said.

"Here is my resume." Olivia handed him the folder and sat down. She dropped her handbag on the floor beside the chair and crossed her legs. "May I ask why your secretary is leaving you?"

"The company her husband is working for is transferring him to their branch in Salt Lake City." Zach opened the folder and found a few black hairs stuck in the crease of the folder. He brushed them away.

"Sorry about that." Olivia grimaced. "I have a cat. He's not happy until everything is covered in fur."

Zach smiled and assured her it was fine. He glanced over her resume, liking what he was seeing. "Tell me. How does your previous experience relate to this job?"

"My previous role as an administrative assistant involved similar responsibilities," Olivia said, tucking a lock of dark brown hair behind her ear. "Some examples are I managed schedules, handled communications, and coordinated meetings. I believe those experiences prepared me well for the role of a secretary."

Zach took her through a series of questions he had asked the previous two candidates, jotting down notes in the process. He found Olivia articulate and knowledgeable.

"Final question," Zach said, nearly an hour later. "What advice would you give to your previous boss if you could?"

Olivia gave the question some thought and then said, "My previous boss is a workaholic. I would tell him to take time for family, that there is more to life than making money."

"Thank you, Miss. Spencer." Zach got to his feet and Olivia quickly followed suit. "I will be in touch." He walked around the desk. "Let me walk you out."

"Thank you," Olivia said.

Zach escorted her to the reception room, where his secretary was fussing with a stack of paper. "What's wrong, Mary?"

She sighed softly. "The paper is jamming in the printer again."

"Does it happen often?" Olivia inquired.

"Lately, yes," Mary replied.

Olivia placed her purse on the corner of the desk. "Sometimes the problem is the paper itself. Are you loading the paper correctly?"

"Of course," Mary responded.

"Maybe the paper isn't compatible with the printer," Olivia said. "Your printer's manual will tell you what kind of paper you should use."

"Let me grab the manual." Mary hurried into the room behind her.

"What makes you think it's the paper?" Zach asked.

"My printer at home was jamming the paper," Olivia said. "I couldn't figure out why it was happening, so I called technical support. They walked me through some tests. We discovered I was using the wrong paper. That might not be the problem here, but it's an easy thing to check."

Mary returned with the manual in one hand and an empty box that once contained printer paper in the other hand. "It's the wrong paper," she said, frowning. "I know I ordered the right paper."

"I believe you," Zach said. "Call Hank and bring this to his attention. This is the second time he has gotten an order wrong."

"Yes, sir." Mary beamed at Olivia. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome."

"Yes, thank you," Zach said. "As I said, I will be in touch."

Olivia seized her handbag from the desk and took her leave.

Mary looked up from the phone and said to her boss, "Hire that girl."

Zach grinned and went back to his office.  

A/N: Welcome to my new story. I appreciate your support. I promise I won't put this on hold like I did the last one. I intend to see this story through to the end. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the prologue. :)