Page 30 of Texas Made
“So far. You know how that goes.”
“When are you going to get some help?”
“Next week. I just hired an assistant.”
“Good. You need one. Come up to the house and I’ll get us a beer.”
“Sounds good. Nice to meet you, Jaclyn. Bye, Damaris.”
“Can I ask you something?” Jaclyn said to Damaris after Marshall and the vet had left.
“Sure.” Not looking up from her notebook, she continued checking the feed to see what she needed to order.
“Have you ever dated Jason?”
She looked up. “Me and Jason? Sure. A long time ago.”
“He seems like someone you’d get along with.”
“I do. Just like I get along with Nate. As friends.”
“It seems like a waste. Two good-looking single men and the only interest I’ve seen is you trying to set Nate up on dates.”
“Nate’s determined to be hopeless in that department. I set him up with Ella, did you know?”
“Ella? Chase’s fiancée?”
“Yep. Obviously, that didn’t work out either.”
“Maybe he’s holding out for you.”
“Me? Me and Nate? I don’t think so. Nate doesn’t think about me that way.”
“What about you?”
“Why would I set him up with other women if I wanted him for myself?”
“Good point.” Kind of. But Jaclyn had noticed before that Damaris was good at avoiding entanglements. It made sense, given her history with the philanderer, which Jaclyn was almost sure no one else knew about. But Lord, that was years ago now.
“I’m going to Dallas tomorrow. Problems at work. I’ll give Marshall a call when I know when I’ll be back.”
“Good. You scared me for a minute there. I was afraid you were leaving for good.”
“No, not yet. But you know, Damaris, I have to leave sometime.”
“I know. But I like having you here. It’s been fun getting to see you again for more than a day or two.”
She’d enjoyed being in Whiskey River too. Way too much. So much, in fact, that she almost didn’t want to go back to Dallas.
Chapter Twelve
Jaclyn arrived inDallas about midday on Saturday. She booked a room at a hotel near the company complex, since it was more convenient than staying with Rachel. According to Rachel, work had been mostly business as usual. It was too soon to tell if Rachel’s call on firing the supplier had been a great idea or a terrible mistake or, more likely, something in between. But so far things were going well.
Still, Jaclyn intended to have a long talk with Rachel about her role in the company and how much autonomy she should have going forward. She got the feeling that Rachel was ready for more responsibility and, in fact, was chafing at not being able to do what she thought best without running everything by Jaclyn. Case in point, firing the supplier and hiring another.
There was a problem with having your best friend also be your COO. Jaclyn and Rachel didn’t have a typical employer/employee relationship. Rachel was indispensable. Jaclyn respected her opinion. Even if she didn’t agree, she always gave credence to what Rachel said. Even before she’d gone to Whiskey River, Jaclyn had thought about offering Rachel a partnership in the company. Part of her wanted to. But was she ready to give up ultimate control of the company? It might be better for her if she did. Sometimes she wondered if she wasn’t too comfortable and set in her ways. Rachel certainly wasn’t.
Jaclyn walked into Rachel’s office around one. Rachel looked much as she always did. Short, dark hair cut in a messy pixie, dressed in her weekend standard attire of jeans and a T-shirt. During the week she wore slacks, a nice shirt, and comfy flats. If she was meeting clients she dressed to kill in a designer knock-off and heels.
