The Relationship Business

Author's Note: Here is my Valentine's Day story, better late than never. This is a sequel to

Unexpected Gifts

, although it stands on its own. Many thanks to my beta readers. Please vote and send feedback!

=============================================

The Relationship Business

© 2010 All Rights Reserved

January 6

"Sir, I'm flattered, but...I really don't know if I'm right for this position." Val squirmed in his seat and resisted the urge to run a hand through his hair.

"Oh, don't worry, Val." Mr. K gave him a reassuring smile. "I think you'll be great."

"I'd hate to leave you in the lurch, though."

"You won't." The older man shook his head. "The rush is over so we can all take it easy for a while. I admit, this means you don't get much of a vacation, since your busy day is less than two months off, but I think you're up to it. As for next year, we have a lot of time to prepare and you could probably come back if we needed you."

Val was silent for a minute. He had to be honest. "Sir, in all seriousness, I think I'm completely

wrong

for this. Things with Halley should prove that."

Mr. K chuckled but not without sympathy. "I am sorry about that. On the other hand, you and Vicki handled things all right."

Val flushed with embarrassment. "You knew? About me and Vicki?"

Now his boss gave a deep belly laugh. "Oh, Val, my boy. Remember who you're talking to. Naughty, indeed." He chuckled some more and stroked his white beard.

"Ah." Val cleared his throat. "Yes, I, um..." He tried to get himself together. "But again, sir, I'd think that just shows that anything dealing with relationships is not my strong point."

"We often don't know our strong points until we're tested on the weak ones." Mr. K was still smiling, but his tone was businesslike. "I can't force you, of course, and I admit I hate to break up my team. On the other hand, it might do you and Halley a bit of good to, ah, have a little space."

Like a galaxy's worth,

Val thought. "I know. Sorry."

"Plus," his boss—soon to be ex-boss, Val realized—continued, "we really are in a bind. Cathe had to leave suddenly and there's not much time to find a replacement. Look, why don't you just try it this one time? Get us through to the end of February, then we can evaluate everything. If you don't like it, perhaps you can just hold the fort until we find someone else."

Val made one last attempt. "What about Don? He and Jeanette are doing great; they're so much better at the love thing than I am."

"Sorry." Mr. K shook his head. "Don and Jeanette are going on their honeymoon. We need someone to start now. Like I said, I realize it means a shortened vacation for you. I have to say, Val, I'd consider it a personal favor."

Val sighed. How could he say no? "Sure, sir."

x-x-x-x

"You?" Halley gaped. "They picked

you?

"

"Yeah. They did. Mr. K asked me himself." Val tried to stay calm as he packed his stuff.

"Amazing." She shook her head, her hair drifting in dark waves around her shoulders. "This is like putting a dog in charge of building a rocket ship. What the hell do you know about love?"

"I know plenty." He flashed her a cocky grin to hide his hurt. "I must or they wouldn't have asked me."

Halley snorted. "You know about lust, not love. Two completely different things."

"But not unrelated," he countered. He threw the last few items in his bag and yanked on the zipper, so anxious to leave that he broke it. Muttering in frustration, he turned to Halley and took a deep breath. "Look, I know what you think happened, but..."

"What I

think

happened?" Halley's face was a mix of incredulity and hurt. "You couldn't stay with me for three months! I hang out with the girls for a day and come back to find you rolling in the loft with the seasonal help!"

Val flushed. There had been no excuse for that when it happened, but she'd misunderstood and had never let him explain. "Halley..."

"Bye, Val." She turned and took a step toward the door. "Good luck. I'll be curious to see who replaces you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He spoke to the empty space where she'd been standing.

Maybe she's right. Maybe anyone else but me should do this.

He sighed and shouldered his bag.

"Hey, Val!"

He turned to see Don jogging up to him, Jeanette a few steps behind. She smiled and waved; Val waved back.

"Hey, congratulations!" Don grinned at him. "Off already?"

"Yep." Val nodded. "Figured there was no sense in putting it off, and from what I've heard, the new place is already under the gun."

"I can't believe you're going to be the boss over there." Don shook his head. "Weren't you always the one who said you didn't want to be the boss, so there was someone else to blame when things went wrong?"

"Well, things change." Val shrugged. "I could do with a change of scenery and, hey, it can't hurt to try being in charge for a while. Might be nice to have people call me 'sir' for a change."

"Hi, Val." Jeanette came up and Don's arm snaked around her shoulders. Val wondered if Don even knew he'd done it.

"Hi, cutie." Val winked and Jeanette just shook her head.

"You're an incorrigible flirt," she informed him.

"With ladies as pretty as you, who can blame me?"

Jeanette

was

pretty, he had to admit, if not his type. Then again, he thought, he'd never locked himself down to any one "type." He'd thought that Halley might have been his final type but it appeared he'd been wrong about that.

"She's mine, Val." Don hugged Jeanette closer. "Flirt all you want, it doesn't bother me."

"Well, then it's no fun." Val shook his head in mock disappointment.

"So, you're really going into the relationship business?" Jeanette cocked her head. "It could get messy."

"No, it's relationships that are messy, not business," Val corrected. "I'm just there to help, you know; keep the mess to a minimum, I guess. Besides, I'm probably just a temp when it gets down to it. Mr. K said they need someone now, so I don't mind helping out, but after the rush they'll get down to hiring someone else."

"Well, good luck, Val." Jeanette pushed her blonde hair back behind her ears and stepped up to give him a hug. "I'm sure you'll do great."

"I'm sure I will, too." Val reached down to give Jeanette's tush a friendly squeeze, but she was wise to him and slapped his hand away. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he said with a sigh.

"Take it easy, Val." Don stuck out a hand and Val took it, amazed at Don's confidence. He wasn't fazed in the least at Val making his moves on Jeanette. After he shook Don's hand and watched them walk away, he made a mental note to keep in touch with them. They were the most stable couple he knew, and might be a good place to start if he had any questions.

What's to question?

he asked himself with a scoff.

You just get two compatible people in a room, sprinkle a little pixie dust or something, and then it all falls into place. All this stuff about 'romance;' it's overrated.

x-x-x-x

January 7

Val walked into the office and stared. "Whoa."

He wasn't sure what he'd expected. Lots of pink hearts, maybe. Or lace. Or teddy bears. His predecessor had been a woman, after all, so he thought there might be a more feminine touch to things. He couldn't have been more wrong.

There was a large, semi-circular desk, on which sat three computer terminals. The wall to his right was a huge screen made up of smaller screens and reminded Val of the briefing wall in

Leverage

. Behind the desk the wall was floor-to-ceiling smoked glass. The wall to his left and the wall behind him were a deep, cherry red wood. A plush carpet the color of dark wine covered the floor. The formality of the room made him self-conscious; he was in jeans and a black dress shirt and wondered if he should have worn a tie.

"Oh, my goodness, you're early, sir! I'm so sorry, we're nearly ready for you but not quite."

Val jumped, turned around and found himself face-to-face...well, chest-to-face with a bright-eyed woman with red-blonde hair and a cheerful, heart-shaped face.

"Oh, it's fine. I, ah...I didn't..."

Way to make a forceful, boss-type impression,

Val thought.

"I know it's a bit confusing at first. My name is Tina, sir. I'll be your personal assistant, at least to start. If you find you'd rather work with someone else, well, that's fine, but I thought we should keep things running as close to usual as possible."

"Absolutely." Val was lost already. "I mean, yes. I know this is short notice so it's probably best if we don't introduce too many changes."

Tina beamed. "Excellent, sir. Come, let me show you your desk. The system is simple once you know it but it can seem tricky when you first start."

Val followed as Tina took brisk steps across the carpet. He wondered that she didn't sink into it in her heels, soft as it was. He was feeling better, though; he could handle computers. He wasn't as good as Blix, but if someone could walk him through it, and he wrote a few notes, he was sure he'd pick it up soon enough.

"So," he asked, "how long have you been here?"

She laughed, a cheery sound that Val decided was pleasant enough, and fitting for the operation. "I'm not sure I could count that long." Tina gestured to the chair and Val sat down, feeling like he was in someone else's place. "It seems like I've never done anything else."

"You must know it all, then." Val smiled at her and she blushed. "Now I know where to go when I have questions." He felt more comfortable, with a woman to flirt with. He eased back in the chair. "How does this puppy work?"

"I can just get you started with the basics." Tina hit the power button on each of the three machines in efficient sequence. Monitors flashed on and Val chuckled to himself at the hearts and flowers that danced across the screen. "For more detail, you'll need to talk to Chac."

"Jacques?"

"No,

Chac

." She pronounced it like

shock

. She glanced at her watch. "He should be here soon, he's quite punctual. Now, what we have here is really just a spreadsheet."

Val's confidence seeped away as Tina outlined the "basics" of their system. He was lost after the first two minutes. He'd thought it was just a matter of finding people with things in common and making sure they got together. Maybe a nudge here or there to make sure they did, in fact, speak to each other to get things rolling.

He'd been sorely mistaken, Val realized. It was much more complicated than that, and as he had when Mr. K had first suggested the job, Val felt underqualified to an extreme degree.

Tina must have sensed it, and laughed again. "Oh, sir, please don't be so worried. Everyone has that look on their face when they first see this." She paused and looked serious for a moment. "Now, sir, if I may...well, you don't have much background in this area, do you?"

Val's defenses kicked in on instinct. "I may not have been involved in this exact type of operation, but..." He groped for words. "I do have experience in making people happy, and that's what this is really all about, isn't it?"

She considered before replying. "Well, I suppose that's one way of looking at it." There was a sharp rap on the door. "Oh, that will be Chac." There was another rap.

"Sir, I believe..." Tina cleared her throat and Val looked at her. "It is your office, sir."

"What?" Val blinked. "Oh, right. Right." He raised his voice. "Come in, please." He gave Tina one of his best looks, mixing some sheepishness in with a sexy smile. "Sorry. Still getting used to being in charge."

Tina nodded, unaffected. "Of course, sir."

Val mused for a moment on whether he wanted to risk another workplace romance, but snapped out of it as a dark-skinned man in a flawlessly tailored suit approached. He held a leather folder and when they shook hands, Val found the slender fingers belied the strength of the man's hands.

"Hello, sir. I am Chac. I look forward to assisting you."

"Nice to meet you, Chac." Val was careful to imitate the man's pronunciation. "I'm...you can call me Val."

"

Si

, sir." Chac gave a brief nod.

Val gave him a puzzled look. "No, I mean, call me 'Val' instead of 'sir.'"

Chac looked so appalled Val had to bite back a laugh. The man gave himself a slight shake as though to right himself. "I don't believe that would be appropriate, sir."

"Oh, Chac, would you relax for once?" Tina sighed and turned an apologetic face to Val. "Your predecessor, Miss Cathe, she was more formal, sir. Val. It will take some time to change the atmosphere."

"Let's get started, then." Val gave Tina a wink and a grin that he hoped communicated more confidence than he felt. "Not much time until the big day."

x-x-x-x

January 10

Halley brooded over a cup of coffee while Vicki and Jeanette kept her company.

"I can't

believe

it." Halley shook her head. "How could they put him in charge of that? The man knows nothing about love, unless it's 'love 'em and leave 'em.'"

"Could be worse." Vicki flicked her hair back and sipped her double cappuccino. "They could have put Blix in charge."

"Blix?" Jeanette laughed and Halley had to join in. "Oh, no, I don't think so. He's too shy."

"Shy?" Vicky cocked her head. "You think Blix is shy?"

Jeannette looked puzzled. "Sure. Don't you think so?"

Vicky and Halley exchanged a look. "We've worked with him for a while," Halley said. "We tend to think he's pretty anti-social. Don't get me wrong, he's a great worker and all. He'd just rather type on a computer than talk to a person."

"I don't know. I've talked to him. He's sweet." Jeanette tapped a finger on her cup.

Halley let out a low whistle. "You've talked to him? Wow. He usually freezes up talking to women, including us, and we've known him for ages."

"Well, anyway," Vicki interjected, "it all just goes to show that yes, there are worse choices than Val for the job."

"Maybe." Halley's expression darkened again. "I'm still not convinced."

This time Jeanette and Vicki traded glances. "He's not such a bad guy," Jeanette offered. She felt like she was on thin ice; she hadn't known them all that long and didn't mean to be giving opinions where she shouldn't. She wondered, though, if maybe she had a different perspective than the rest of them, since she

was

new.

"I never said he was a bad guy," Halley pointed out. "It's just...I don't see, after the way he's been, that they can put him in charge of all this stuff. I was his longest relationship and we didn't last three months! How is someone like that supposed to bring people together, and keep them together?"

"Maybe this is sort of a test," Vicky suggested. "Maybe they're trying to see what he really thinks. I mean, guys play the field for lots of different reasons. Could be Val's so used to it he doesn't see any other way. This might open his eyes."

Halley nodded, her expression glum, and stared at her now-cold coffee. "I guess. Not that it's any good now."

They were quiet for a moment and then Jeanette reached to change the subject. "Have you heard about Martha and Toni? They're thinking of opening a dancing school. Wouldn't that be fun? I've always wanted to learn ballroom dancing."

Halley perked up at that, and the three chatted for a few more minutes before Halley said she had to go. She walked off and Vicki and Jeanette stared after her.

Vicki sighed. "She has it bad."

Jeanette nodded. "Looks like it. So...what happened? Between her and Val, I mean?"

"Well." Vicki puffed out a breath and tapped a long red fingernail on her lip as she thought about her answer.

At first, Jeanette had been intimidated by Vicki. The taller woman wore her light brown hair in a chic bob, with edges so straight they looked like they might cut you if you touched them. She had a model-perfect face, with high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes, and walked with a regal air. Jeanette had been polite, but it hadn't taken long for Vicki's mischievous nature to come through, and since then the two women had grown close.

"Halley was surprised when Val went for her," Vicki said. "I mean, you know how Val is—he flirts with everyone, so of course he'd flirted with Halley. She didn't care for it. She was professional, always, but was careful to keep a distance. Then I don't know what changed, but Val went after her in a serious way right around when Don met you."

"So he liked her? For real?" Jeanette was curious.

"He likes us all 'for real,' but I know what you mean." Vicki laughed. "Yes, I think he liked her in a serious way. She took a chance, and Halley hardly ever takes chances. Like, once every seventy-some years she'll take a chance. It looked like it might work, too."

"But it didn't," Jeanette observed.

"No, unfortunately, it didn't." Vicki sighed. "It didn't last very long at all. About three months. We all put in a tough week, and went on vacation—they even went together—and it seemed good when we got back. Then one day, she walked in on Val and this woman and...it wasn't pretty."

"That's too bad."

"It is, and the worst part is, Halley's still got it for him." Vicki shook her head.

"I thought so." Jeanette gave a rueful smile. "But I wasn't sure if I was reading things correctly so I just kept my mouth shut."

"A wise policy. You'll go far." Vicki chuckled. "See, Val and I had a thing a while ago, but it was okay. We both knew it was just fun. It's tough on Halley because like I said, she still cares for him. She's not a 'fun' kind of woman when it comes to things like that. And if he wasn't such a jerk, he'd admit he cares for her, too."

"It did seem like he was in a hurry to get out of here."

"A sure sign of guilt where Val's concerned. If he feels guilty, or apologetic, he am-scrays at the first opportunity. He

will

apologize, or make it right, when he's ready, but that can take a while. So he leaves."

"Wow." Jeanette laughed. "He must have had truckloads of guilt if he took that job."

"Yeah." Vicki sighed. "Makes me wonder if we'll be waiting for the apology this time next year."

x-x-x-x

January 11

Val was starting to panic. He had been fighting a desire to make any excuse under the sun not to come in the office, but since he was the boss, he couldn't do that.

I've only been here three days!

He took a deep breath. Delegate. He'd have to delegate. In fact, he could start that today. Val felt the panic recede.

He turned back to the mirror and combed his hair. It was dark and curly, like his mother's, and he'd learned that women liked that kind-of-messy look with hair like his. Halley had, he recalled. She had

loved

running her fingers through his hair, and he had to admit, he'd liked it. He frowned.

He had liked it when Halley did it, but the odd thing was, he'd never cared much before that. Sure, women had teased and complimented him on his hair, had played with it and run their hands through. He'd let them do it for the attention, and for the fun they seemed to have. Only with Halley had

he

enjoyed it as well.

There was a beep at his waist and he pulled the phone out. Tina had given it to him, saying it was the easiest way to keep in touch. And boy, did she keep in touch. Val didn't think so much as fifteen minutes had passed since he'd arrived that she hadn't sent him a message. He poked at the buttons and found her text:

Exec staff mtg in 30 m. Pls be prompt.

Val nodded, impressed with her efficiency. After one last look in the mirror, he decided he was ready.

Ready as I'll ever be.

He found his way to the office with no problem today using the tunnels, and was pleased. His quarters were in the same complex as the office and he could walk outside, or through the underground tunnel system. Or as he thought of it, The Labyrinth. Tina had taken him through it, and confident in his abilities he'd used it the next morning, and had promptly gotten lost.