Temporary Intrigue by Judy Huston Page B

she added, unreasonably pleased again to be able to score up a brownie point or two for her brother.
    Before Josh could comment, his desk phone rang. He had a short conversation and hung up.
    “Gail’s meeting me downstairs,” he said.
    “Thanks for your email by the way and for offering to help with the car,” Dimity said quickly, feeling an annoying blush creep up her face. “I was going to reply on Thursday night but then the accident happened.”
    He raised a quizzical eyebrow.
    “What were you going to say?”
    Dimity felt the blush intensify. There was no way he could fail to see it.
    “I hadn’t actually decided,” she said at last, taking truth as the best option even if he found it insulting.
    But he didn’t seem insulted. He continued to look at her with a slight smile in his eyes that she found decidedly disconcerting before she managed to detach her gaze and make her way back to her desk.
    The sting of knowing he was going to meet Gail was eased considerably by his murmured “Don’t forget tomorrow” on his way out.
    Hooking earphones around her head, she set to work on Melissa’s dictation, still rather dazed. She had arrived at work feeling like something the cat had dragged in, with no hope at all that she would ever see Josh again. Within half an hour she had found herself looking forward to virtually living in his pocket for the next three weeks, with the added bonus of a lunch date lined up for tomorrow.
    “Of course it’s not really a date,” she said, when she called in at Sandra’s salon for a chat at lunchtime.
    “What else would it be?” demanded Sandra.
    “Business. A chance to talk about, you know, office things.”
    “Ho!” The derisive emphasis of Sandra’s retort made up for its lack of eloquence.
    By noon the next day it was difficult to see how Josh would manage to find time for even a sandwich at his desk, let alone the leisurely harbourside lunch Dimity had been envisioning. When he wasn’t at pre-convention meetings, he was dealing with the business flowing through from his Sydney office, which in turn resulted in more than enough work for Dimity. In between typing, filing, emailing and faxing, she answered his phone and left a series of messages on yellow post-it notes on his otherwise immaculate desk.
    Her own desk soon gave up the battle. While she worked, the mess piled up around her, causing Josh to do an involuntary double-take when he returned to make a few phone calls.
    “You’ll need a degree in archaeology to find anything there,” he commented, grinning.
    “I’ve heard a messy desk is a sign of a sophisticated mind,” she shot back, and heard him chuckle as he kept going.
    She was surprised at how comfortable she already felt with him. The strain of their parting after his spat with Shane seemed a thing of the past. Her heart continued to jump in a way she quite enjoyed when she saw him, but she was now managing to talk to him and be with him without feeling the need to call for oxygen every few minutes.
    He seemed equally at ease with her. Even her scatty work habits didn’t appear to faze him. While Gail’s tendency to hang over her like a vulture, tapping her foot, unnerved her and caused her to make even more than her usual number of mistakes, Josh didn’t seem to notice her slow typing rate or to mind waiting while she unearthed vital documents from the mountain of mess on her desk.
    During the morning she even remembered to visit Malcolm in his office to ask about the catering for the reception. He was in a surly mood, which at least meant he didn’t try to waste time flirting with her.
    “I’ll arrange the drinks,” he said. “But we can’t fit the catering in. You should have organised it three weeks ago.”
    “I wasn’t working here then,” Dimity reminded him. “Can you recommend anyone?”
    He scribbled down a few names. Returning to her desk she managed to book a caterer after only two phone calls. Pleased with her efforts she