311 Pelican Court - Debbie Macomber [83]
Allison glared defiantly in Cecilia’s direction.
Cecilia ignored the dirty look and smiled warmly at his daughter.
“I’ve offered Allison the job as your assistant, Ms. Randall,” he said, doing his best to ignore his daughter’s attitude. “I want you to treat her exactly as you would any other part-time employee.”
“I don’t want any favors,” Allison announced.
Cecilia nodded. “That’s good because it wouldn’t be fair to the others if I treated you any differently.”
Zach didn’t know if handing his problem child over to his assistant was going to work. Cecilia was a new employee herself. She’d fit in nicely with the staff and done an impressive job thus far. But he wasn’t sure she was up to dealing with his rebellious, angry teenager. No one could take Allison’s attitude for long, and he felt guilty about thrusting her on an unsuspecting employee.
“In other words, I have to do what she says,” Allison muttered with a disparaging glance at Cecilia.
“Only if you want to keep the job,” Zach returned, letting Cecilia know she had firing privileges. If Allison pulled any more stunts like the ones she had this afternoon, he wouldn’t be able to keep her around.
“Is that agreeable?” he asked Cecilia.
His assistant nodded.
“Allison?”
His daughter shrugged. “Whatever.”
The two left his office, and despite a vague sense of guilt, Zach was glad to shift the responsibility elsewhere. The door started to close but not before he heard Allison taunt his assistant.
“You can fire me if you want, Ms. Randall, but remember, my dad is the one who signs your paycheck.”
Zach shut his eyes and prayed for patience.
The first week was the worst. By the middle of the month, however, Zach noticed several small changes in Allison, beginning with her timely arrival at work. And while she wasn’t going to receive any fashion awards, she wore jeans and a respectable-looking sweatshirt. He was tempted to say something when he saw her, but knew it would be a mistake to call attention to the improvement in her attire.
“Would you like me to start making copies of the completed income tax forms?” Zach heard Allison ask Cecilia as he walked out of his office. His daughter completely ignored him, but he was accustomed to that.
“Please,” Cecilia told her. “I’ve got a stack halfway to the ceiling.”
“I’ll get on it right away.” Moving quickly and efficiently, Allison hauled the first stack of files to the copy machine.
If Zach didn’t know better, he’d think… Why, it sounded as though Allison was eager to work. She actually seemed enthusiastic about her job.
Rosie noticed a change in Allison, too, and mentioned it when he saw her one Sunday afternoon toward the end of January. “What happened?” she asked, astonished.
“I wish I knew,” Zach murmured. Allison continued to display plenty of attitude at home, but some of the more pressing problems seemed to have abated. Her boyfriend, Ryan Wilson, had apparently vanished. Zach hadn’t seen the boy in weeks, for which he was profoundly grateful. Allison’s questionable new friends hadn’t been around all month, either. To top everything off, her geometry teacher phoned and commented on a noticeable improvement in her grades and attitude.
“I guess earning the money to buy her own computer is exactly what Allison needed.” Rosie relaxed, leaning against the kitchen counter. “You know what? I think what you did is absolutely inspired.”
His ex-wife’s praise felt good, especially after all the tension between them in recent months. However, Zach wasn’t comfortable accepting it. “I suspect we both have someone else to thank for the changes in Allison—someone at the office. Let me find out.”
“All right.” Rosie was just as eager to learn who or what had brought about the change in Allison.
Zach knew the person to ask. Early the next morning, he called Cecilia Randall into his office. Tax season was starting and soon he’d be overwhelmed.
“Can you sit down a moment?” Zach said, gesturing her in.
“Of course.” Cecilia slipped into the chair across from his desk.
“I’d like a progress