The unexpected knock at her front door tore Alexandra's attention away from her novel. It was an impressive feat considering how absorbed she'd been in it. She'd even lost track of the time on this warm Thursday night, she noted, glancing at the clock.
Shoving an old grocery receipt in the book to save her page, Alexandra dropped it on the couch next to her and stood. Padding her way over to the window next to the door, she glanced outside to see who her visitor was.
What she saw shocked her and the young blonde pulled her door open.
"Mr. Burger!" She exclaimed at the sight of her boss's unusually disheveled appearance.
Alexandra ushered him inside and quickly realized he'd probably need help making the short trek to her couch. His breath reeked of cigarettes, which was par for the course with him, but surprisingly also alcohol.
"Ms. Mullen," he said as she guided him to the couch and helped him sit down. She moved her book to the coffee table and in the better light near the lamp she could fully take in the District Attorney's current state.
He was slow to react and his eyes were slightly red, but he was still coherent for the most part.
"I sure hope you didn't drive yourself here!" She said sternly. Inwardly, she winced. That was no way to speak to one's boss.
Burger surprised her again with his deep chuckle.
"No, Ms. Mullen. I took a cab."
"To my place instead of home?" Alexandra asked skeptically.
She helped him shrug out of his suit jacket and hung it up in the coat closet.
Burger leaned back against the couch cushions and let out a long sigh, unaware of the emotional and mental turmoil his unexpected arrival had stirred in his lovesick secretary.
"I overheard you and the other girls at lunch the other day. At the diner across from the courthouse. And Perry and I just happened to be at the same restaurant Mr. Drake took you to last night."
His speech was slow from the depressing effects of the booze, but otherwise he seemed to be communicating as well as he ever did. Blunt and to the point; and Alexandra froze mid-stride on her way to the kitchen to make him some hot tea. Her heart began pounding inside of her chest.
Mr. Burger, the man she was in love with, had seen and heard all of it. The mortification was suffocating. She'd never live it down.
"I can't figure it," he slurred, his voice full of confusion and curiosity. "If you're in love with me, why are you going out with Mr. Drake? It has been gnawing at me ever since I saw you leave with him yesterday."
Alexandra winced at that and continued her journey to the kitchen. She hadn't meant to hurt her chances with Burger, especially when her dates with Drake weren't exactly what they appeared.
"The intent wasn't to drive you to drink, Mr. Burger," she said. She meant it as a joke, but somehow it came out sounding more serious.
Quickly she filled a pot of water to boil on the stove and ventured back out to the living room.
"You've never given me a reason to think you were interested or that you would be bothered by me seeing another man," she shrugged. "I'm not a mind reader."
Burger stared up at the ceiling, pondering that.
"I can't argue with you there," he said somberly.
She sighed heavily. What was she going to do with him? He was in no condition to go home and would possibly be worse in the morning. They both had work. If they both called in that could set off the gossip mongers around the office.
"Ms. Mullen, Mr. Drake is a good man, but he rarely gets serious with a woman. You deserve someone who will settle down with you. Take care of you."
Alexandra disappeared to her bedroom for a few moments and returned with a blanket and pillow. Her couch would have to suffice for him for the night.
Not knowing whether to curse her luck or applaud it for the opportunity to showcase her homemaking skills, she helped Burger get comfortable. He had already divested himself of his tie earlier in the evening somewhere so she slipped his shoes off and set them aside while he fumbled with the buttons on his dress shirt.
Seeing he was having some difficulty, she sat next to him on the couch and reached over to help him. Their fingers touched briefly, drawing a slight gasp from Alexandra.
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment before she glanced away shyly and focused her attention on the remaining buttons. A sprinkling of stray auburn curls of chest hair peeked out from the top of the white undershirt he wore. She fought the temptation to touch.
The last buttons were on the sleeves of his dress shirt near the wrists. Burger would have to take it the rest of the way after she'd gone to bed. Seeing as they weren't married or even a couple, it would be inappropriate for her to see him any further undressed than he was now.
She wondered if Della ever looked after Mr. Mason in similar ways.
"So where's the powder room," Burger teased Alexandra with a warm, but tired smile. Evidently, he'd read the thoughts through her eyes or something. Perhaps he was the mind reader.
Returning the smile, the pretty young blonde tilted her head to her left and rose from the couch.
"Door on your left just before the bedroom. I'll pour some tea."
Disappearing into the kitchen, Alexandra finished preparing the tea. She hoped the warmth would help Burger sleep, but she was concerned about the potential hangover in the morning. She'd leave some aspirin and a glass of water on the coffee table for him before she went to bed.
Burger slowly made his way back to the living room about five minutes later and Alexandra joined him with two steaming cups of tea. She set them on the coffee table until he was settled again and then handed one to him.
He took a cautious sip that amused Alexandra since he was usually quick to dive into his coffee most days at work.
"Are you hungry?" She asked before she sat down. It was a bit late in the evening for dinner and she had already eaten, but she didn't know if he had and something in his stomach might help with all that alcohol he drank.
Burger shook his head, taking another sip.
"I ate earlier, Ms. Mullen, but thank you."
She nodded and sat back down with her own cup and tried to appear more comfortable than she felt. To have her boss in her home, especially with the way she felt about him, was a touch awkward. It didn't help that she felt pressure to present herself as the model homemaker on no notice. Fortunately for her, she kept her apartment in great shape and she'd just gone grocery shopping.
"I suppose I didn't realize what I had to lose until this week. When you left with Mr. Drake, it really hit home that he could steal you away from me. He has the money to support you if you two married so I'd lose the best damn secretary I've ever had."
He fell silent for a long moment, staring into his tea.
"He could steal your heart from me too," he finished.
He took another long sip and shook his head.
"I haven't had to think about losing a woman since my wife, Jane and baby boy were killed by a car crossing a street twenty years ago. I buried the pain in my work and haven't allowed myself to enjoy the comforts of a wife since," he said somberly.
Reaching out, Alexandra took his hand and squeezed gently. She noticed how hard he was fighting against the tears and could only imagine how lonely he'd been the last few decades. She swallowed hard at the mere thought of it and blinked back her own tears.
"If you're not careful, you could change that, Ms. Mullen."
"You can probably call me Alexandra at this point…," she suggested.
Burger let his head roll to his right against the couch cushion and reached out to brush her cheek with his fingers.
A sardonic smile tugged at Alexandra's full lips as she leaned her cheek into his palm.
"And believe me, Mr. Burger, I've tried to make a good case for myself. I've done my best to anticipate your needs and wants at work and I've always brought food in. It never seemed as if you'd noticed," she said with a hint of disappointment.
Finishing his tea, he sat up enough to set his cup back on the coffee table and then sank back against the couch.
"It has been a long time since anyone has been interested in me, Alex. I'm not as desirable as Mr. Drake or Mr. Mason. I was afraid to get my hopes up in case I misread things. But when I overheard you and the girls the other day…," he trailed off sleepily.
Standing, Alexandra helped Burger to lay down and unfolded the blanket she'd brought out, gently covering him with it.
"You need to get some sleep. We can talk more about it in the morning."
Making sure the door was locked, she turned the lamp off and retreated back to her bedroom to prepare for bed.
She was nervous and giddy, but uncertain what the morning would bring. What if it was all just the alcohol talking?