I nodded. I had the strongest urge to laugh, but fear kept me from it.
“Now, don’t you worry about a thing. Take the rest of the week off. And don’t concern yourself about money. I’ll see to it that you get hardship pay.”
“Oh! I couldn’t. I mean, that—that’s not necessary.”
He patted my shoulder, then pulled his hand back, as if he was unsure if he should touch me. He was endearingly awkward. “That’s all right. We take care of our own around here.”
Guilt stabbed me. “Really, you don’t need...”
“It’s our policy.” He made a shooing motion with his hands. “Now go. And don’t worry about a thing here.”
I nodded, gathered up my coat and purse, and left the building in a numb daze. As I climbed on the streetcar, the numbness gave way to a bizarre combination of delight and outrage. I’d never known a man like Joe—so take-charge, so willful, so forceful. How masculine, how movie-star-ish, how thrilling!
Yet, on the other hand, howdarehe? He was playing fast and loose with my career, making decisions that weren’t his to make.
It was as if he’d staked a claim on me. As if I belonged to him.
A shiver of excitement spun up my spine. The idea of belonging to Joe, of Joe belonging to me... well, it positively bewitched me. At the same time, it scared me to death.
Which took me back full circle to outrage. Howdarehe? Just who did he think he was?
Joe was leaning on the lamppost at the intersection of St. Charles Avenue and Jackson when the streetcar clanged to a stop. I climbed down the wooden stairs behind a matron with a cane, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat, attraction buzzing through me like a hive of bees. He stepped toward me as if he was going to hug me, but his smile punched my anger button. I pushedhim hard on the chest with both hands. “That was awfully presumptuous of you.”
He gave me a crooked grin. “I wanted to see you.”
“So you concocted a cockamamie story and lied to my boss?”
He lifted his shoulders. “You could have told him I wasn’t your cousin—that I was just a cheeky soldier trying to get you to play hooky with him.”
Oh Lordy—he was right. I stared at him, mentally smacking my palm to my forehead, feeling like the worst kind of fool. I had to turn away from him to collect myself.
The thought of not playing along hadn’t even occurred to me. I’d been over my head before I even knew I was in hot water. I whipped back around. “I can’t believe I let you put me in this situation! I’ve not only misled my boss and skipped work, but there will be unending repercussions to this. I’m going to have to tell all kinds of lies and answer all kinds of questions when I go back, and—”
“No, you won’t,” he cut in. “I told Thomas you’re a very private person and you won’t want to talk about it, and that no one should send sympathy cards or flowers.”
“Still, I’ll have to say something. People will ask about me about the funeral.”
“So we’ll attend one.” He pulled a newspaper clipping out of his pocket. It was the obituary of an elderly man in Mississippi who would be buried this afternoon.
“Who’s this?”
“Uncle Leo, of course.”
“Your uncle?”
“No, but you can bet he’s somebody’s.” He grinned. “We’ll go to his funeral—it’s on the way to my friend’s fishing camp—and then you’ll be absolutely honest in talking about it.”
I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. This was beyond presumptuous. It was flat-out insane. “Are you out of yourmind?”
“No. I’m completely in it. I happen to be one of the few people in this world who is.”
“Now you’re not even making sense.”
“Most folks don’t have a clue what they really want. I do.”
And, apparently, he wanted me. The thought sent chill bumps coursing down my arm.
“I can’t just go away to a fishing camp in Mississippi with you.”
