“You’ll go all that way just to meet with a client?”
William knew she had no clue what kind of clientele he dealt with. Presidents and Kings were routine on his client list. “Yes.”
“When will you be back?” She knew her voice sounded clingy, and she knew Sloane didn’t like her tone, but she couldn’t help it.
“I can’t say right now when I’ll be back. But hopefully before you begin in a couple weeks.”
Joy was already coming to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t see him for another two weeks. Which should not have even been an issue. But it was. She wanted to tell him to call her, and to do so every single night so that she’ll know he’s okay, but she knew that would be overstepping her bounds in a way that could get her fired. He didn’t want everybody knowing about their relationship. If they even had a relationship! And he certainly didn’t want to have to check in with her every night. They exchanged another glance. She knew she looked confused to William.
She looked outright depressed to William. Which he knew he should have expected when he went too far with her earlier that morning. She probably wanted to go with him. And a part of him wanted to take her with him. But she’d be stuck in a hotel room all by herself probably for all day and most of the night when she’d be better off going back to Indiana to wrap up her life there. She had enough on her plate than for him to add his baggage too.
But he was going to miss her. He even found himself looking her up and down. Remembering every inch of her. He wanted to kiss her and hold her. He wanted to tell her not to worry and that they’ll be back together before she knew it. But would they? Was that what he truly wanted? To be saddled with somebody seventeen years his junior? Was that what he needed? Was that whatsheneeded? And why would he make her his assistant? To protect her until he could get Skeffington’s lack of diversity problem in order, he thought was the reason. But was it more to it than that?
A distressed look came over his face. He couldn’t answer any of those questions. “Behave yourself while I’m gone,” he said to her.
She smiled, but he could still see the sadness beneath her smile. “I’ll try.”
“Do better than try.”
She nodded. “Yes sir.”
Joy could see Sloane glancing at her wristwatch as if they were running late. But William and Joy continued to remain as they were. As if they didn’t want to part ways for a second, let alone for what could be weeks. And that reality concerned them both.
“Miss Johnson?”
Joy heard a familiar male’s voice suddenly beside her. When she looked and saw that it was Cory, she smiled. “I thought they were going to put you in the junior executive program?”
“I’m in it. But my class doesn’t start until Monday.”
“But what are you doing here?”
“Mr. Skeffington told me to drive you to his house.”
What? Why? Joy was confused. She looked at William.
“He was kind to you when you needed kindness. I trust the young man will continue to be kind to you.”
“I will, sir,” Cory said forcefully. “And thank you again for helping me get into that program.”
William gave a smile. He liked Cory. “He’s going to take you to my house so that you can pick out one of my cars to drive,” he said to Joy.
Sloane almost dropped her iPad when she heard that. He was going towhat? She could not believe the generosity William was showing to that woman. It was so unlike him that she could hardly believe it on any level.
But she wasn’t the only one thrown. Joy was thrown too. “You want me to go toyourhouse and pick out one ofyourcars formeto drive?”
“You don’t have one, correct?”
“I had one. But it broke down.”
They all seemed to wait for her to further explain, but that was the full story. When a car broke down in her neck of the woods, getting it back on the road was a major undertaking. She’d been without wheels for nearly four months.
William continued talking. “You’ll need wheels to bring your things back to Chicago, and to get around in general. So pick one. I have several. But pick one.”
“Yes sir. And thank you so much, sir.”
William placed his hand on the window button. Then he added “Behave,” as he pressed up his window.
Which floored Joy even more. Why would he keep telling her to behave? Was it because of Bobby? Did he truly think she was going to hop out of bed with him and then hop in bed with Bobby Latham? That was crazy to her.
