But she realized just how little he knew of her. Maybe he thought, because she consented to him before-day that morning, that she was loose like that. Which only made her feel worse about what happened that morning as she watched his Mercedes drive him away from her. She also noticed that the SUV filled with executives drove off behind him. Whatever client he had to meet with in England was apparently a big damn deal.
But Cory wasn’t even watching any cars drive away. He was watching Joy and grinning. “Wow,” he said.
Joy looked at him. “Wow what?”
“You must be a very special lady to that man.”
Joy’s heart dropped. Did she have a scarlet letter on her forehead now? “Why would you say something like that, Cory?”
“Because,” he said as if it was obvious. “For Mr. Skeffington to let you drive one of his fancy cars, and for you to pick out which one you want is stupid insane, Joy. I always thought of him as this super-mean, super-stern man that kind of hated everybody.” He grinned. “But he don’t hate you. That’s for double-clap, snap-and-snap damn sure!”
Although Cory was being his upbeat self, Joy didn’t know how to feel. Was everybody she worked with going to think she was somebody “special” too? Were they going to think she was sleeping her way to the top?
She knew it wasn’t true. She wasn’t that kind of person, first and foremost, and William had already offered her a job before they got together that way anyway. They could gossip all they wanted. She knew the truth.
But the fact that William treated her differently and everybody in that building would soon know about it wasn’t something she knew how to process. She was used to gossip. At Maylene’s her coworkers told lies about her all the time. But for a man like William, a man she actually cared about, to treat her like she was something very special to him did warm her heart. And confuse it too. She didn’t know if his obvious interest was something to be proud of, or terrified of.
And since she had no ready answer for herself, she shelved her inward struggle and got on with it. It was going to be what it was going to be and she couldn’t do a damn thing about that.
Besides, she needed a car. That was a fact. He offered to loan her one of his cars. That was a fact too. She was going to stick to the facts.
“I’ll get my purse and let Mr. Latham know that I’m leaving, and then I’ll meet you down here,” she said to Cory.
“Cool,” Cory replied, with that mischievous grin that made it seem as if they were in on some sick joke together. ButJoy could only shake her head with some level of annoyance as she made her way back into the building.
What in the world kind of office intrigue mess has she gotten herself into, she wondered.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
It was like a car candy store when William’s house manager opened the huge garage that housed the most expensive cars she’d ever seen. She didn’t know where to begin!
“He told you to pick your choice,” Cory said as he leaned against the Lamborghini, attempting to give her a hint.
But Joy wasn’t thinking about getting the best car in that garage. She wanted a practical car. Something that would be nice to drive, but that wouldn’t make her stand out like a sore thumb.
But then again, why not stick out for a change?
When it was taking her too long to decide, the house manager, who kept glancing at his watch as if she was wasting his time, took over. “Perhaps this very sensible Volkswagen Jetta would fit you fine,” he said.
Joy nodded. She would have loved to drive something fancy for a change, but the house manager was right. She needed to be sensible. “I guess you’re right.”
“Why would that be right,” asked a disappointed Cory, “with all these cars to choose from? Stop settling, girl. Just stop.”
“Miss Sloane phoned before you arrived to alert me that you were coming,” the house manager said to Joy as if that would bolster his case. “It was her suggestion as well.”
Joy should have known. To Sloane, people like Joy would never deserve to drive around in luxury. A VW was as good as it should get for the less-than people like Joy. And Joy was falling right into that trap. Because she believed, too, that it was asgood as she should have hoped for. That VW was even better than thehoopdeesshe was used to.
But wasn’t the point of getting this job all about getting away from what she was used to? Wasn’t this supposed to be a new beginning for her? William told her to pick a car. Not the cheapest car. Not the most sensible car. William,not Sloane, told her to pick a car.
“I’ll take the Porsche,” she said confidently. She’d always dreamed of driving a Porsche.
Cory was elated. “Alright now girl!” he said happily and they high-fived.
The manager didn’t like it, but he had no choice in the matter. He went into a locked box inside the garage, pulled out the keys, and handed them to her.
“So you’re driving on to Bridell now?” Cory asked.
“I’m going straight there. I can’t wait to start packing and getting back to Chicago.”
