Fortune's Proposal Read Online Free Page B

his so-called proposal had sent her sense of discretion right into orbit and no matter what it looked like to him, she took a step backward. Then another. “So, I still need an answer about your article,” she reminded, feeling almost desperate to get them back on track. Work track.
    His eyes narrowed slightly. “If it’s ready to send, then send it,” he said after a moment.
    Surprise had her feeling uneasy.
    She nodded anyway, taking him at face value and returned to her desk. Within minutes she’d sent the article off into the magical cosmos of electronic mail as well as to the newspaper editor who was printing it.
    Her work done, she shut down the computer, pulled her purse out of the bottom drawer of her filing cabinet and locked up her desk.
    Drew hadn’t come out of his office. She could see him sitting in his chair again, but he’d swiveled it around so that he was facing the windows.
    She told herself that she didn’t want to be a part ofhis charade, but she also couldn’t just walk out of the office as if nothing at all had happened. He’d been a good and fair—if sometimes challenging—boss to her. To everyone who worked in the San Diego office, for that matter.
    Which was exactly the reason why they’d all been willing to give up even a portion of their holiday evening when he’d asked.
    She sighed and dropped her purse next to the baseball bat on the chair he’d beat before going back into his office. She could see him reflected in the dark windows. “What are you going to do?”
    He looked at the window as if it were a mirror, meeting her gaze there. “What are you going to do?” He turned in his chair until he was facing her again, and he set his own cell phone down on the center of his leather desk blotter. “Your mother lost her job again.”
    She looked from his phone to his face. Horror warred with anger. “What’d you do? Call her?”
    â€œI called Joe Winston. Remember, he’s the HR head over at Blake & Philips?”
    Her mouth went dry. Blake & Philips was the law firm her mother had worked for…until a few months ago when she’d been fired. And the only reason that Drew knew that Gigi had worked there was because he was the one who’d told Deanna a year ago that his college buddy, Joe, was looking for legal secretaries and he knew that her mother—between jobs, again—had been worried about losing her house if she didn’t find work soon.
    More like Deanna was worried about her mother losing her house, because she’d been the one trying to pay Gigi’s mortgage as well as her own rent.
    â€œThat was none of your business,” she said stiffly.
    â€œWe’re supposed to be golfing next week,” he went on. “He thinks I called to tell him our tee time.”
    Embarrassment burned inside her. “And you just happened to mention my mother’s name?”
    â€œI didn’t bring her up at all.”
    â€œRight. How else would you know?”
    His gaze was steady. “You’ve worked for me for a while, Dee. Just because you don’t go around airing your personal business as much as most of the people do around here, doesn’t mean I haven’t picked up some things. And your mother goes through jobs like I go through—”
    â€œâ€”women?” she inserted caustically.
    â€œI was going to say shirts.” He sat back in his chair, his hand slowly turning his cell phone end over end. “Joe didn’t have to mention your mother. All I had to do was make an educated guess and watch your face.”
    Which she could feel burning now. “Fine. Yes, my mother lost her job. Again. Story of our lives.” But only part of the story. “She’ll find another one.” She always did.
    Another job. Another unattainable man to make a play for that always ended in a dramatic parting of employment when it didn’t