This conversation was giving him pause.
The woman he’d spent the night with wasnoneof the things she was being described as by her father.
Nora had been friendly, yes. But she oozed confidence. She didn’t allow a break in the conversation, giving as much as she took. She wasn’t selfish, she wasn’t cocky, but she had an air about her that said she didn’t care if the night ended with them walking away or landing in bed.
Maybe that was what gave him the nudge to see if he could continue.
He hated women who clung to him. That hung on every word. Who tried to be someone they thought he wanted.
Nora did nothing like that. But she also wasn’t what her father was saying either.
He was going to have to go with his gut and Blair’s.
“Some people take more time to adapt,” he said. “Doesn’t seem as if you’ve been around her much, or am I wrong?”
“No,” Norris said, sighing. “She’s been hours away, I’ve been busy. I saw her more before she graduated high school, then she went to college and life moved on. We kept in contact but aren’t close. I’d like to fix that.”
That made more sense.
And the fact that Nora picked up her life to try, alone, it spoke more of her character than anything else.
“I’m sure I’ll talk to her if it makes it that far,” Ethan said.
“No pressure from me,” Norris said, standing. “Would I love to see her get a job here? Sure, but if she doesn’t end up being a good employee, I wouldn’t want that reflected on my position.”
Dickhead. And those were the things he hated about the guy.
He wondered if it was Norris’s intent to begin with. To make sure that if his daughter was hired and didn’t work out, no one whispered his name in a sentence. But that didn’t explain why he made the comment to begin with that Nora was looking for a job. Unless it was to be a silent pressure or embarrassment to his daughter.
That might be worse.
“Think nothing of it,” Ethan said, forcing a smile.
Norris left his office and he got to work. Twenty minutes later, he looked up when he heard the door open next to him. Blair must be done and he’d see what the next step was.
His assistant came into his office and put her thumbs up, then shut the door.
“She’s great. If you’re interested in interviewing, I can set it up. Your schedule is packed today, but she’s flexible. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to proceed considering who she was and how it happened.”
No way Blair knew of his night with Nora. No one did. He refused to believe Nora would confess that to Blair.
“Meaning Norris’s daughter?”
“Yes. She’s nothing like him. I meannothing.”
Phew!
“Tell me more,” he said, leaning back. He didn’t care if he was late for his next call. He could show up when he wanted.
“Experience, hands down, she’s got the range of what you’re looking for. Not the years in each discipline, but she’s touched on a lot, and talking to her, she’s smart and a fast learner. She picked up her life to start fresh here with money in the bank to buy her time while she tries to reconnect with her father. We didn’t get into that. It’s not my business and she only brought it up to explain her move and lack of job.”
Those two stories jived. “Norris popped his head in and gave his version.”
“I can’t wait to hear this.”
“No, you keep going. So far, so good.”
“She’s sweet, professional, and has a quiet confidence. I can see it when she talks about her job, what she liked and what she needs to know more of. She’s more into a closed environment rather than large groups but could adapt to anything.”
