“Dad, I’mhardlytreading. I’ve got over six figures in my savings and more invested. I know you think I’m some freeloader who lived off Mom, but you’re wrong. I’ve worked my ass off to get here.” Her pulse hammered, but she didn’t stop. Not this time. “I’m not you and you’re not me. I don’t need your help to land a job. I can do it on my own. And if I take longer to find what I really want, you should be proud of that. Proud that I’m still out here doing it without leaning on you.”
Her father lifted an eyebrow at her. “Is that all?”
Her voice wavered, not from fear, but from years of swallowing words that were finally clawing their way free. And she was damn proud of herself for saying what she had!
“No. Because you know what? You’veneverbeen there for me before. And I’m the idiot for thinking you’d start now.”
She put her head down and went back to her lunch. Her father could stew there for all she cared, but the next words weren’t coming from her.
Ten minutes passed while they sat there in silence, more strangers than father and daughter, just like her entire existence in his life.
When her phone rang in her purse, she pulled it out, didn’t notice the number, but answered anyway.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Nora, this is Blair Cummings. I was going to send you an email, but thought I’d call quickly. Ethan would like to set up a time for an interview and his schedule is tight. Do you have time tomorrow morning at eight available?”
She looked at her father, saw his hopeful look mixed in with concern. He was worried she might mess up and give him a bad name.
Well, screw him.
This was for her.
If for nothing more than answers. Like why he was willing to give her a chance after what she’d done to him.
“I’d love to. Eight works.”
6
IMPOSTER SYNDROME
“Iheard a version from your father. I heard one from Blair. Now it’s your turn. Let’s start with the fact you knew exactly who I was that night.”
Ethan wasn’t asking. Wasn’t giving her a chance to lie and say she didn’t. He didn’t want to think she would, but why even put it out there?
She bit her lip, looked as if she was weighing her words, but finally said, “I did. I thought you recognized me, which was silly on my part. We’d only met a handful of times and I was a kid.”
He didn’t remember her and couldn’t figure out why.
“You have a better memory than me.”
“I’m pretty forgettable,” she said.
“Hardly,” he said sarcastically. “So refresh my memory.”
The fact Nora was here in his office the next morning bright and early in a black skirt, a floral print silk top, and black pumps told him she put more thought into her appearance today than the interview she’d had yesterday.
Her brown hair was pulled back at the base of her neck giving him a clear view of her sharp cheekbones, the minimal makeupon her face, her hazel eyes bright, but free of dark liner or shadow. Just enough to accentuate what she had.
Not that there was a problem with her tan pants and pretty blue summer sweater with cute wedges on her feet that she had on yesterday. He didn’t know why he had a weakness for the sexy mixed in with the casual.
Maybe because too many fancy women were throwing themselves at him and it’s not who he was.
He wasn’t over the top high maintenance like his brother Eli, but not laid back wearing shorts and Birks like his brother Egan.
He was him, the person he always wanted to be and didn’t take shit from anyone.
Well, he kind of did, but only a select few. His immediate family.
