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“That’s dumb,” I muttered without thinking.
“Quite.” The woman pursed her lips and narrowed her wide eyes. “If you would follow me to the counter, I can set you up with a—”
Just as my mind raced for an excuse as to how I could not afford to buy this dress, a clatter of boxes and a soft cry echoed from the back of the store, drawing the assistant’s attention. She stepped back, peering over the racks then she turned back to me.
“Don’t go anywhere, ma’am.” With that, she scuttled deeper into the store, leaving me to return to the mirror and admire myself again.
Fuck.
I couldn’t pay for this dress. It was impossible. And yet it wasbeautiful, definitely something that made me look light and professional while also bringing a homey warmth with it. I glanced at my watch, then over the railing to the back of the store. Time was ticking by too fast, and the assistant was busy helping another employee gather up some fallen boxes andveryexpensive-looking shoes while scolding her severely.
Another glance at my watch. I had four minutes. Four minutes until my interview time.
Fuck.
Suddenly a bold thought burst through my mind, and my heart froze momentarily in my chest.
I hadn’t stolen clothes since I was a teenager, and stealing something this expensive was sure to have terrifying consequences, but if it got me that job then…
I hadn’t even finished the thought when I grabbed my coat and bag and hurried across the store. I threw my coat over my shoulders and bolted through the doors at the same time as another customer who stopped and stared at his own bags when the alarm blared. My heart raced, and heat flooded through me so intensely that I barely registered the cold as I raced up the street back toward the Helix building.
I didn’t stop running until I was across the street, through the revolving door, and safely inside. I stopped inside the foyer, panting desperately with my heart racing so fast in my chest that it was almost under my tongue.
Oh God… what have I done?
Slowly I turned and glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see that assistant hot on my heels, but there was no one there. Not a soul. When I turned back, I came face-to-face with a burly security guard who smiled warmly despite his bushy brows pulling low.
“Are you alright? Were you running from someone?” he asked in a deep voice.
I laughed breathlessly and straightened up, shaking my head and trying to smooth my hair despite the sweat that crept over my scalp and neck.
“No, no, I’m okay. I’m here for an interview,” I said in a rush, feeling incredibly hot and exposed under his dark gaze as if he could see the weirdthieftattooed over my skin. “I’m late.”
“Oh, you’re with Mr. Hayworth!” called a sweet, tinkling voice. Behind the guard scurried a beautiful, short woman dressed in a rosy pink dress with a square neckline. Her blonde curls were piled on top of her head, and her glittering pink lips pulled into a bright smile when she saw me.
“Summer?” she asked in that sweet voice. I nodded, forcing my most polite smile.
“Your dress isgorgeous,” she cooed, then she flapped her hands at the guard. “Shoo, Andrew. I have her from here.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Andrew chuckled deeply, and he headed back to his station as the woman spun me out of my coat and motioned with one long pink nail to follow.
“Come along then! You’re a little late, but Mr. Hayworth is also running late, so it’s no sweat!” she called cheerily, leading the way to the elevators.
“No sweat,” I murmured under my breath as I plucked at the dress, trying to pull the mesh away from my torso and allow air to circulate. “Sure.”
“I’m Terri, by the way,” she smiled as we bundled into a large elevator covered in wooden panels decorated with various Christmas wreathes and twinkling lights all around the ceiling. Terri stared at them with a big smile. “Don’t you just love this time of year?”
“Yes,” I replied politely as the elevator swept upwards, leaving my stomach firmly on the ground floor.
Ten minutes later, I sat in a cozy waiting room. With dark red walls and a tan carpet, there was a rustic aura to the room. It contained four chairs, one of which I had sunken into gratefully when realizing the leather was cool, and a single dark oak table. Terri pressed an iced lemonade into my hand that I had drained instantly, hung up my coat, and then vanished into the elevator, leaving me alone.
Nerves began to build the longer I was made to wait, but adrenaline still flooded my system, keeping the guilt for the theft at bay. I imagined what the rich little kids could be like to distract myself. Taking care of them surely would involve keeping them well-fed and entertained on their iPads, right?
“Miss Bradley?” asked a deep, slightly rough voice like the patter of small stones through the silk of a pouring waterfall. I turned in my seat and fixed a bright smile on my face.
“Yes?”
“I’m Jax Hayworth. This way, please.”
