Page 6 of His Jewel

He seemed exasperated. “I couldn’t care less about your hobbies. Miss Lock, do you want the job or not?”

Hell yes, I want the job,she wanted to say, to scream from the rooftops.I want everyone to know you for who you really are.

“Yes, I do.”

“It’s yours. Cathy will send you all the details and provide you with a start date.”

She was being dismissed. She held out her hand. His hand was warm in her own. When he looked into her eyes, there was something...

Stop holding his hand.

She made it to the door, but something made her turn around and look back. He already had his head bent over a stack of papers with his pen ready.

“Do you miss it?”

His eyes flew to her. “Miss what?”

“England? Home?”

A look of longing filled his eyes. “More than anything.”

****

Cathy accosted heron her way out. A petite woman with gold heart-shaped glasses who was just singing the praises of you know who.

“...just such a wonderful place to work. Oh, but you’ll see that for yourself! Josh is the kindest, most considerate boss you’ll meet. When my grandchild was born, he gave me a week of paid leave to go and visit my daughter, and he even paid for my flight!”

That was nice of him, I guess.

And Josh? His employees call him Josh? Was she supposed to? It all felt a little too personal now.Oh God, I’m not sure I can do this...

“Are you okay, Ruby? You’ve gone a little pale.” Cathy’s concerned gaze was fixed on her.

“Yes, fine, fine,” she said brightly. “So, when do I start?”

Cathy brought up a spreadsheet on her computer, along with a calendar. A few clicks here and there, and then she looked up, smiling. “How about Monday? I know it’s short notice, but you’re not employed at the moment, so you have no notice period to give.”

The weekend. Two days and then she would be working here. With him.

She forced a smile back on her face. It felt like it hurt. “Sounds great.”

“Wonderful! All the relevant checks have already been made, so just turn up here at 9:00 AM on Monday and we’ll go from there.”

She didn’t have the same last name as her mom and stepdad—she’d kept her biological dad’s surname even though he died when she was one. But her stepdad was her dad no matter what as he’d always been there for her. He’d earned the title of Dad. Despite the name difference, she still couldn’t believe she made it through Alana’s extensive background checks undetected. Well, maybe she hadn’t. Maybe she hadn’t done any checks at all due to their friendship.

Cathy continued, oblivious to her racing heart and guilty conscience. She may as well be wearing it like a sign. “I’ll have some paperwork sent to you by the end of the day for signatures.”

“Great, thanks, Cathy.”

Before she knew it she was in the elevator again. Once she was edging over the lower floors, she felt a sinking in her own stomach. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for this. She could back out. It wasn’t too late...

Her phone buzzed. She should have known.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Well, honey, how did it go?”

“I got it.”

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