Startled, Sophia pulled back and looked at Jannette. “Are you my mother?”
“I know, it’s an about-face for me.”
“That’s an understatement. For my entire life you’ve been predicting dire happenings if I let my heart rule my head, if I went for passion above security. What’s mellowed you?”
A modest smile curled the comer of her lips. “Ever since I met Stanley Whitcomb, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. He’s such a sensible man. Honest and sincere. I’ve never met anyone quite like him.”
“Mom!” Sophia stared. “What are you saying?”
Jannette waved a hand. “Don’t jump to conclusions, honey. Stanley and I are just friends. But he’s the first man I’ve felt comfortable talking to in my entire life. That’s pretty sad when you’re forty-six years old. I’ve let bitterness rule my life for too long. I’ve allowed your father to color my whole outlook toward men. I hurt myself and I harmed you in the process.”
“Mom, you don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear you say that.” Sophia squeezed Jannette tightly. “Are you sure this thing between you and Stanley is strictly platonic? You have a lot to offer, if you’d just let yourself.”
“It’s too soon to speculate on that. Let’s simply say I’ve got a new friend.”
“I’m happy for you. Stanley is a great guy.”
Jannette smiled shyly. “Yes, he is, but what’s all this about Mike actually being Michael Barrington?”
“It’s true,” Sophia said glumly. “He went undercover as the mailman, spying on the employees.”
“Sounds like a cagey move to me. Checking out the inner workings of the company before taking over.”
“Mom! He’s a liar.”
“Do you love him?”
“I don’t know anymore. He’s not the man I thought he was.”
“You’re twenty-nine years old, Sophia. You can make your own mistakes now.”
“Boy,” Sophia said regretfully. “When I make them, I make them big.”
“I was wrong in the way I raised you,” Jannette said. “I was much too harsh.”
“Sometimes you were.” Sophia chuckled. “I still remember the first guy I ever went out with.”
“Chuck Clark.” Jannette smiled. “He had red hair and ears like a stop sign.”
“But I had a huge crush on him.”
“I know.” Jannette raised her eyebrows. “I was terrified you were going to let him kiss you. Remember, I was only a year older than you were then when I got into trouble.”
“You told Chuck if he didn’t have me home by ten o’clock you’d come after him with a hatchet.”
“I was bad, wasn’t I?”
“He never asked me out again.”
“I’m so sorry, Sophia. I let my mistakes ruin your childhood.” Jannette stroked her hand.
“Oh, Mom, my childhood was fine.”
“Really?”
“We might not have had a lot of things, but I always knew you loved me.”
“I did love you so much. You’ll never know how much until you have children of your own.” Tears misted Jannette’s eyes.
Sophia kissed her mother’s cheek. “Thank you,” she said, “for understanding.”
“So what are you going to do about Mike?”
“There’s no way I can continue to work for him.”
Misery gnawed a hole through her gut. She still loved Mike. No matter how deceitful he might have been, she could not forget the feelings he stirred in her. But how could she continue to work for a dishonest man? How could she even consider a future with him? A man who lacked the most basic of admirable qualities—honesty.
“But you love your job,” Jannette protested.
“There are other jobs.”
“Are you sure about this? Take your time. Think it over. There’s no rush.”
“Mom, I have no choice. I simply can’t be around Michael. Tomorrow, I’m turning in my resignation.”
He’d blown it.
Big-time.
Actually, a nuclear bomb would have done less damage than the graceless way he’d revealed his true identity to Sophia. He’d handled the situation so poorly, he doubted she’d ever speak to him again, much less give him another opportunity.
He should have told her sooner. It had been a mistake to wait so long. But before he could tell her he was Michael Barrington, he had to know she loved him and not his money. So he’d waited, too afraid to take a chance. Now it was unlikely she’d forgive him for deceiving her.
Sophia had been hurt and he could not fault her response. He was a liar and a sneak. He had been spying on his employees. People who had come to like and trust Mike the mailman. What would be their reaction tomorrow morning when the truth came out? Most of them would feel betrayed and taken advantage of.
Mike drove his motorcycle through the Arizona night, the warm arid winds rippling over his skin. It was three o’clock in the morning and he’d been riding since leaving the building after that embarrassing episode in the elevator.
He saw now that his charade had been wrong. It didn’t matter that his intentions had been the best. He’d simply wanted to make sure that the Barrington Corporation was in tip-top shape. It pained him to know he’d injured Sophia in the process.
Swallowing against the fierce ache that enveloped not only his entire body but his psyche, as well, Mike revved the engine and spurred the motorcycle faster down the desert road, his headlights cutting a thin slice of light through the darkness.
He hadn’t felt such emotional pain since he’d lost his mother to breast cancer. And although his mother’s death had been profoundly sad, that loss had been beyond his control. This matter with Sophia however, was a disaster of his own making. He had no one else to blame but himself.
As a businessman, he was accustomed to taking calculated risks and having them pay off. When he’d decided to win her over as Mike the mailman, he had known that the dangers involved not only losing his own heart, but breaking hers in the process. He’d taken the gamble and failed. Miserably.
That’s what upset him most. Breaking her heart. Sophia was such a tender, loving person. She deserved to be cherished, treated with the utmost love and respect. Instead, he’d toyed with her affections in order to assure his emotional survival.
It was not an attractive thing to admit about himself. In his insecurity, he had damaged the woman he loved more than any other.
His inability to trust had caused his downfall. His father had been right all along.
That’s it, Barrington? A voice that sounded an awful lot like Mike the mailman whispered at the back of his mind. You’re going to give up just like that?
“What can I do?” Michael growled under his breath. “She doesn’t want me.”
She told you she loved you.
“No.” Mike laughed harshly at the yellow half-moon dangling in the sky above. “She loves Mike the mailman.”
Ironically he was caught in a trap of his own making. He’d wanted her to fall in love with Mike. To prove that she could follow her heart and let herself care for a poor man.
He had succeeded only too well. Now she was in love with the man she believed him to be, but Michael was not like that image. He was not footloose and fancy-free. He did not have scores of friends. He was not fun and adventuresome. He was not low-key and easygoing.
Sophia was correct in her assessment of him. He did lead an empty life. In the aftermath of his mother’s death and Erica’s manipulations, he’d focused all his energies on work. Making his way in the corporate world, proving to himself and his father that he was not the rebellious spoiled brat he had once been had become his main goals. He did not stop to smell the roses.
But you could change, the voice insisted. Part of you is Mike the mailman. Part of you aches to let down your guard and learn to trust. Part of you wants to kick up your heels, have a good time and love. Truly love without any reservations or hesitations.
Hope flickered inside
him. Maybe he could convince Sophia to give him a second chance.
There was only one way to find out.
Making a U-turn, Michael headed the Harley for home.
At eight o’clock the following morning, Mike walked into the employee break room with the intention of grabbing a cup of coffee to fortify himself before calling a company meeting and announcing the official arrival of Rex Michael Barrington III.
“Surprise!”
Stunned, Michael stared.
It seemed the entire building was in attendance. The place was packed with at least three dozen people sporting party hats and brandishing noisemakers. He spotted all his friends. Jack and Nick. Sam and Lucas. Kyle and Cindy. Stanley Whitcomb. Rachel and Patricia and Molly. On the wall behind the coffeemaker was a large banner proclaiming We’ll Miss You, Mike. A multilayered chocolate cake sat on the table spelling out Farewell, Mike in cream frosting.
A lump formed in his throat.
Ah, jeez. He’d never expected this. A going-away party.
The fact that he was about to reveal his true identity and shatter their confidence was not lost on Michael. Swallowing hard, he searched the crowd for Sophia.
She was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, buddy.” Jack stepped forward to slap him on the back. “You sure look surprised.”
“I am.”
“Come on in,” Cindy invited, ushering him across the threshold. “Have a piece of cake.”
“It’s going to be awfully lonesome around here without you,” Sam said.
“We got you a present,” Nick offered, holding up shiny new handlebars for his motorcycle, a bright red bow tied around them. “We don’t want you to forget us.”
Guilt heaped on more guilt. Overwhelmed by their generosity, Michael could say nothing. He was moved forward by the crowd and took the handlebars Nick thrust into his hands.
“I...I can’t accept this,” he said.
The door opened and Michael turned his head. Sophia entered the room, her arms crossed over her chest, her blue eyes flashing with anger. He’d never seen anything so beautiful, so sexy and inspiring in his entire life. He had to tell everyone. Here. Now. With Sophia as witness.
“Don’t be silly,” Jack said. “We got them just for you.”
“It’s our way of showing how much we love you, Mike,” Patricia Peel said.
For the first time, he realized that it was true. He was beloved by his co-workers. And he’d betrayed their trust. Michael locked eyes with Sophia, searching for her reaction. Bravely she did not flinch or blink.
“I can’t accept your generous gift for two reasons.” He cleared his throat and spoke firmly, vaguely aware of the people separating him from Sophia. “First, I’m not quitting.”
A shout of glee went up from his audience. “That’s great,” several people commented.
“We knew you couldn’t leave us,” someone shouted.
“You can keep the gift anyway,” Nick insisted. “As a token of our esteem.”
“When I finish what I’ve got to say,” Michael replied soberly. “I hope I still have your esteem.”
Everyone quieted. They looked from him to Sophia and back again. The tension was unmistakable.
He longed to take her into his arms, to block out what was happening, to declare his love for her in front of everyone. He ached to kiss those lips, to run his fingers through those gorgeous blond curls, to hold her tightly and never let her go.
Momentarily breaking eye contact with Sophia, Michael glanced around the room at his friends and co-workers. “I’ve got an announcement to make.”
No one spoke. He took a deep breath. He had instigated this charade; only he could end it.
“I’m your new boss. Rex Michael Barrington III.”
Sophia’s gut torqued. Painfully, miserably. Every time Mike uttered those telling words, it was a fresh blow to her heart. Now, hearing him say it again made her realize she was doing the right thing.
In her purse sat her resignation letter.
Final and conclusive. Declaring that her work for the Barrington Corporation was at an end.
Tears collected at the corners of her eyes. Determined not to let Mike see her cry, she spun on her heel and raced from the break room.
“Excuse me,” she heard him tell the group.
He was coming after her!
Pulse pushing against her veins, urging her faster, Sophia bolted down the hallway.
“Sophia!”
His shoes slapped against the tile, echoing in the corridor.
Should she run for her office or the safety of the parking lot? In her office, she’d be cornered. The parking lot offered a clean getaway.
But no matter how tempting the parking lot might be, she couldn’t run away from this. No matter what other faults she might possess, Sophia was not a coward. Sooner or later she had to face him.
Abruptly she stopped outside the elevators. The very elevator where they had been so intimately trapped the night before. The elevator where she’d discovered the truth—that the man she loved was a deceitful liar, accustomed to manipulating people for his own purposes. Exactly the sort of man Jannette had warned her about.
She forced herself to breathe slowly.
“Sophia!”
Calmly she extracted the envelope from her purse and turned to face him. Schooling her features to reveal a disinterest she did not feel, Sophia raised her chin.
“Good morning, Mr. Barrington.”
“Sophia, we’ve got to talk.”
He looked so sad, so disheveled with his hair mussed and his tie askew that Sophia had to bite her lip to bolster her resolve. She could not allow his apparent vulnerability to sway her. This man was not what he appeared to be. On any level.
“There’s nothing left to say.” She handed him the envelope.
“What’s this?”
“Read it.”
Mike tore open the envelope, scanned the words. “Sophia,” he said. “You can’t quit your job over me.”
“It’s a free country.” She tossed her head, prayed her voice would not crack from the weight of her emotions. “I can do anything I wish.”
“You need your job to support your mother.”
“Don’t worry about us. We’ll survive.”
“Please,” Michael said. “I know things will probably never be right between you and I, but you can’t quit. You’re too good an employee. Losing you would be a grave blow to Barrington.”
“No one’s irreplaceable. Especially me. You’ll find someone else,” she said.
How much effort it took for her to stare into those green eyes and remain solidly committed to her course of action! She wanted to forgive him, but how could she? If he would lie to her about his very identity, he would lie to her about anything. She simply could not be with a man she could not trust.
“I understand that you no longer feel comfortable as my secretary but that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to work for the company.”
She had loved working here, had made many friends. It would be hard to leave. “Michael, I can no longer even remain in the same building with you. Not after the way you tricked me. It would be too painful.”
“Sophia, I’m so sorry.” Michael reached out for her but she shied away.
“No.”
There was no mistaking the hurt in his eyes. He nodded. “I understand.”
From down the hall, Sophia could see several people poking their heads out of the break room. This was turning into a circus.
“I could recommend you to one of our other branches,” Mike offered. “Say, the office in Sedona.”
“Unfortunately my answer is still no. Please consider my resignation effective immediately.”
Unable to speak another word to the man who had so completely destroyed her world, Sophia turned and fled.
Chapter Twelve
“Sophia,” her mother called out to her, “there’s someone here to see you.”
Michael! Her
heart leapt with joy then just as quickly plummeted. For the last three days her spirits had ridden this wild roller coaster ride, one moment hopeful for the future, the next in deep despair for what she had lost. But she was not going back to work for him.
Sophia opened her bedroom door. “I don’t want to see anyone.”
“It’s not Michael,” her mother said.
“Oh. Just a minute.”
She darted to the bathroom to put on some lipstick. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. She’d never been so miserable. How long would it take for the hurt and betrayal to dissipate? How long before she could sleep at night? How long before she could eat more than a few bites at mealtimes? How long before she stopped seeing Michael Barrington’s face every time she closed her eyes? How long before she forgot about his kisses, the feel of his hands on her skin?
Taking a deep breath, Sophia forced herself to go into the living room and greet her guest. To her surprise, she found Mildred Van Hess sitting on the sofa chatting with her mother.
“Hello, Sophia,” Mildred replied in her no-nonsense voice.
“Nice to see you.”
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Jannette said, and wheeled from the room.
“Have a seat.” Mildred patted the cushion beside her.
Tentatively Sophia sat down. “Did Michael send you?”
“No, he did not. He has no idea I’m here but I wanted you to see this letter of recommendation he wrote for your files.”
“Mildred,” Sophia said. “This isn’t going to change my mind about anything.”
“Please, just read it.”
Hesitantly Sophia took the folded paper Mildred passed to her. Her fingers shook slightly as she opened it and began to read.
To Whom It May Concern,
For the past two years, Sophia Shepherd has been in the employment of the Barrington Corporation. Her work has been excellent, her organizational skills are impeccable. Ms. Shepherd is kind, considerate, hardworking and dedicated. But most of all, she is a very moral person who holds herself and others to the highest standards. She is trustworthy, honorable, open and sincere. In the past five and a half months as my assistant, she has taught me an immeasurable amount about people. Most of all, I have learned from her the importance of honesty. She will be sorely missed at Barrington and by me personally.
I Married the Boss! Page 15
