INNOCENCE AND ARROGANCE

by Kimberley Reeves

  “I never asked you for anything, Scott, not one damn thing! I don’t need you take care of me. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  “I’ve seen how well you take care of yourself.”

  “Just what is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means if I hadn’t come along when I did, you’d probably be sharing Buster’s meals with him since dog food was the only thing you had in the house,” he snapped, jumping up from the bed to tower over her. “It means you’d still be wearing those oversized rags for dresses and living in a house that was ready to fall apart in a neighborhood that only someone with a death wish would live in…” Scott stopped his tirade, his heart clutching in his chest at the shattered look on her face. “Mina,” he choked, “I didn’t mean…”

  “Yes you did,” she said faintly, her anger spent. “You knew.” She turned her injured eyes to his. “That’s why you gave me the bonus money, because you knew I didn’t have any food in the house.” Mina tried to still the trembling in her limbs, but the humiliation and embarrassment was too much.

  “Not everyone was born with the opportunities you had, Scott. Some of us had to buck hay all summer because we couldn’t afford to pay someone else to do it. Some of us had to grow our own vegetables so we’d have food during the winter. We chopped wood for heat and used kerosene heaters when the electricity bill got so high we couldn’t pay it.” She turned away from him and went to stand by the French doors, staring out into the darkness. “My two brothers, Chris and George worked for a year, saving every penny they had to get me through college. They spent another year pooling their money with mine to get me here.”

  Mina pressed her forehead against the window, suddenly feeling so tired she could barely stand. “You see, my brothers believed in me, believed I was something special. They told me I had the best chance of making something of myself so instead of saving for their own educations, they saved for mine. I worked for a few years in Washington, giving them every penny I could spare so they’d have their shot at college.” Her voice hitched in her throat. “But it wasn’t enough, not with Will and Waylon coming up right behind them. So I promised them I’d come to California, that I’d find a better job, and help them the way they helped me.”

  She turned back around to face him, a proud tilt to her chin. “So maybe my refrigerator was a little bare, but I did what I had to do so they’d be proud of me, so they wouldn’t know how miserably I was failing.” She took a few steps towards him, her eyes shimmering with tears. “No, I didn’t have nice clothes and the house I lived in was old and run down. The neighborhood was rough, but I had Buster to protect me. But you know what, Scott? I was okay with it. I had clothes on my back, a roof over my head, and I wasn’t letting my dog starve.”

  “It wasn’t much, but it was mine. All of this,” she swept her arm around the room, “makes me feel ashamed of myself because back home I have four brothers who are still bucking hay and eating vegetables from the garden and waiting for their sister to make something of herself so they can have just a little bit better life than our parents did.”

  “Mina…”

  “No,” she took an irritable swipe at the flood of tears streaming down her face, “I need to finish. You’ve been so good to me, so kind, and I…I got caught up in your world, pretended to myself that I deserved it, but I don’t, Scott. I can’t stay here in this house and I can’t keep all the furniture. Don’t you see,” she said miserably, “now that I know you did all this just for me, I feel like you were paying for…me.”

  Scott grabbed her by the arms, his anger flaring fast and furious. “Is your opinion so low of me you think I’d buy you things just to keep you in my bed? You really think I’d set you or any woman up like a harlot just to satisfy my sexual needs?” He pulled her into him, his blue eyes piercing hers. “Tell me, Mina, does this feel like anything but love?”

  Scott crushed his mouth down onto hers, kissing her in a way he’d never done before. Every emotion she’d ever stirred in him was poured into that one kiss; the light, the laughter, the love. He’d spent too many years binding his heart, locking his feelings deep inside, but now his sweet little Mina had freed him and he unleashed a tidal wave of love on her so powerful she was reeling with it by the time he lifted his head. Mina’s head tipped back as if she didn’t have the strength to hold it up. Her eyes were dazed, her lips pouty and swollen from his amorous kiss.

  She smiled weakly. “Say it again,” she rasped, winding her arms around his neck.

  Scott hugged her to him fiercely. “I love you, Mina. I love you so much my heart aches with it. You’re all I can think of, the only dream I have. Stay with me,” he pleaded, his voice thick with emotion, “stay with me.”

  Mina clung to him, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. He loved her! She tilted her head back, a happy smile playing on her lips. “I have a confession to make,” she said in a soft, sexy voice.

  He brushed his lips against hers. “What’s that?”

  “I love you, too.”

  Scott’s chest swelled. “You mean it, sweetheart?” He looked into her eyes. “Of course, you mean it,” he answered his own question. “That’s why you were so upset. You thought I didn’t love you, that I was just using you. Oh, Mina, honey, I’m so sorry for what you’ve been going through.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she beamed. “Nothing matters now that I know you love me.” She stood on her toes and gave him a kiss. “Just promise me, no more lies.”

  Scott grimaced. “I think I need to tell you a few things.”

  “The bonus?”

  “I couldn’t let you starve…”

  Mina silenced him with a kiss. “And the house?”

  He drew back in surprise. “How did you find out about that?”

  She smiled wickedly. “I have my sources. Is there anything else you’d like to confess to?”

  “Well, the company car…”

  “That doesn’t count. It’s necessary for the job.”

  Scott laughed softly. “Not the vehicle I got you.”

  “Why? What did you get?”

  “I thought it would be fun to have matching pick-ups, but I got yours in lady’s size.”

  Mina giggled. “Let me guess. You get the manly F350 and I get the scaled down version in an F150?”

  He smiled and drew her closer. “Are you mad at me?”

  “No, I’m too happy right now to be mad.”

  “So, does this mean you’ll let me shack up with you tonight?”

  “Now how could I resist a romantic offer like that?

  ****

  The days and weeks melted into each other, passing so fast Mina barely knew where the time went off to. It had taken some doing, but she finally got the office in order and had things running smoothly. She’d stopped riding to work with Scott once she had her driver’s license and found she thoroughly enjoyed driving, especially in her new truck.

  She’d been scared that having a relationship with Scott would affect the way they worked together, but soon discovered that he was just as capable of separating their business relationship from their personal one as she was. Obviously, they weren’t as formal with each other at work as they would have been if they weren’t involved, but when they were in the office their minds were focused totally on the job. They didn’t share secret glances or stolen kisses, which suited them both just fine. There was plenty of time for that when the work day was done, and in fact, it seemed to enhance their eagerness to be together outside the office. They were a good team both at work and at home.

  For the most part, Mina got along well with her co-workers, but there still seemed to be a small band of women who made little effort to keep their disdainful looks to themselves. She had no idea what she’d ever said or done to any of them to deserve such treatment, but was far too busy during the day to make an attempt to remedy the situation. The worst of the bunch was one of the women she’d originally trained with, Rene Robinson. Mina’s desk a
nd work area were much larger than any of the other assistant’s and was separated by the receptionist’s desk, as was Scott’s office, from everyone else who worked in their department. Even so, when she was standing up for any reason, she had a clear view of Rene and more than once she’d caught the woman giving her a hostile glare.

  Mina didn’t want to bring something so petty to Scott’s attention when he had so many other things going on, so one day when he wasn’t able to go to lunch with her she asked her friend, Barbara Montgomery, to join her at a soup and salad restaurant not far from the office. Since the day Mina started working for S.S.T. Shipping, Barbara was the only woman she truly considered her friend. Barbara didn’t care what anyone thought about her and she’d often seen Rene snub her friend, undoubtedly because she knew Barbara was close to Mina. She waited until they’d gotten their salads to ask Barbara if she knew what was going on.

  “As far as I know, I’ve never said or done anything that would make Rene or any of the others dislike me.”

  “Rene’s a bitch,” Barbara said simply.

  She laughed at her friend’s candor. “But besides that, what possible reason would she have for hating me?” When Barbara kept stuffing salad in her mouth without saying anything, Mina prompted her to respond. “Well? I’m waiting.”

  “I’m avoiding the issue,” Barbara said, cramming another mouthful in.

  “So you know what it’s all about?”

  Barbara nodded. “You’re not going to like it, though.”

  “Like it or not, I can’t resolve the issue if I don’t know what the problem is.”

  “Okay, but I’m just the messenger. Rene applied for your position before you were hired.”

  “That’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard. How can she hold me responsible because she didn’t get the job?”

  “It’s not just that. Rene’s had the hots for Mr. Travis since the day she started here. She went around telling everyone that not only was she going to get the position as his assistant, but once she had it, she was also going to get Mr. Travis.”

  Mina felt a slow anger start to burn. “By get him, you mean seduce him.”

  Barbara nodded. “Look, sweetie, Rene was furious when she didn’t get the job so now she’s doing whatever she can to turn everyone against you. She’s nothing but a bitter gossipmonger and you’d be better off just ignoring her.”

  Mina set her fork down. “What do you mean gossipmonger? Has she been saying things about me?”

  “Aw, Mina, I don’t want to repeat the crap she’s been spreading.”

  “Come on, Barbara. Besides being just plain mean, it’s not good for morale to have one employee turning others against someone else. Especially when that someone is me, and I haven’t done a thing to deserve it.”

  “All right, but I want you to know the reason Rene hates me so much is because I stick up for you whenever she starts in.” Barbara took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “She’s been telling everyone the reason you got the job was because you were sleeping with Mr. Travis and that’s why she never had a chance of getting it. She said you dressed the way you did on the interview so no one would suspect anything, but that it was pretty obvious when he cancelled all the interviews after you.”

  “And the other women believe her?” Mina asked incredulously.

  “Well, I realize you’d have no way of knowing this, but Mr. Travis has changed since you’ve been here.”

  “Changed in what way?”

  “Well, for one thing, he doesn’t get all uptight about the smallest mistakes anymore. He just says to fix it. He seems… approachable now. Before you came, he was all business and I doubt he could have even told you if I worked for him or not. Now he smiles and asks how my day is, even calls me by name. I guess, in a way, I can see why Rene would think there was something going on between you two, but it’s not so much that she tells everyone that you’re involved, it’s that she makes it sound so sordid.”

  “That’s it? She’s basing everything on the fact he’s being nicer to everyone? Did it occur to her that it might be because he’s not so overworked now, that he has someone he can trust to leave alone in the office?”

  Barbara looked down at her plate, averting her eyes. “There’s a little bit more.”

  Mina had an uncomfortable feeling Barbara had saved the worst for last. “Go on,” she encouraged her friend.

  Barbara heaved a sigh and lifted her head. “Listen, Mina, you’re my friend and what you do in your free time is your own business.”

  “Good Lord, is that bad?”

  Barbara shrugged. “I guess it depends on who’s telling the story. Rene said she was at the beach one day about two weeks after you started here. She said she saw you and Mr. Travis together and that he was kissing you.” Barbara held up her hand when Mina opened her mouth to speak. “Let me tell you everything, then you can decide what you want me to know or not know. Rene started poking around in the personnel files. And before you ask, I have no idea how she got her hands on them, except maybe there’s a young college kid they hired on several months back that has a major crush on her.”

  “She read my records?”

  “Yes. She said she drove by the address you listed and that it was a cracker box house in a really bad neighborhood. Then she noticed you’d put in a change of address and that it was in a fancy house on the beach not a ten minute walk from Mr. Travis’s house. Of course, she takes every opportunity to insert her nasty comments and insinuations about what’s going on between the two of you. She said she pulled up the public tax records on the house to see what it was worth and found out that Mr. Travis actually owns it.” Barbara stopped for a minute, looking miserably at Mina. “She calls you the President’s playmate.”

  Mina stared numbly at Barbara. “How can anyone be so cruel? She doesn’t even know me so what gives her the right to judge me?”

  “She’s jealous, Mina. You not only took the job from her, but she was totally humiliated when Mr. Travis flat out told her she wasn’t qualified. She ranted and raved for days about it, but what really got her all out of whack was that she’d worn this tight little skirt and made sure a few of her top buttons were left undone when she went in. Rene thinks she’s about the sexiest thing this side of New York so when he didn’t just fall all over her, she was doubly pissed. I heard from one of her groupies that Mr. Travis not only turned down her application but asked her to reevaluate her work attire.”

  Mina pictured Rene waltzing into Scott’s office attempting to get the job based on her sexuality, much as the other women had done the day she’d interviewed with him. She remembered how disgusted he’d looked when he told Mina he’d seen all the botoxed lips and surgery enhanced women he cared to see. As horrible as she thought the situation was, Mina couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up in her throat. She tried to stop, but the worried look on Barbara’s face only made her laugh harder. When she was finally able to get control of herself, she decided to confide in her friend and between them, work out a way to stop the malicious gossip.

  “First, I want you to know that I’d never met Scott until the day I came in for the interview. As a matter of fact, I was only a few weeks away from having to call it quits and move back to Washington.”

  Mina proceeded to tell Barbara everything from the moment she was called into Scott’s office until the day they both confessed their love for each other. She didn’t leave out anything, including how he’d discovered she had one lonely egg and half a can of diced tomatoes in her refrigerator.

  Barbara looked like she was going to cry. “That’s about the sweetest thing I ever heard of. So he made up a story about a start up bonus to make sure you were able to buy food?”

  “Yes. I was so embarrassed when I first found out, but then I thought just what you did. Scott has a tough exterior, but inside he’s about the kindest man I’ve ever known.”

  “And he really bought the house so he could get you out of a bad neighborhood, all befor
e you even had a relationship started? Now why can’t I find a man like that? All the men I date wouldn’t bat an eyelash about me living in a bad neighborhood as long as I was putting out.”

  Mina choked on the salad she’d just put in her mouth. It took her a few minutes and several gulps of water before she could speak again. “You know something else? He won’t let me pay rent now that I’m there. He told me to send the money I’d spend on rent back home to help pay for my brothers’ tuition.”

  Barbara sighed heavily. “God, this is so romantic. I swear, I never would have guessed he was like that. He always seemed so… aloof before, like nothing fazed him.”

  “Well, now you know the truth. So what do we do about Rene and her acid tongue?”

  “What if you told Mr. Travis what she’s been calling you?”

  Mina looked horrified at the idea. “Good God, no! He’d fire her in an instant.”