Far from Perfect (Perfect, Indiana: Book One)

by Longley, Barbara

  Her mind raced to the day the courier had come for the Meyer bid. She’d been in the middle of a call, and Anthony had offered to take the envelope to the lobby. At the time, she’d thought it was sweet. Come to think of it, he’d also offered to put other bids into the office’s outgoing mail bin for her.

  Heat filled her face. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  “Damn straight it won’t. You’re fired.”

  “Oh, no. There’s been a mistake. I’ll get the Meyer account back somehow.” She sucked in a breath. “From now on, I will personally put things in the out bin myself, eyes were riveted on hertoA4and—”

  “Miss Langford, you’re done here.”

  The expression in his eyes was pitying, and she got it. Mr. Weil knew what had happened, but ultimately, she was responsible. She’d been so naïve, so trusting...Oh, my God! I’ve been sleeping with the enemy. No wonder Anthony insisted they keep their relationship a secret. Paige couldn’t get enough air into her lungs.

  “Paige,” Mr. Weil’s tone softened, “learn from this, and you’ll know better next time.”

  She tried to swallow, but her mouth felt like the wool that her designer coat had been cut from. “Give me another chance. I can’t be fired,” she croaked out. Harvard graduates didn’t get fired.

  “It’s already done. Security is here to escort you out.” Mr. Weil stood up and moved to the door. He swung it open, and George, the security p>

  guard, waited for her in the hall. He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

  Humiliation. Shame. Mortification. A maelstrom of ugly emotions threatened to overtake her, and white-hot anger followed. Anthony. He’d done this to her. Why? She blinked away the sudden sting of tears. No time to deal with that now. She rose on shaky legs, lifted her chin, and walked out of the office without looking George. Aware of the security guard’s presence behind her, she made her way to her office with as much dignity as possible. Was that a smug look on Mrs. Hadley’s face? Paige lifted her chin a bit higher.

  “I’m sorry about this, Miss Langford,” George murmured once they were in the elevator. “You’ll come out of this all right.”

  Harvard grad fired from her first real job.

  She choked back the sob rising in her throat. How could she face her parents?

  “Bye, George. Thanks for being decent about this.”

  “You take care, Miss Langford. Somethinat Mr. Weil or

  g better is going to come along. Give it some time, and you’ll see.”

  “Sure.”

  Not effing likely.

  The worst part? Anthony’s betrayal and the way he’d used her. It was all so calculated, so deceitful. Shame stole her breath. A short half hour ago she’d been thinking he was That’s when she saw him. Anthony watched her from the front entrance with a smirk on his face. He lifted a hand, saluted her, and turned to walk inside. She gave him the finger, not that it did any good. He didn’t even see it. Paige pulled out of her parking spot and headed for her condo.Once she was behind closed doors, the tears came. What was she going to do? Word would get back to her dad, and she didn’t want that to happen until she turned things around.

  Noah. “Yes!” She could visit her brother. Her mind raced. She’d have a place to hide until she could figure out the rest of her life, and nobody would have to know what had happened and her N">the one