"Whoa," he blurted out as he grabbed my arms to steady me. "Where's the fire, princess?" He took a closer look at my face and frowned. "What's wrong?"
I shook my head, unable to force out any words just yet, as I stifled my sobs. Tears started tumbling down my cheeks, and one sob managed to hiccup out of my mouth. Dad latched an arm around my shoulders, and pulled me into his office with him, closing the door behind him. That was all it took for me to lose it completely.
The next thing I knew, Dad was pushing me down into his leather desk chair and pushing a wad of tissues into my hands. He knelt in front of me and gently cradled my face in his hands. "Princess, what happened?" He wiped a few tears off my cheeks with a tissue of his own as he looked at me with a worried frown.
"They...they're all t...talking about Ford and me behind my back," I sobbed out. "They...they all act like he did this horrible thing, without knowing him or even asking if it's true."
"Who?" he asked harshly as his eyes flashed in sudden anger.
"It...it doesn't matter, Dad," I said dejectedly. "I can't talk about it to set them straight, and they're going to believe whatever they want anyway, no matter what I tell them."
Dad's eyes softened with understanding. "I know," he said gently. His face hardened again. "But maybe being fired would teach them a lesson. I am the boss, after all." He smirked. "And a real hard-ass." He deadpanned.
I snorted out a small laugh. My dad wasn't anywhere close to being a hard-ass, but I appreciated his protectiveness and his levity.
"Princess, I'm going to tell you something that you can't tell your mother I said," he said with a serious expression.
"Okay," I replied curiously.
"Fuck those assholes," he told me vehemently. I smiled at his unusual use of profanity. Maybe there was a hard-ass hiding inside my easygoing dad after all. "Their opinions don't matter, Jenny. What matters is what you think and the peopled who care about you think." He grabbed my hands and gripped them tight. "We know that Ford is innocent, so fuck all of them." His smile softened. "Come here, baby." He opened his arms, and I lunged forward gratefully. He held me close and kissed the top of my head. "I love you, princess."
I sighed as I savored the warm comfort and security of my father's embrace. "I love you too, Dad."
He held me for a while, until I managed to calm down. When I finally pulled away he was looking at me sternly. "Now, young lady, that's enough moping. You better get back to work before I have to fire you for slacking off on the job."
"Okay, Dad," I said with a grateful smile as he stood and pulled me to my feet. "I'd hate for you to have to fire your only daughter."
"You know I'd do it too," he said threateningly as he pointed at me, yet a smirk was pulling up one side of his mouth.
"I know," I agreed with a smile. "I'm surprised that I've lasted this long under your ruthless authority."
"Striking fear into your employees is the key to good leadership, princess," he added with a wide grin as he walked me to his door and opened it. "And don't you forget it."
"I'll keep that in mind," I said in amusement then added softly, "Thanks Dad."
"Anytime, princess." He kissed my cheek before I walked out.
I was a few yards away from my office when Dad's assistant Joyce stepped out into the hall and saw me. "Oh, there you are," she said with a relieved smile.
"Sorry, Joyce. I was talking to Dad. What's up?" I asked curiously.
"I know you don't usually deal with the financing side anymore, but I have a customer who requested you, specifically," she said apologetically. "Apparently, you helped her brother a while back. Her credit isn't that great, and she was hoping you could help her get a decent car loan."
"Well, if her credit is really bad there's not much I can do," I replied. I didn't want to do it. I was the business manager now, and I didn't do financing anymore.
"She's pretty insistent, Jenny." Joyce looked apologetic.
I really didn't have the time either, since I was behind from missing so much work this week. However, Dad taught me that good customer service was always a priority, and I certainly didn't want us to lose a customer. I sighed in resignation. "I'll talk to her, Joyce."
"Can I bring her back to your office now?"
"Sure," I said with a noncommittal shrug.
"Thanks, Jenny," she said gratefully and hurried off.
I went into my office and sat down behind my desk. I straightened up my desk, since it was strewn with papers, and tried to get my mind focused again. A few moments later, Joyce escorted a middle-aged woman into my office. She was tall and fit, with long chocolate brown hair and striking dark-blue eyes. Her pale porcelain skin was flawless, and her smile was wide and seemed genuine. Joyce introduced her as Marie Hopkins as I stood and stepped forward to shake her hand. She was dressed in unassuming business attire with a nice blouse and skirt, and her shoes were low heeled and sensible. Nothing like the stilettos I usually wore.
"Hi, Marie," I greeted her with a smile and shook her hand firmly. "I'm Jenny. Have a seat." I motioned toward the empty chairs across from my desk. I thanked Joyce as she walked out and closed the door behind herself. I took a seat behind my desk again and gave the woman a warm smile as she sat down. "I understand I helped your brother with a loan before."
"Yeah," she nodded with a syrupy smile. "I'm really anxious to get this loan. My credit's not great, and I really need a car."
"Okay," I said. Well, that was evasive. "How bad is your credit?" I asked, moving on. "I'll do what I can, but if your credit score is too low, then I'm afraid there's not much I can do for you."
"How long have you worked here?" she asked. What the hell? Was she even listening to me?
"This is a family business," I answered, thrown off by her off topic question, "so I've been working here in some capacity since I was sixteen, but I've been the business manager for several years now." I had to get her back on topic, so I could get this over with. I wasn't here to socialize. "Was there a particular car you're interested in?"
"Do you enjoy your job?" she asked, still giving me a wide smile that was starting to creep me out. "Do you find it cutting into your personal life? It would be hard to have a life outside of work if it occupied too much of your time. I imagine it would make having a boyfriend difficult, for example."
"I suppose," I answered, "but I haven't had too much difficulty juggling both."
"Oh? So you have a boyfriend. Is it serious?" she asked inquisitively as she leaned forward.
"I'm seeing someone," I replied vaguely, wondering why she cared. "I'm going to need your full name, birth date, and social security number if you want to apply for a loan," I said as I tried to steer her back to why she was here.
"How long have you and your boyfriend been seeing each other?"
"Long enough," I answered as I stifled a growl of frustration. I didn't want to piss her off, but she was starting to annoy me, a lot.
"Do you live together? How well do you know him? Do you plan to get married?" she was flinging questions at me faster than my mind could process them.
This time I did growl under my breath. "I don't see how my relationship status is important right now, or why you're so interested in my personal life."
She leaned forward even further. Her eyes suddenly gleamed with intensity as her smile slipped away. "What I'm really interested in is how you feel about your boyfriend being charged with criminal confinement and rape."
I stared at her gape jawed with shock. What the fuck? How did she know who I was? My name wasn't even mentioned on the news report.
"I have a confession," she said with an apologetic shrug that was completely insincere. "I'm a reporter with a local paper, and I'd like to give you the opportunity to voice your side of the story, and Ford's too, if he's willing. This is your chance to let people know the truth." Her face turned serious. The silence that followed was deafening as I sat staring at her for several long moments, unable to speak past the shock.
Oh my God. This bitch thought I was stupid enough to fall for her bullshit. She'd lied and schemed her way into the dealership, into a place I felt safe, and she thought I would tell her a damn thing?
I stood and stared down at her as red rage ignited inside me. "Get out of my office," I forced out in a low deadly tone.
"If you don't set the record straight, everyone will just assume he's guilty."
I stood and clenched my hands into fists, feeling a violent urge to attack her physically. I don't know how I managed not to. I stalked past her to the door and flung it open. "Get out!" I practically screamed at her.
She stood and turned toward me, then opened her fucking mouth to speak again.
"Get the fuck out!" I cut in vehemently, my voice carrying down the hallway. I felt a presence behind me, and a calming hand came to rest on my shoulder.
"Jenny?" my father said soothingly. "What's going on in here?"
I glanced at him to see a worried look on his face as he glanced back and forth between the woman and myself.
"She's...she's a reporter," I bit out scornfully as I pointed at the vile woman in my office. "She...she lied to get in here." My voice quavered, even though I didn't want it to. I didn't want to look weak in front of this horrible woman.
Dad's face hardened into a terrifying scowl like I'd never seen before, and when it settled on Marie Hopkins, or whatever the fuck her name really was, she cowered back from him. "Are you deaf?" he snarled out at her as he stepped forward menacingly. "You heard my daughter. Get the fuck out of our building."
"But-"
"If you're not on your way out of here in the next second, I'll call the police and my lawyer, and slap you with a harassment suit so fast that it will make your fucking head spin." He stepped into her space. "Now. Get. Out."
Without another word, the woman scurried out of my office with wide fearful eyes. Dad stepped over to my desk and picked up the phone. A second later, he told whoever answered to make sure the woman was escorted out, and never to let her back in again. He hung the phone up then turned to me, his face sympathetic and understanding. "Princess, I'm so sorry she got in here."
My lip quavered as tears began to roll down my face. "Daddy," I whispered pathetically, unable to bear anymore shit today. I fell into his open arms yet again, and he caught me as I fell apart. He kicked my door closed, whispering comforting and soothing words as he held me tight. I was right, there was a hard-ass hiding inside my father, and I couldn't have been more grateful for it to appear when I needed it most.
**********
When Dad finally managed to calm me down after that horrible reporter left, he insisted on taking me out for a long early lunch. I appreciated him trying to comfort me and cheer me up, but it only helped so much. The shock of being ambushed had morphed into melancholy and helplessness. It made focusing on work an impossible task as I struggled to get anything done after we got back.
Around two o'clock, I was ready to throw in the towel and go home to Ford, when there was a knock on my open door. I looked up from the papers strewn around my desk to see Joyce in the doorway. I hoped she wasn't here to apologize yet again. It wasn't her fault the woman lied to get to me, and I didn't want Joyce feeling bad about it.
"Jenny," she said softly, her face pained and apologetic. "I'm sorry to bother you, but...but there are two detectives here who want to speak to you."
I swear all the blood drained from my face in a rush. "What?" I asked in a small terror laced voice. Oh God, how much more did I have to endure today? My mind went into free fall as I sat numbly staring at Joyce for several long moments.
"Jenny? Are you okay, dear?" Joyce asked worriedly as she stepped into my office.
"Y...yeah," I finally managed to force out as I shook off my shock.
"Are you sure, dear?" she asked as she eyed me closely. "Do you want me to get your father?" Joyce had always looked out for me from the first day that I started working at the family business. She'd been working for Dad since before I was even born. She was a good person, and I considered her my honorary mother at work.
"Um...no," I answered. It wasn't like Dad could throw them out for me. I had to take care of this myself. "Can you stall them? Maybe tell them I'm tied up for a while, and I'll be out to get them in a bit. I need time for Ford's lawyer to get here." I needed to call Gareth and get him here before I talked to them. I was relieved beyond measure that I wouldn't have to deal with them alone.
"Of course, dear," she nodded emphatically, then hurried away.
I immediately snatched up my phone and called Gareth. The call was abrupt and to the point, and ended with him assuring me that he'd be here in fifteen minutes. I was actually getting used to Gareth's succinct phone conversations, and in this instance, I was grateful for it. The sooner he got here, the better. For a brief second, I considered calling Ford to tell him what was happening, but then discarded that idea. I didn't want to pile anymore stress on him right now. It's not like he could do anything to help me, and I didn't want to worry him. Besides, maybe this interview with the police wouldn't be that bad. Yeah, right.
It was one of the longest waits of my life, and the relief that I felt when Joyce finally escorted Gareth into my office was profound. He strode in like a force of nature, his dark eyes intense and intimidating. His dark-gray Brioni suit only added to his formidable demeanor. Holy shit, I was glad he was on my side.
"Is there a conference room we can use?" he asked without preamble. "I don't want them in your personal space, and I want to keep the upper hand here."
I nodded and stood to lead him out of my office.
He turned to Joyce. "Bring them back in ten minutes," he told her authoritatively, and she nodded before heading back down the hallway. "They already saw me come in, and they're pissed." He was smirking evilly when I glanced back at him as he followed me down the hall.
"You know the detectives?" I asked worriedly since I wasn't sure why he was smiling. I didn't think there was anything remotely funny about pissing off the police.
"One of them," he admitted smugly. "I have this unfortunate habit of reminding him of the facts, and calling him on his bullshit. And I'm not intimidated by him."
"Okay," I said doubtfully as I led him into the empty conference room, suddenly feeling terrified and unsure. He might not be intimidated, but I already was, and I hadn't even seen either detective yet. I hugged myself as my fear threatened to overwhelm me.
"Hey," Gareth said gently. "I'll get you through this." His eyes were compassionate and sincere now. "Let me take the lead here. Only answer the questions I want you to answer. Don't elaborate or try to explain your answers. Don't let their long uncomfortable silences get you to babble either. They want to trip you up and get you to incriminate Ford in some way. That's why I'm here, to keep things on track and protect you and Ford. So don't worry."
"I'm trying not to worry, but between the ignorant assholes at work and that reporter showing up, I'm a wreck. I don't want to mess this up."
"Reporter?" His eyes zeroed in on me and narrowed fiercely.
"Um...uh..." Oh shit, I probably should have called and told him about that right after it happened, but I'd been so shaken up that it didn't occur to me.
"What reporter?" he demanded sternly as he glowered down at me, his body tensing up in agitation. I couldn't help shrinking away a little from his sudden change in demeanor.
"This woman...um...Marie Hopkins, she...she pretended to be a...a customer and tried to get me to talk to her about the case," I replied nervously as his dominating stare bore into me.
"And did you?" he asked coldly with an arched brow. His question immediately pissed me off, and I reacted without thinking as righteous anger wiped away my nervousness.
"I'm not a fucking idiot, Gareth," I snarled as I glared up at him. "When I figured out who she was I told her to get the fuck out. Dad had her escorted out of the building." I cros
sed my arms defiantly, silently daring him to push me some more. "I wish I'd kicked her ass like I wanted to," I added with a grumble.
To my surprise, humor suddenly danced in his eyes as a roguish smile spread wide across his mouth. "You should have. She's a real cunt, and I'd have gotten you off if she pressed charges," he cocked his head and winked at me, "for free."
I stared at him for a beat, too shocked by both his crass language and his sudden shift in mood to react. I'd expected to piss him off further, not this. My God this man was mercurial. My brain couldn't keep up. Finally, I shook my head and let out a snort of amusement.
"I apologize, Jenny," his face softened. "I didn't mean to imply that you were an idiot, but I've dealt with that unethical bitch before." He clenched his jaw as anger flashed across his features again. "And she really pisses me off," he growled menacingly.
"Me too," I agreed vehemently, feeling violent at the thought of that horrid woman.
"If you or Ford see or hear from her again, let me know right away," he said with a serious expression. "I have no problem filing a harassment suit on her, again." His eyes glittered fiercely, and I knew I never wanted to be on Gareth's bad side, ever.
"We will," I replied with a nod. I hoped never to see her again.
He nodded once, then glanced at his very expensive looking watch. "Alright, let's have a seat. It's just about show time."
Panic streaked through me as I contemplated how much I could screw this up. I took in a breath and let it out with a shudder as Gareth ushered me to the conference table, and I took a seat.
An Act of Redemption: Order & Chaos Book 3 Page 10
