“We just got caught sneaking out of the storage closet!” she whispered. Cooper shrugged. “Okay, new rule. You agree to act like a gentleman in public, and then once we’re alone you can be an animal.” She left him and made her way to the half-bath. Inside, she chuckled as she recalled the night she’d squeezed in there with him and demanded to know who he was. He’d looked like the worst thug. Now that she had a better understanding of his past, she could see how it had shaped him. If he came off sounding tough, it was because it had been necessary at one time. But she’d learned he could be thoughtful and caring as well, and she’d discovered brief periods of vulnerability that made her love him all the more. She hoped one day he would trust her enough to tell her about his past.
Summer was washing her hands at the pedestal sink when she felt the ring slip from her finger. She tried to grab it, but missed, and it disappeared down the drain. “Oh, no,” she muttered, knowing Cooper wouldn’t be pleased. Even a cubic zirconia would be costly considering its size and clarity. She hurried out, wondering the best way to break the news to him. He’d showed such concern over her losing it, one would have thought it was worth thousands. She found him talking to a man who’d made his fortune in real estate. “Bad news,” she said. “My ring fell down the drain.”
The easygoing smile he’d worn a moment before turned to shock. “Tell me you’re joking.”
“I wish I were.”
Cooper excused himself from the man he was speaking with and searched for Henrietta. He quickly explained the situation. “Oh, my,” she said. “I’ll have to close off the downstairs bath and request the guests use the one upstairs until I can get a plumber in. I’ll have Mrs. Bradshaw put in a call right away.”
Summer arrived to hear the tail end of the conversation. “Why are you going to such a fuss?” she asked. “I told you I’d replace the ring if something happened to it.”
He frowned at her. “Maybe it has sentimental value, okay?” he said. “Besides, what would people think if I didn’t at least make an attempt to retrieve it?”
“You’re right,” she said remembering how her friends had made such a big deal over its size. They’d naturally assume it was a fake if Cooper didn’t try to recover it.
Cooper was pacing the floor by the time the plumber arrived, a stocky man in avocado-green bib overalls. He had a dead cigar tucked at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t get bent out of shape yet,” he told Cooper.
“You’d be surprised how many rings I’ve pulled from the bottom of drainpipes. Has anyone used the sink since it went down?”
Cooper shook his head. “I personally guarded the door till you got here.”
The plumber first checked the stopper. “Sometimes these things catch ’em before they go down,” he said, talking around his stogie. “Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. I trust this ring is insured.” Cooper didn’t reply one way or the other, but he stayed by the man’s side while he took the pipes apart. Sure enough, he found the ring.
“Well, now, dis’n is a whopper,” he said, handing it to Cooper. “I don’t blame you for being nervous.” He went about putting the pipes back together. “Tell your fiancée to have it sized as soon as she can so she won’t risk losing it again,” he said.
Cooper thanked him and paid the bill. He also tipped the man generously for coming over on his day off. The plumber was so impressed; he gave Cooper his card and told him to call anytime.
Once Cooper had returned the ring to Summer’s finger, the guests cheered and snapped photos of the happy couple with their cell phones. “Try to hang on to it,” Cooper told her.
The evening went exceedingly well despite the ring mishap. A portable bar had been set up in the living room, and the bartender convinced Summer to try one of his special mint juleps. “Make it a light one,” she said, knowing she had a low tolerance for alcohol. She sipped the drink slowly as she and Cooper chatted with guests. They were asked the usual questions—where had they met, had they set a date for the wedding, and had they given any thought to where they might honeymoon.
Summer told them she and Cooper had not had a chance to work out the details. She noticed how he skirted around some of the questions her friends posed to him, mostly about his career, and she wondered if he was ashamed of being a motorcycle mechanic. She made a mental note to discuss it with him later. If she’d had reservations about his line of work before, they were long since forgotten.
The furniture had been removed from the oversized sun room at the back of the house, and a three-piece ensemble played mood music. The guests insisted Cooper and Summer dance. As before, it was as though an electric charge had gone off once their bodies touched. Summer was vaguely aware that people were snapping photos. Cooper did not look happy.
Once most of the guests had left, Cooper assisted his mother and Summer into the Lincoln. They dropped Summer off at her condo, and she thanked Vivian for attending their party and promised to call her soon. Cooper walked her to the door. “I’d give you a passionate kiss, but we have an audience at the moment.”
“I’ll take a rain check,” she said. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
He hesitated. “I’m probably going to have to work most of the weekend,” he said. “Remember the convention I was telling you about? It starts next weekend. I’m trying to get things lined up. Maybe we can have dinner.”
Summer tried not to look disappointed, but she couldn’t help but wonder what she’d done with all her time before he’d shown up in her life. “Okay. Just call me.”
He kissed her briefly and walked away.
Vivian Garrett gazed at her son thoughtfully as he helped her into the front seat of the Lincoln and drove away. “Summer’s a beautiful girl, Cooper,” she said. “She’s inherited her grandmother’s grace and charm.”
Cooper nodded, but it wasn’t Summer’s grace and charm that had him itching to be with her again as soon as possible. “Yes, I think so,” he said, realizing his mother was waiting for his answer.
“You’ve been dishonest with them,” she said.
He glanced at her and saw the reproachful look. “I never lied,” he replied. “I just haven’t given them all the facts.”
“How can you propose marriage to a woman who knows almost nothing about you?”
He stared straight ahead at the road. He’d never meant to include his mother in the charade; in fact, he’d planned to tell her the truth before she received an invitation to the engagement party. Unfortunately, Henrietta had called her the very next day, before he had a chance to set things straight. His mother had been ecstatic over the news, and even though he knew he was only digging himself deeper into a hole, he hadn’t had the heart to ruin it for her. “I plan on telling her the truth.”
“When?”
“Soon, I promise.”
Vivian leaned back in her seat. “The sooner the better,” she said. “It’s obvious the girl is in love with you.”
Cooper was so stunned by her words that he merely gaped at her. “You really think so?”
Vivian laughed. “Honestly, Cooper. Men can be so dense where women are concerned.”
#
Summer overslept on Monday, no doubt a result of having forgotten to set her alarm the previous night before she fell asleep in Cooper’s arms. A quick glance at the other side of the bed told her he’d obviously left during the night. With a sinking heart, she raced into the shower.
Edwin Worth’s weekly meeting was well under way when Summer slipped through the door as unobtrusively as she could and took the first empty seat. She opened her briefcase and reached inside for her pad of notes.
When it was her turn to speak, Worth brushed her aside. “I’ll see you in my office right after the meeting,” he said, and motioned for the man on her right to speak.
Summer could feel all eyes on her as she tried to maintain her professionalism despite the fact that Worth had just spoken to her as if she were a naughty child. Although she wasn’t in a hurry to face him, she couldn’
t wait for the meeting to end. Once it was over, she closed her briefcase, dropped it off in her office, and walked toward Worth’s domain.
She knew Max would give her a small briefing if he had a chance. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. Worth was snapping orders as fast as he could, and Max was scribbling furiously on his steno pad.
“Hold all my calls,” Worth said, then motioned Summer into his office. As he took a seat behind his desk, he indicated a chair on the other side.
“You’re full of surprises, Miss Pettigrew,” Worth said, leaning back in his seat and studying her thoughtfully.
Miss Pettigrew? Summer knew she was in hot water now. “How is that, Mr. Worth?” she asked politely.
“I read about your engagement in yesterday’s newspaper. Actually, my wife read it to me.”
Summer waited. Surely there was more to come. Why should Worth care one way or the other about her personal life?
“You’re obviously feeling financially secure to be marrying a man with as much money as your own family.”
She blinked several times. “I beg your pardon?”
“Perhaps it explains why you’ve lost your enthusiasm with regard to your job. You certainly don’t need the income.”
“Mr. Worth, I’m afraid there has been a mistake,” Summer said. “My fiancé is not a wealthy man. Even if he were, it would not interfere with my position at Worth Advertising. And I’ve not lost my enthusiasm. I’ve caught up with or completed my work on several accounts so I can give Gridlock Tires the attention it deserves.”
Edwin Worth handed her the newspaper that was open to the society page. The article began by focusing on multimillionaire and philanthropist Henrietta Pettigrew, but went on to announce the engagement of her granddaughter to Cooper Garrett, a successful entrepreneur who had become an overnight multimillionaire by designing and manufacturing his New Breed motorcycles, garnering respect from his competitors. The article mentioned he owned a large cattle ranch near Athens, Georgia. There was a photo of Henrietta and another of Cooper and her, taken at the recent fundraiser. Summer remembered how Cooper had tried to duck out of photos that evening and was equally uncomfortable at their engagement party.
Summer looked at Worth. “I’m at a loss,” she said. “First of all, this article sounds like something you’d read in a tabloid.”
Worth shrugged. “People like reading about those of us who have succeeded and made a lot of money doing so.”
“Yes, but the person who wrote this column made a serious error,” she said. “My, um, fiancé is a bike mechanic. He does have a farm, but he described it as being small. Again, I don’t see what this has to do with my employment.”
“I recently learned there was an altercation involving a potential client, Sam Flynn, and that your fiancé roughed him up, so to speak.”
Summer gave a mental sigh. She had hoped the whole thing had blown over, but it seemed that was not the case. “I see,” she said, deciding it was best to hold her tongue until she knew exactly what she was up against.
“I personally spoke with Mr. Flynn who told me he’d decided to go with another agency. He said he was attacked in the hall by a man wearing a leather bomber jacket. Mr. Flynn hinted that he is thinking of filing a lawsuit against Worth Advertising.”
“He has no case against us,” Summer said, “because my fiancé did not attack him. But while we’re on the subject of Mr. Flynn, did he mention that he made sexual advances toward me? Did he tell you that he tried to convince me to fly to one of his sights, as in just the two of us? He made it clear I would have a better chance of getting his business if I agreed to participate.”
Worth eyed her steadily. “Come now, Miss Pettigrew, you’re a very attractive woman. Surely you’ve had that sort of thing happen before. That’s not to say I condone Mr. Flynn’s behavior—I do not—but as an employee of Worth Advertising, I would have expected you to handle it with more grace and dignity. You have not only embarrassed our firm, you caused us to lose what could easily have been our biggest account this year.”
Summer opened her mouth to reply, but he cut her off.
“You also went behind my back and took on the Good Shepherd account after I specifically told you not to.”
Summer tried not to gape. How the hell did he know about the Good Shepherd account? “It has not gotten in the way of my other accounts.”
“That’s not the point,” he said. “The point is you went against my wishes.”
Summer said nothing.
“Is my information accurate?” Worth asked.
Summer nodded, but she could not help but wonder who had ratted her out. “Yes,” she said. Probably one of the ad execs who wanted Gridlock for himself, she thought. How many times had Warren warned her to watch her back?
“Some of the older guys resent having a young woman come on board,” he’d told her plenty of times. “You need to keep your desk drawer and office door locked when you’re away from the office. Do not take your eyes off your briefcase for even one minute, do not discuss your accounts, and don’t give out personal information about yourself.”
Summer had thought Warren was being paranoid. Obviously he knew what he was talking about.
She realized Worth was speaking to her. “Do you wish to maintain your position with Worth Advertising?”
“Of course.”
“Very well, in that case, I expect you to drop the Good Shepherd account immediately and write a letter of apology to Mr. Flynn. Ask him if he will reconsider going with us.”
Summer could not believe what she was hearing.
“Additionally, you will be put on a thirty day probationary period, after which we will meet again and decide if this is where you really belong. Are we in agreement?”
“What about Gridlock Tires?” Summer asked.
“You will still be involved in the account, but I’ll have to assign someone to work with you; a senior ad exec, since there is a chance you won’t be here in thirty days.”
Summer was angry, but she was determined to maintain her composure. She could already read the writing on the wall, so to speak. Once a senior ad exec was assigned to work with her he would take over, and after thirty days she would be gone.
“With all due respect, Mr. Worth, I believe I have proven myself to this company many times over. I’m a professional, and I refuse to be groped or coerced into participating in illicit behavior in order to win an account. Furthermore, I don’t need someone assigned to work with me on the Gridlock Account. Joyce Taylor, my admin assistant is fully capable of helping me. She has done so before, and she is good.”
He looked surprised. “You’re going to ask your secretary to help with one of the biggest accounts? Do you know how foolish that sounds?”
“I know how things work around here, Mr. Worth. I’ll lose the Gridlock account after all the hard work I’ve done. You’ll see that one of your ad buddies gets it, and I’ll be out the door.”
Worth’s face turned red, he sputtered his reply. “Are you questioning how I run my agency?” he asked.
“Gridlock Tires specifically asked me to handle their account,” she said. “They were referred to me because I did a great job on another account. Not only do I not deserve a thirty-day probation, I do not deserve to have Gridlock yanked from me.”
“Are you refusing to follow my directions?” he asked.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Summer said. “Secondly, Worth Advertising has no right to stop me from performing charitable work when I’m off the clock, so to speak, and, secondly, I would have expected you to side with me instead of Mr. Flynn. You say you don’t condone his behavior, but by ordering me to apologize, you are simply looking the other way, and that means you are in fact condoning sexual harassment. I’m the injured party here, not Mr. Flynn.
“If anyone has the right to bring forth a lawsuit, it would be me. And I believe I would be able to collect damages because we both know I am one of the top producers
in this company, and I’ve never had a complaint.”
Worth looked incredulous. “You would actually consider filing legal action against this company?”
“I think it’s worth consulting my attorney,” she said. “After all, your expectations leave me no choice but to resign. In doing so, I’m giving up an account worth millions. I’m losing my commission.”
Worth folded his hands on his desk. Summer saw a flash of concern cross his face. “I think you’re overreacting,” he said.
“Again, you leave me no option. I’d like to be excused now,” she said, coming to her feet.
“Sit down, Miss Pettigrew!” he said sharply.
“I beg your pardon?” Summer said, clearly offended. “Your tone of voice is unacceptable.”
Worth took a deep breath. “Please sit,” he said. He waited until she had done so before speaking. “My great-grandfather founded this company in the early nineteen hundreds. Our reputation is beyond reproach. I won’t have you spouting lies against Worth Advertising.”
“I don’t have to lie, Mr. Worth. The truth is damaging enough.”
He shoved a legal pad across the desk and gave her a pen. “I’ll accept your resignation immediately. You will quietly pack your things. In the meantime, make a list, Miss Pettigrew. Tell me what I have to do to make the problem go away.”
#
Max looked up from his desk as Summer stepped out of Worth’s office. “Well?” he asked.
“I’m outta here,” she whispered.
Max looked stunned. “Worthless fired you?” he asked, using the name he often called his boss behind his back.
“I resigned.” She glanced at Worth’s door. “I don’t want to get you into trouble.”
“It’s okay,” Max whispered, pointing at the row of square buttons across the bottom of the phone. One was presently lit up. “He’s on a call. What are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I should call Warren.”
“Oh, blast it, I forgot to tell you. Warren called first thing this morning. He asked to speak to Mr. Worth. Which I thought strange, since Warren’s not one of Mr. Worth’s favorite people.”
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