Chasing Perfect. Сьюзен Мэллери

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      Josh continued to study his computer screen and ignore his assistant. Something he was good at. It came from years of practice.

      Unfortunately Eddie wasn’t the type to take the hint. “I’m talking to you, Josh.”

      “I knew that.” He turned his attention from the e-mail to his seventy-something assistant who stood with her hands on her hips.

      Eddie Carberry wore her white hair in short curls. She liked heavy makeup and velour track suits. She had one for every day of the week. If it was Monday, she was wearing violet.

      “They’re getting on my nerves,” she announced. “What the hell were you thinking? I know you’re not sleeping with them, so it’s not about sex. Don’t tell me you’re being nice, either. You know how I hate that.” Eddie glared at him as she spoke.

      He knew better than to take her temper seriously, just as he knew the “they” in question were the three college-aged girls that were supposed to be helping her in the office.

      “You said you wanted to cut back on your responsibilities,” he hedged. “You said you wanted a staff.”

      Eddie rolled her eyes. “I said I wanted to look like Demi Moore, too, but I don’t see you doing anything about that. They’re not staff, they’re blonde and every cliché that goes with the hair color. All they want to talk about is you.” She raised her voice. “Josh is just so handsome,” she said in a mocking squeak. “Do you think he’s going to ask me out?”

      She lowered her voice to its normal gravelly tone. “I thought you’d explained everything when you hired them.”

      He winced. “I did. In detail.”

      “Then you’re going to have to do it again.”

      Apparently.

      Young women had done everything from showing up in his bed naked and uninvited to claiming to be pregnant with his baby—all in a bid to get his attention. He understood the theory. If they belonged to someone the public perceived as special then they were special, as well. Telling them he wasn’t worth their time didn’t seem to get through. This summer he’d tried offering jobs instead, thinking the reality of working around him would allow them to see the man behind the myth. So far the plan wasn’t working.

      “I could get more help out of a couple of cats,” Eddie grumbled. “And you know how I feel about cats.”

      He did. She resented any creature who dared to shed on one of her track suits.

      “I’ll talk to them,” he said.

      “You’d better.” She lowered her arms to her sides, then walked toward his desk. “The storefront on Third leased out.”

      He leaned back in his chair as she sat down. “Good.” It had been vacant nearly three months.

      “The lease is at the attorney’s. I’ll pick it up later today for you to read.” She cleared her throat. “You have a request to ride in a charity race.”

      “No.”

      “It’s for sick kids.”

      “It usually is.”

      “You should do this one.”

      She was trying to provoke him. For some reason Eddie believed if she could get him to yell, he would give in.

      “It’s in Florida,” she said. “You could go to Disney World.”

      “I’ve been to Disney World.”

      “You need to get out, Josh. Ride again. You can’t—”

      “Next?” he asked cutting her off.

      She stared at him, her eyes narrowed. He stared back.

      She blinked first. “Fine. Be that way.” She sighed heavily, as if her life was nothing but pain. “I keep getting calls about a charity golf tournament. The sponsor has a connection with the ski resort and they’re thinking of holding it in town.”

      Golf he could do. It wasn’t his sport, so excellence wasn’t expected or required. He could simply be charming for the cameras, raise some money and call it a day.

      “Okay on the golf.”

      “At least that’s something,” she grumbled. “I’ll have the sales figures for the sporting goods store later today. Preliminary numbers are good. The flyers did a nice job of bringing in business. Internet sales are up, too. Now if we could get a picture of you on some of the bikes we carry…”

      He ignored her. Which meant looking away. One of the blondes walked by just then and assumed he was glancing at her rather than away from Eddie. The young woman smiled and slowed.

      Damn.

      Eddie turned and saw the girl. “Get back to work,” she snapped. “This isn’t about you.”

      The girl pouted, but did as she was told.

      “Did I say they make me crazy?” Eddie asked.

      “More than once.”

      “You need a girlfriend. If they think you’re with someone else, they’ll back off.”

      “No, they won’t.”

      “Probably not,” she agreed. “I swear, Josh, there’s something about you. Women everywhere are just dying to be in your bed.”

      He winced, not wanting to have this conversation with his septuagenarian assistant.

      “I guess the good news is if you’d done it as much as they said, you’d be dead now.”

      “A cheerful thought,” he said dryly.

      Eddie stood. “I’ll be back later with those numbers.”

      “I’ll count the hours.”

      She barked a laugh as she left. Josh returned his gaze to the computer screen, but not his attention. The girls in his office were the least of his problems. What kept him up nights wasn’t the young women so convinced he was the answer to every prayer they’d ever had. It was the reality of knowing he was a total fraud and no one had seemed to figure that out.

      OVER THE NEXT FEW days Charity continued to learn about her job and meet the rest of the staff. She noticed that every one of them was female, with the exception of Robert Anderson, the treasurer.

      “Robert’s been with us five years,” Marsha said after a meeting on Wednesday, then excused herself to make a call to the county commissioner.

      Robert was a nice-looking man in his early thirties. His dark eyes sparkled with amusement as he shook Charity’s hand. “You look a little surprised to see me. Is it because I’m a guy? Did the Mayor tell you about our little problem?”

      “Yes, СКАЧАТЬ