“I think you cut off your options too hastily,” he said, smiling at her. “I’m still glad to find you again. I suppose it’s Isabelle now and not Jessie.”
“Definitely. Jessie was a nickname from childhood. My grandmother was named Isabelle and I loved her and always wished Isabelle had been my first name. When I graduated from college, I saw an opportunity to move into a different world with different friends and change to the name I like best. I prefer Isabelle and most of my coworkers don’t even know Jessica, much less Jessie.”
His gaze roamed over her features, his scrutiny making her breathless. “I hope you come to work sometime with your hair down. I remember your long hair,” he said in a husky voice.
And I remember your broad shoulders and rock-hard body, she thought. “I don’t wear my hair down to work,” she answered in what she hoped was a remote voice. “It doesn’t seem as professional.”
“So when you knew I was coming, you began looking for another job?”
“Actually, the companies contacted me. I intended to look other places, and now I’ve had promising offers.”
“You’ve said you’d wait and give us a chance.”
“I will, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be leaving and even more certain you’ll never miss me.” It was tempting for her to add, You didn’t be fore. “I need to go. I told Mr. Morris goodbye. I’ll miss him, but he seems happy with the prospect of retiring.”
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Tony said, falling into step beside her. “Catch me up. Did you go from college to Morris?”
“No. I worked for an ad agency for two years and then came to work here.”
At her car she stopped and smiled. “Good night,” she said, pulling her coat close around her.
“Night, Isabelle. I’ll see you at the office.”
She slid behind the wheel. He closed the door and stepped back.
As she drove away across the parking lot, she glanced in the rearview mirror. He stood staring at her car.
She had turned down dinner and told him she was quitting. Exactly what she should have done, but there was part of her that wanted to accept his dinner offer and stay in his employ.
This had to be for the best. She didn’t want any more nights of mindless liaisons, a brief casual relationship with her employer that meant nothing to him. She wanted out of this company and away from Tony Ryder with her heart and her self-respect intact. And she didn’t want the office gossiping about her relationship with the new owner. Tony Ryder was not the person to get involved with and she regretted that he had recognized her. She intended to keep reminding herself that he was not the kind of man she wanted to spend her time with.
Even so, there was part of her that wanted to stay at Morris. A part of her that knew she would see more of Tony if he was her boss.
As she studied an ad layout at the office Friday morning, Isabelle received a call from Tony’s secretary, who wanted to set up a meeting. Within minutes Isabelle had an eleven-o’clock appointment Monday with Tony, his president of operations and the president of promotion and information. She was still tempted to turn in a resignation and skip the interview, but she was curious how badly he wanted her to stay. What offer would he make?
She had already decided which company she would prefer to join. She had had the third interview, which had culminated in a job offer that included more money than she was making. She would oversee a larger graphic arts department in an office with a more convenient location. She did not expect Tony to top their proposal, giving her the opportunity to tell him she had a better offer. Going with that thought firmly in mind, she spent the weekend getting ready for her business move, hoping to take off a few days in between employers. Saturday morning she went to a midmorning meeting of Dallas Regional Graphic Artists. She had belonged to the group since she had started her career.
As she expected, a close friend greeted her upon her arrival. Dylan Kinnaly—who was seriously involved with Tony’s sister, Sydney—broke away from a cluster of people and hurried toward her. The tall, slender man had a worried frown that indicated something bad had happened.
“Have you met him yet?” Dylan asked. “You said Tony Ryder takes over now.”
“Hello, to you,” she answered with amusement. “Yes, I’ve met him. He wants me to stay with Morris.”
“Sydney’s parents had a long talk with her about me. I was hoping to talk with you when we get a chance. Can you stay after the meeting?”
“Sure, the room will be empty,” she said, her curiosity rising. Dylan had become a good friend over the years and she had been surprised when she had learned he was seeing Tony’s sister.
She had first met Sydney Ryder at an annual film festival held by one of the local art museums. Later, she had seen her a few times at professional events when Dylan had brought her along. She couldn’t keep from liking Sydney and couldn’t blame her for anything her brother did. But Sydney was a reminder of Tony, and for that reason Isabelle had refused the few invitations from Dylan to go to dinner with them. When she had told Dylan about meeting Tony in college, swearing him to secrecy about telling Sydney, Dylan understood her refusal to get to know Sydney better.
“The meeting’s beginning so we’ll talk later.”
They took seats and listened as a speaker took the podium. The meeting was short, lasting only an hour.
It wasn’t until they were alone that Dylan turned to her. Since his blue eyes were clouded with worry, she braced for bad news. “Sydney called me last Tuesday night. Her parents gave her an ultimatum. If she doesn’t drop me, they will disinherit her, stop paying for medical school for her and cut her out of family holidays.”
“Dylan, I can’t believe that. Why?” Isabelle asked, aghast and wondering about the tensions in Tony’s family. “How can they interfere in your lives that way? Why would they?”
“I’m not society. They want her to marry one of the men she’s known all her life. Also, they think I’m after her money.”
“That’s dreadful,” Isabelle answered. “Sounds like something out of the eighteenth century.”
“I don’t want any of Sydney’s money,” he said, his long fingers turning his pen in his hand. “I don’t want to hurt her, either. We’ve talked it over. As far as I’m concerned, I see only one solution—I ended our relationship. For her sake.”
“That’s even worse. Does she go along with your decision?”
“No. She wants us back together, but they’re threatening too big a disaster for her. I don’t want her going through anything so stressful over me. She’s always loved her family and they’ve been close. She’s very close with her brother.”
“What’s does Tony think of all this?”
“He said he would send her to medical school, not to worry about that one.”
“Good for him,” Isabelle said, relieved and aware of a grudging respect blossoming for Tony. “He can afford to do that. I was afraid he would side with his folks.”
“Not at all. He gave her a generous check. He told her he would never cut her out on holidays—or ever. He urged her to tell me their threats. Tony is damn supportive, but from what Sydney has told me, Tony has had bitter battles with his dad.”
“I’m glad Tony took that stand,” she said, her respect growing stronger. “I think more of him for not siding with them, and for urging her to tell you their threats.”
“They may treat him the same way when he gets engaged if it isn’t someone they approve of.”
“Tony Ryder is a complete workaholic,” Isabelle said. “I can’t imagine him getting married.