The shock traveled through Kim’s body, followed by a sharp jab of anger, which was compounded by the lascivious gleam in Jared’s eyes and the unmistakable challenge in his face.
“You’d what?” A hard edge surrounded her words, combined with her disbelief at what he had said, but she didn’t care and made no effort to hide it.
“I’d be willing to make arrangements for you to work off the debt this summer while you’re not teaching rather than having to come up with the money from some other source.”
A hint of a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, a grin he was obviously trying to suppress. Anger welled inside her. He was playing games with her, baiting her…taunting her. She bristled at his suggestion and its implied meaning, a situation fueled by the sexy twinkle in his eyes. She forced her anger down as she carefully measured her words. “That type of ludicrous line might work on the many women who frequent your bedroom, but I’m most certainly not one of them!”
“Whoa! Hold on there. I don’t know what you’re assuming, but what I’m offering is a legitimate way for you to resolve this problem. I need a girl Friday type of person for the summer while I’m here. I usually have one of the secretaries from our corporate offices in San Francisco handle the summer chores, but I’d be willing to allow you to fill that position. And in exchange for that…” His voice trailed off as his gaze slowly drifted across her body, then returned to her face.
The anger crept into her voice. “And in exchange for that, what? You’re going to forgive twenty thousand dollars plus all the accrued interest?” She threw a skeptical look in his direction. “That’s a lot of money for only three months worth of legitimate work.”
He stared at her. She felt as if his green eyes were looking right through her. A shiver of trepidation slowly replaced the anger of a moment earlier. Had she gone too far? Had she been out of line in so quickly jumping to interpret his meaning or, more accurately, to possibly have misinterpreted it? She couldn’t afford to be on the receiving end of a lawsuit. She could not allow the situation to disintegrate to the point where he would file a claim against her father’s estate. Good grief, Kim. Why can’t you learn to keep your big mouth shut and your thoughts to yourself?
“It would be a lot of money if it were actually being paid to someone. I’m looking at the overall picture, the cost to me of bringing someone from the corporate offices. Not only would I need to pay someone a salary while taking them away from their regular duties, I would also need to provide housing for the summer and per diem money since that employee would be away from home on a work assignment. You already have housing here in Otter Crest, and I assume have already made arrangements for whatever money you need to accommodate your bills during the summer.”
It made sense, but did she dare trust what he said? He was a Stevens. For as long as she could remember, her father and Jared’s father had been at odds. And before that it was her grandfather and Jared’s grandfather. The walls seemed to be closing in around her, trapping her in an untenable situation. He had manipulated her to the point where he had taken away any choices she might have had.
She tried to project an assertive, in-control attitude, something far removed from the way she felt. “I would insist that my attorney draw up a document stating the exact parameters of this agreement…that is, if I decide to do it.”
Jared flashed the sexy smile that set her heart fluttering and caused a shortness of breath. “I wouldn’t have it any other way—everything neat and tidy and legal.”
She swallowed hard as several thoughts circulated through her mind. It didn’t have to be all one-sided where she was doing all the giving and he was doing all the taking. There wouldn’t be anything in an agreement that said she had to be pleasant. She could make it the most miserable three months of his life as long as she didn’t step over the line and give him an opportunity to claim she wasn’t living up to her part of the agreement. But was that practical? What she really wanted to do was resolve the debt question, then get as far away from the town of Otter Crest and any connection with the Stevens family as she could.
A brief thought popped into her mind that it might be the sexy magnetism of the troublesome and disconcerting Jared Stevens she wanted to get away from. She tried to dismiss the errant notion as ridiculous, but it continued to linger in the back of her mind, circulating a heated excitement through her veins.
Jared’s smooth voice interrupted her disturbing thoughts.
“Well? What’s your answer?” The triumphant gleam sparkled in his eyes, and the look of victory covered his features. “Are we going to be able to satisfy this debt easily or do I need to have my attorney file that claim against the estate?”
A hard lump formed in her throat, successfully blocking any attempt to speak. He had her backed into a corner. A little shiver of trepidation worked its way through her body, touched by a hint of resentment at the way he had manipulated the situation for his benefit. She reluctantly nodded in agreement. Would it be a decision she would live to regret? One that would come back to haunt her?
“Is that nod your way of accepting my offer?”
She forced the words. “Yes…providing my attorney can draw up an agreement that we both find acceptable.”
Jared opened his attaché case again and removed a writing pad and pen. He seated himself on the couch. “Now, what points do you want to have in the agreement?”
It was another half hour before Jared prepared to leave the Donaldson house. They each had a list of the points they had agreed to. He had offered to have his attorney draw up the letter of agreement, but she had insisted she wanted her attorney to do it. The agreement would take effect on Monday. That would give him four days to devise a work schedule for her and to figure out exactly what he would be having her do.
A little twinge of delight danced inside him as he walked to his car. She could have her attorney draw up the agreement, but as long as it followed the parameters they had agreed to he would be able to give her a whole list of menial tasks and mundane little chores.
Jared climbed into his car, backed out of her driveway, then drove down the street. He had many legitimate projects where he could use the help of a good assistant during the course of the summer, not the least of which was the community center building currently under construction, but could he really trust her to handle confidential business matters for him? To work with his best interests in mind? He wished he could, but he was afraid to take that chance. She had already made it clear the Stevens–Donaldson feud was prominent in her thinking. So he would confine her work to unimportant jobs that did not compromise his business interests or jeopardize any important projects.
He continued to turn the possibilities over in his mind as he drove home. Once again a sense of upheaval in his life burrowed its way into his consciousness, leaving him a little bit uneasy and very uncertain about what the next three months would bring.
Kim stared at the clothes she had brought with her from her apartment in San Francisco. She tried to determine what would be appropriate to wear her first day of work at Jared’s summer office. She glanced at the clock next to the bed—6:30 a.m. A touch of irritation shoved at her, just as it had for the past few days. She had two hours of freedom left, then her contracted work schedule would deprive her of her summer.
She had spent the last three days clearing out some of her father’s belongings—donating his clothes to a homeless shelter, examining his financial records in more detail, then contacting his creditors about his financial obligations. She determined what she wanted to keep and what she would sell, obtained an appraisal of his belongings and listed his house with a real estate agent. The only things she had not inspected were several file folders containing miscellaneous papers. The pressing business matters of her father’s estate had been attended to for the time being. She placed the file folders in a box and set it aside. She would look at the papers some other time.
Her attorney, Gary Parker, had presented her with the letter of agreement according to the points she and Jared had previously established. They had both signed it.