“So you’re short a staff member,” Brynn pressed. “Going to be pretty tough to be CEO if you’re trying to answer your own phone.”
Oh no. No no no. Fire alarms started blaring in Sophie’s head.
“Brynn,” she began in a warning tone.
But her sister ignored her and remained fixed on Gray. “Well, I was just thinking…you’re short an assistant, and Sophie’s short a job.”
Sophie saw the moment Gray realized what Brynn was up to. His eyes widened in horror.
Yeah. Exactly.
“Brynn…” she said again.
Again, her sister ignored her plea. “Sophie can easily adapt to the professional world. Sure she’s done mostly restaurant stuff for a few years, but back in college she spent a couple years as a temp receptionist, and she had a great internship during law school.”
Gray’s eyes flew to hers. “You went to law school?”
“Dropout,” Sophie said sweetly.
“But still,” Brynn pressed. “She would be a fantastic assistant.”
Gray continued to look a little dazed by Brynn’s suggestion. Even Sophie’s parents were staring at their oldest daughter in puzzlement, no doubt wondering why Brynn was trying to push Sophie’s mediocrity onto her new perfect boyfriend.
“You’re being a control freak,” Will told Brynn.
“I’m being helpful,” Brynn corrected, before leaning expectantly toward Gray. “So what do you think? You can at least give her a chance, right?”
“I, um…I don’t think…I suppose…”
Sophie realized in sudden horror what was about to happen. This man’s complete social ineptitude was about to land them both in an intolerable situation.
The pinched expression on Gray’s face said that having Sophie for an employee was the last thing he wanted. But the fumbling look of panic in his eyes was even more alarming; he didn’t know how to say no. He was about to make things worse.
“I am not working for your boyfriend,” Sophie said harshly, cutting off Gray’s babbling. “And I’m not working in a godforsaken office.”
“Now, Sophie,” her mother said, apparently coming around to the idea, “it could be a great opportunity…”
“An opportunity to what, learn how to staple?”
“You don’t know how to staple?” Will asked.
“It could get your foot in the door, Soph,” Chris said, looking thoughtful.
Great. Just great. Now her whole family was warming up to this ridiculous plot. Sophie looked at Will in desperation, but he just shrugged and rubbed his fingers together meaningfully.
Right.
Money.
Something she had none of. And something she’d need soon if she wanted to be able to pay her bills and eat something other than rice cakes. Shoulda thought of that before giving your two weeks’ notice, she reminded herself.
Gray cleared his throat roughly. “Ms. Dalton, it doesn’t sound like a career in hotel hospitality holds much interest for you, but I’d be happy to discuss the possibility of employment with you should you change your mind.”
Sophie was so startled to hear Gray addressing her directly that it took a few moments for the actual words to sink in.
She stared at him. “You want me to come work for you?”
His wince said it all. No.
“If you would like,” he replied, giving her an intent look with a hidden message.
Ah. There it was. He wanted her to get them out of this mess so he could save face. Here the perfect CEO was, throwing a bone at the pathetic, loser sister.
And his expression made it clear that as the poor loser sister, Sophie was supposed to do what her family was expecting her to do: refuse the responsible option.
For once, they were in agreement. Refusal had been on the tip of her tongue from the moment she’d realized where Brynn was going with her well-meaning interference.
The whole point of quitting Stump’s was to regain some self-respect. And working for a man who despised her was not the path to emotional validation.
Except…
“I accept,” she heard herself say.
Five pairs of startled eyes stared at her. Even Brynn looked surprised, and she was the one who’d engineered this whole disaster.
“Are you sure, Soph?” Will asked, looking uncharacteristically somber.
Not at all.
“Mr. Wyatt here offered me a great opportunity,” she said with a calm she didn’t feel. “As my parents so gently pointed out, I’d be a fool not to take it.”
She met Gray’s eyes as she said this, and the stormy disbelief she read there made her realize exactly why she’d done it.
Revenge.
CHAPTER FOUR
Gray told himself he wasn’t watching the clock.
But when the knock came at his door, he was prepared.
Hell, he should be prepared. He’d been up half the night trying to decide exactly how to play this moment.
“Come in,” he called, only after carefully schooling his face into a mask of cool indifference. No doubt his new “assistant” thought she could stroll in whenever she pleased because her sister was dating the boss.
Gray knew women like Sophie Dalton. Women whose middle names were “manipulation.” They manipulated the system, their careers. Men.