resume onto the old man’s desk, then walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a scotch, not bothering to ask permission because it would only piss the old man off.
“You’re hiring a girl?” Jefferson asked, his white, bushy eyebrows lowering in anger as he looked at Josh, now sitting in one of the chairs in front of the man’s desk.
“I’m hiring me,” Josh countered.
Jefferson let the resume flutter back to his desk as he sipped his scotch. For a moment, he contemplated Josh. “So, who is she?” he asked.
Josh shrugged one massive shoulder dismissively. “I don’t know. But she’s young, desperate, and on the brink of disaster.” He paused, the glass halfway to his mouth as he said, “She might actually have reached disaster and is just muddling through, trying to keep her head above water, although she might be sinking pretty fast.”
Jefferson’s lips pressed together and he took a long sip of his scotch. “What happened to her?”
Josh stared at the amber liquid in the crystal glass, his eyes narrowed as he thought back to the lovely girl-woman’s furious words just prior to her less than epic departure. “I don’t know. But she’s too damn young to have such an attitude.” He paused, smiling for a moment. “You should have seen her, Jefferson. She was…amazing! This Abbot woman…she yelled at me. She told me that the other women who had been in for interviews before her were only trying to get into my bed and I should hire her simply because she’s a good worker and because she’d stay well away from any sort of sexual liaison with me. That she was sick of men who manipulated…or something along those lines. She was…” he paused again, shaking his head. “Fabulous.”
Jefferson leaned back in his chair, watching the young man who had come so far in life in such a short period of time. Josh Starke was like a son to Jefferson, but it had taken a lot of determination and patience to get him to his current success. And damn if Josh Starke wasn’t the epitome of success! Jefferson couldn’t be more proud of him if the kid was his own flesh and blood. Unfortunately, Jefferson had never found the kind of love that would make all of his financial success worthwhile. And he’d never taken the time to have a family, something he deeply regretted until meeting Josh Starke one miserable afternoon.
But had Jefferson pushed Josh too far? The man worked hard and was brilliant. He was already ridiculously wealthy and Josh’s power would only increase with his latest move to start his own investment firm. Unfortunately, Josh worked twenty hours a day, not bothering to really enjoy life. The same path Jefferson had taken. Josh always enjoyed the ladies, but only for a week or so before moving on. Josh would never find a loving woman if he kept pushing himself to succeed further in business.
Jefferson knew that if Josh weren’t careful, then the man would end up just like him. And adopting this girl…he glanced down at the resume again, there was no doubt that she was still a child…might be just what Josh needed. For the past several years, Josh had been so focused on work that he hadn’t taken the time to have fun.
Sloane Abbot, huh? He’d have to get his people to investigate her. “Well, what are you doing here then? Why aren’t you…?”
“Stop!” Josh laughed. “I came by to ask for a favor.”
“What’s that?”
The housekeeper knocked on the door, announcing that dinner was ready. “For both of you,” she said, turning to Josh with an admonishing look, warning him that he was expected to walk right into the dining room and eat whatever she’d fixed for the two of them. Hell, probably the three of them. Wilma wasn’t shy and sometimes sat down and ate with the two men she took such good care of. And Josh didn’t have to be a betting man to know that Wilma would sneak a bag of leftovers into his car. She was a mother hen if ever he’d seen one and didn’t like that Josh ate at restaurants for most of his meals. She cooked extra for him so that he’d have a home cooked meal at least once a week.
Josh sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose for a moment. “I recognize the address she put on her resume.” His lip curled in disgust. “She’s living at the shelter downtown. She mentioned