Baby For The Mountain Man

Tobias sighed. “Does he know you came here?”

I shook my head. “I left while he was sleeping. He was drunk. He probably won’t know I’m gone for another few days.”

“Do you think he’s going to come looking for you?”

I swallowed. “I hope not. I mean, he shouldn’t know where to find me, so…”

The frown remaining on Tobias’s face clearly indicated that he didn’t find my words reassuring. “Listen, if he ever comes near you again—”

“Yeah, I know,” I said, cutting off his threat, I already knew how he would end it. He’d hire some big fancy lawyer and take every Zander owned. But that wasn’t what I wanted. I just needed it all to be behind me. For it to be over. “But I don’t need you fighting all my battles for me. I can take care of myself. That’s why I left him.”

“It took you too long to leave. You should have left after the first time, Joanna.”

I reached for a sip of tea. “I’m tired,” I said, feeling drained all of a sudden.

Tobias nodded. “I have plenty of rooms. Just pick whichever one you want.” He rose from the table and stretched. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“You’ve done more than enough already. Anything else I need, I plan to earn it.”

“When do you want to start working?” he asked.

“Can I have a week to get settled in first?”

“Of course. You can have all the time you need.”

“I just need a few days, and then I’ll be ready to do whatever you need me to do. I really am grateful for you letting me come work at your firm at such short notice and all.”

Tobias waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t mention it, sis,” he said before turning around and leaving me to familiarize myself with his mansion.

* * *

Two days later, I was already growing restless hanging around Tobias’ mansion.

“I thought you said you needed a week to adapt before starting work?” he asked me after I told him that I was ready to start training for my new job position.

“Yeah, well, there’s no need to prolong things,” I said. “The sooner I start working, the sooner I can be out of your hair.”

“Having you here is no problem, I keep telling you that.”

“Yeah, I know. But still, I’m ready.”

The next day, he began training me for the new job, and once we hit the one-week mark of my return to Chicago, I was ready to officially start working at his firm. Against my will, he had given me shopping money to renew my wardrobe, although I only accepted it after he promised to let me pay him back.

The morning of my first day, I woke early, showered, and carefully tied back my hair into a neat ponytail. I dressed in a new gray business suit I’d gotten, consisting of a simple white blouse, pencil skirt that hit me right at the knee, and a blazer. I then slid on a pair of modest heels and eyed my reflection in the mirror. An unusual feeling came over me, which I recognized to be a mixture of grief and excitement. Knowing that I was about to start a new job just made me miss the one I was leaving behind. With my abrupt departure from Miami, things clearly hadn’t ended on the best terms with that particular job. After my first day showing up to my brother’s, I’d had to painstakingly call my boss to explain why I had left so suddenly. To say it had been one of the most awkward conversations of my life was an understatement.

My stomach clenched in knots just thinking back on it.

I turned around when I heard a knock on the door of the guest bedroom I had claimed for myself. Tobias poked his head in. He wore a crisp suit and was carrying a briefcase. “Ready?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yep.”

“All right. Let’s go.”

When we arrived at the office, I was once again reminded of why I so thoroughly hated feeling like the new kid in town. It was just a solid reminder that I hadn’t entirely outgrown the self-consciousness I’d suffered in childhood; it was always there, ready to resurface. My self-consciousness was what had contributed to my need to be an over-achiever. Too often, it felt like the only way I could make myself feel worthy was by proving how adequately I could do my work.

“Are you all right?” Tobias asked, obviously noticing my distress.

“Yeah.”