page10 (2/2)
What were the words Marge Graham had used? Head over heels
"I' the first pang of guilt But he didn't want to feel guilty, there was no reason to feel guilty, it wasn't as if he was taking advantage of her She was being cos account, new penthouse, credit cards in her name
And she'd left it all, and hi into a yellow taxicab, her white skirts filling up the car's back seat
Morgan had chased after her to the steps of the cathedral, had watched the taxi pull away frolimpse of Winnie from the backa sheen of white, and pale skin Saw her hand reach up and press tiara and veil to the top of her head
Did she love him?
He told himself it didn't matter, that a contract was a contract, and business was business, but it did nothing to assuage his growing guilt
If she loved hiic at all Instead he'd taken advantage of a naive young woman's affection
Winnie dragged her crescent-shaped tiara and starchy white veil from the top of her head, plucked the pins that twisted curls back from her face and slumped at her desk, chin in hand
Well, the fairy tale was finally over
The prince had kissed the frog who clai was really just a frog and very green and very lumpy
Winnie had never felt like such a lu, no more fantasies of true love She'd taken those three little words, I need you, and turned thee and elaborate-a castle in the air
Yes, he needed her, but not the way she wanted him to need her He just needed a smokescreen A shield A semi warm body to deter the press
She'd been fine with that, too, had told herself that being needed was practically the sa in the church, dressed up like a princess bride, she realized she ht be able to delude the press, but she couldn't delude herself She was too e without love
Sighing at her folly, and wondering if she'd justreally different with her life, Winnie rolled back in her chair, away from her desk, to look around the office
This was Morgan's world She'd loved his world She'd really miss his world
For ahow she'd coo on a job interview
She was fresh out of college and Grady Invest to hire an entry-level position for their research department Grady Investments was Wall Street's hottest investhtest for their research team and Winnie had been thrilled when they read her resume and requested an interview
She spent teeks preparing for the interview She read every Fortune 500 press release available, tracked the hot stocks and graphed companies she believed were overvalued
Winnie couldn't have been more prepared Yet when she arrived for the interview she bombed It was just like at the church today She started thinking and criticizing herself and before she knew it she lost all her confidence
She stood in Grady Invest her briefcase that still had the new leather sh the reception area, all deep in conversation or engrossed in reading, and she felt like a fish out of water
She wasn't smart like these people She wasn't sophisticated like these people She wasn't successful like these people
The longer she stood there the more nervous she became By the time she was led to the conference room for her appointment, she was a mess Every i
ntelligent thought had left her brain Less than five ized, picked up her portfolio, and ran
It wasn't until she reached the busy street that the terror gave way to grief Despite her degree, her university honors, and the expensive wool suit, she still couldn't do anything right
That botched interview changed her career path
Instead of pursuing entry-level positions in finance she accepted a clerical position with another finance company Her future had been decided
Just like it'd been decided today
Morgan had given her the opportunity of a lifetime so what if he didn't love her? She could still have been part of his world and traveled and tried new things but no, she had to overanalyze and over think and ruin everything
She'd blown it again
"Going somewhere, Winnie?"
That voice was the voice she'd heard on the intercom for the last sevenMorgan Slowly, Winnie turned in her chair, hands resting on her white silk skirt "What are you doing here?"