Page 19 of Her Stepbrother Master
Mr. Jones frowned, but quickly recovered. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you in Brad’s capable hands for a few minutes.”
Mr. Washburn spoke the moment the door shut, as if he’d been waiting for a chance to speak with him alone. “You did the original design, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you approve of all the upgrades Mr. Jones recommends?”
He hesitated. It would be very bad form to say anything negative about his boss or the way he ran his business. If he valued his job, he would keep his mouth shut.
“Come on, you can tell me the truth. What would you do, if you were me?”
Brad drew in a deep breath, looking toward the door as if Mr. Jones might pop back through it at any moment. “To be perfectly honest, sir?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m asking.”
“I would insist on using the original design and nothing more.”
Mr. Washburn straightened his spine. “That’s what I thought. I’m glad to know my instincts were right about you and about him,” he said, lifting his chin toward the door. “I think I will take my business elsewhere.”
Brad jolted in his seat. “Oh, no, Mr. Washburn. There’s no sense in starting over. We already have a design that worked for you.”
“I know, but I can’t work with someone I don’t trust. Don’t you worry, I won’t tell Jones what you said to me. And if you want to design my house for me on the side, I’d be happy to pay you to do it.”
Brad stared at the man, waffling between loyalty to his employer and the golden opportunity laid before him. But having one client didn’t mean he could sustain a business, and he’d have to quit to take this job, because it would surely come out when they arrived at the building phase, and then he’d be fired on the spot.
Washburn slid his business card across the desk. “Think it over, sonny,” he said and stood up. “I’d like to give you the business, and I’ll be sure to tell everyone I know how honest and trustworthy you are.”
Brad took the card and dropped it into his jacket pocket, clearing his throat. Before he could answer, Mr. Jones entered.
LuAnn walked out of her interior design class filled with ideas. She wondered if Brad would mind if she redecorated his apartment. Despite the fact that he was an architect, the place had few, if any, decorative touches. It sported a Davenport, sitting chair and a television—a new one, twenty-one inches—which must have cost a fortune. Nothing on the walls besides the hooks to hang hats and jackets.
She supposed he just paid attention to structure. Or maybe he just didn’t bother for his own place.
“Hi, Lu,” a friendly voice sang out.
She turned around to see Beth walking toward her.
“How’s your man?”
She blushed, remembering the things Brad had done to her the night before. How had she gone from a good girl pretending to be fast, to a very naughty girl overnight? She didn’t even feel ashamed, although she ought to. She just was incapable of saying no to Brad.
“He’s good, I guess.”
“Where are you headed now?”
She shrugged. She didn’t have to rush home, because she’d given herself extra wiggle room by telling Brad she had another afternoon class. “I was just going to go to the library. How about you?”
“I have a date with a Battleton boy,” Beth said, “but not for another hour. Want to grab a cup of coffee?”
“I’d love to, thanks.”
The women walked to the student union and poured coffee from the urn, mixing it with cream and sugar. They sat down by a window and sipped the hot liquid.
“I don’t know why Sarah Wharton and Battleton don’t combine. All the other colleges are coed these days,” Beth complained.
“I know, but my father would not have let me go to college at all except to a women’s college.”
“What did he say about your trouble with the dorms?”
