Driving Her Crazy (9 page)

She released a long suffering sigh. “I guess not, but I don’t get what the big secret is. Anyway, first off, your handshake.”

“Yes, walk in, look confident, firm handshake. I think that one is pretty well understood by most people.”

“Yes and no.”

He refrained from an eye roll. Barely. “Unless I’m planning on going in there and fist-bumping the interviewer, there aren’t a whole lot of ways I can play this. It’s a handshake. Either limp noodle or firm and confident.”

“Not necessarily. You want a firm handshake, yes. But not too firm. Too loose, and like you said, you come off not confident. Too firm, you might come off as
too
confident, cocky, arrogant. Someone who won’t take direction. Someone who has problems with authority. Too far the other way and you aren’t outgoing enough, you won’t take the lead. They want a go-getter but not a glory hog. And not a person who is desperately trying to pretend they are confident when they really aren’t. It’s all about balance with these companies.”

Oz opened his mouth to argue but she actually made some good points. Go figure.

“What are you, the Interview Whisperer or something?”

Cher laughed and Oz found himself smiling along with her.

“Hardly. I’ve just been around my mother my whole life. She can size up an opposing counsel by their handshake alone. She passed on a few pointers.”

“All right, Yoda, teach on.”

Cher opened her mouth, blinked twice, and let the Star Wars reference go.
Hmm
. Bonus points for her.

“Okay, well, like I said, it’s all about balance. Just like when they ask where you want to be in five years or what your future plans are. Yes, they are looking for someone who will be loyal and stick with the company long-term. And yes, they are looking to fill a certain position. But they don’t necessarily want someone who wants to be in that same position five years from now. Nor do they want someone who is going to bail. They want someone with some ambition.”

She stopped talking and pointed out the window. “We’re crossing into Maryland. Aren’t we going to stop and take a picture?”

Oz cocked an eyebrow at her. “I think we’ll skip this one. I don’t want to drown.”

She grinned and shook her head. “Okay, so…where were we? Oh yeah, where do you want to be in the future? A safe answer would be something along the lines of how you are looking for a career, not just a job, and you hope that their company is one you can grow in, that kind of thing. That way, you aren’t implying you will jump ship at the first opportunity, even if that ship is within the company, but you are still letting them know you are willing to work hard to get ahead.”

Huh
. “Never thought of it that way. I usually say that I hope to still be working for them, but never really articulated that I’m interested in being promoted.”

Cher nodded. “That’s not a bad answer, but showing them you have the drive to work hard enough to get ahead with them goes a long way, too.”

Oz tried not to show his surprise at the brains she was displaying. Not that he’d thought she was just an empty-headed, spoiled shopaholic. Not totally. But the woman seemed to have some smarts. And that was sexy as hell.

“Pennsylvania coming up. Wow, that was fast.”

Oz laughed. “We’re just going through the corner of Maryland. It doesn’t take long.”

“Ah. No picture?”

“Not unless you found some scuba gear at the store you didn’t tell me about.”

“Sorry,” she said laughing. “So how much longer until we get to Montauk?”

“Six hours.”

“I thought it was six hours last time I asked you. That was two states ago.”

“No, it was about six-and-a-half hours last time you asked. It only takes about forty minutes from where we stopped in West Virginia to here.”

“Oh. Are you going to stay in Montauk or…”

He shook his head. “I’ve got a hotel booked in New York. I’ll drop you off and head back to the city.”

She just nodded, leaving Oz to wonder how she felt about their trip coming to an end. Not that she really should feel anything in particular after only knowing him for a day. But still…it hadn’t been quite as bad as he’d feared. Mostly.

“Hey…Thanks, Cher. For…all your help with all this.”

Her cheeks flushed and she looked out the window. “No problem. It’s no big deal.”

“Yes, it is.” The words he hadn’t said to anyone regarding this job trembled on his lips. Saying them out loud made it more real, made it so much worse if he failed. Ah, the hell with it. “I really want this job, more than I’ve really wanted anything. I really appreciate your help. With the clothes and the interview prep. All of it. Thank you.”

Cher beamed at him, that beautiful smile of hers lighting up her face. “You’re welcome, Nathaniel.”

An answering warmth spread through him, happiness like he hadn’t felt in quite a while filling him.

Damn.

Chapter Eight

Cherice sat in a warm little bubble of happiness. Nathaniel had thanked her, and had seemed genuinely grateful for her help. The whole episode just helped solidify in her mind what she truly wanted to do with her life. What made her truly happy was her work with DressHer. Helping women find good jobs, teaching the seminars on interviewing and career building. It was something she loved to do. Something she’d love to continue doing.

She’d let Nathaniel think she was a personal shopper because she’d thought it’d be easier than the truth. He wasn’t really wrong. She just hadn’t trusted his reaction if he’d heard the whole thing. Maybe she should have. Maybe she would.

She’d love to open another location. The one she worked at offered a lot, but it wasn’t set up to expand with more donations of clothes or other equipment, such as computers and printers, etc. If she were to open a location that stocked well-made, very affordable, stylish clothing, it would give their clients more options. She could offer business attire for women and men, and even prom or special-event dresses for teen girls. She could continue to teach the seminars but run the clothing store on her own. She would have everything her clients would need in one place at extremely affordable, even way-below market prices.

Calming relief spread through her. There was something freeing about knowing what she wanted out of life. It was weird to think it was thanks to Nathaniel. She was very well aware she’d been sticking her damn foot in her mouth the whole trip. Although it wasn’t entirely her fault that he seemed determined to make everything about money. It didn’t matter what she said, he twisted it to be some “rich person picking on a poor person” slam.

His face when he’d realized she’d purchased his clothes still made her cringe. She’d just wanted to thank him for helping her out. Looking back, it might not have been the best way to go about it. In her defense, she’d still been in a bit of a lust-crazed haze induced by his impromptu strip show.

It was just…wrong. He’d been laughing at her, though. Maybe it was just his way of getting her back for invading the dressing room. She had sort of asked for it. And if he wasn’t totally off-limits, she’d ask for it again. That wasn’t a sight she wanted to forget. Good gracious, it was criminal for anyone to look that good. Her palms were still sweating at just the memory of his bare chest, corded muscles tapering into the band of his slacks. She wanted to crawl inside his pants and find out what the rest of him looked like. And then lick every inch of him. Shame-filled guilt edged that thought out of her head before she could dwell on it too much.

Then again, Nathaniel’s amazing body was a much more pleasant image to dwell on than the infuriated look on his face when he’d seen her standing there with those bags in her hand. Ox. Was it really so hard to graciously accept a gift nowadays? It would have served him right if she’d bought him some jammies and fuzzy slippers, too. Maybe a nice pair of tighty-whiteys.

She halted that line of thought in its tracks before it could get out of hand.

Still, he seemed happy with her now. And the sheer pleasure that spread through her at that thought was…disturbing. She tried to shove it aside. She liked that she’d made him happy. And she really didn’t want to pick apart the reasons why, because she was pretty sure she wouldn’t like it. And neither would his wife.

She was so going to hell.

The car fishtailed slightly and Nathaniel’s hands gripped tighter on the steering wheel. Cherice’s stomach somersaulted.

“What was that?”

Nathaniel kept his eyes glued to the road. “Just hydroplaned a little.”

The rain was definitely coming down harder. It seemed just within the last minute they couldn’t see more than a couple feet in front of them.

The car slowed down even more and Nathaniel flicked the hazards on.

“Nathaniel?”

“I’m trying to find a spot to stop. I can’t see a thing. This will probably let up in a few minutes and we can get back on the road. If I can find a spot. I guess a sudden downpour sends everyone scurrying under a bridge, no matter what state you’re in.”

Cherice snorted. He was totally right. It was impossible to find an empty bridge or even a side of the road when the rain was really coming down. But if the under-the-bridge spaces were taken, that left them with few possibilities.

“All right. I’m just going to pull over to the side here for a minute.”

Her stomach sank further and she sent up a quick prayer of thanks that Nathaniel had offered to drive her. The thought of being alone and trying to drive through this mess made her heart seize up.

He edged the car over as far as he could on the shoulder and shut off the engine.

They both sat staring out the windshield while the rain pummeled the car. The fat, heavy drops
pinging
off the car were unbelievably loud, sounding more like they were parked under a waterfall than on the side of the road.

“Well, this is fun,” he said after a few moments. “Let’s listen to the radio, see if we can find any weather reports.” His mouth quirked up in a little half smile that made her heart skip a beat.

She was going to respond with some cute little quip when the car jolted, sliding in the mud.

Cherice screamed, panic shooting through her so quickly her head spun. Or maybe that was because the freaking car she was sitting in just slid off the road and it threw off her equilibrium. She threw her hands out to grip the sides of the car like that would somehow keep it from moving. “What was that?”

“Shit,” Nathaniel said.

“What? Is the car sliding? It felt like it was sliding.”

“I don’t think it’s going anywhere. I just pulled over a little too far. We’re stuck in the mud.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Yeah, I figured now would be a great time for a joke like that.” He turned the car on and tried gunning it, but the tires just squealed uselessly in the mud.

“Shit,” Nathaniel said again, slamming the car into park. He grabbed his poncho out of the backseat. She started to reach for hers but Nathaniel held out a hand. “Stay.”

He got out and slammed the door, hurrying to the passenger side so he could squat down to take a look.

“Stay,” she scoffed, reaching for her own poncho and umbrella. “I’m not a dog, you big Ox.
Sit, Cherice. Stay, Cherice
. I don’t think so.”

Not that she particularly wanted to get out and stand in the rain, but she couldn’t let him get away with that nonsense. She pushed the door open. It wasn’t until she heard the startled
yelp
from Nathaniel that she remembered he was crouched down near the passenger-side tire. The door hit him with a sickening
thunk
followed by a muffled shout as he went sliding down the small embankment they’d parked next to.

“Shit,” she whispered.

She popped open her umbrella and peered down the hill. Nathaniel lay on his back about ten feet away. Luckily the hill wasn’t all that steep so he shouldn’t have a problem climbing back up. Unless she’d knocked him unconscious.

“Nathaniel?” she called down.

Nothing.

“Nathaniel!”

He lifted his head and looked at her. “Oz.”

“Oh, for crying out loud.” Irritation and relief washed through her, along with a rush of adrenaline so strong her head spun.

Wait. She wasn’t dizzy because she was relieved.

“Cher! Be careful!”

She tried to take a step back but she barely had time to shriek before the ground beneath her crumbled and down she went, rushing to the bottom of the hill along with a cascade of mud and water.

When she slid to a stop, she lay still for a second, taking inventory. First of all, rain boots, a poncho, and an umbrella offered no protection at all when caught in a mudslide. Secondly, the cute red sundress was now a soggy brown.
Ugh
. It was a really good thing she never went commando or she’d be in a world of muddy trouble. She’d never been so grateful for that thin silk barrier as she was at this moment.

“Are you okay?” Nathaniel asked, leaning over her, his hands searching her face.

It took her a second to drag some air back into her lungs past her furiously pounding heart, but the adrenaline was kicking in. She slapped at his hands.

“I’m fine. What the hell was that?”

“Mudslide. I guess parking in the mud wasn’t such a great idea.”

She didn’t find it remotely funny. “You think?”

Deep down she knew it wasn’t his fault but with the terror still flooding her system, and mud still flooding everywhere else, she wasn’t in the mood to be fair.

“In my defense, I couldn’t see where the asphalt ended in the downpour. Which,” he said, holding out his hand, “seems to be letting up a bit.”

She groaned and sat up. “Great. So instead of drowning we’ll just get really wet.”

Nathaniel got to his feet. “It could be worse.”

“Oh really, how?”

He reached down and hauled her to her feet. “The car could be down here with us.”

He climbed back up the hill, looked at the car, and then opened the back door, presumably so he could make a phone call without getting his phone wet. Guess it was a good thing the car was a rental, because they were both covered in mud and Cherice, at least, had no intention of standing in the rain waiting for whoever was going to come for them.

She started scrambling up the hill with her umbrella in her hand. Halfway up, she chucked the damn thing over her shoulder. Keeping dry was a bit of a moot point, anyway. When she was close enough to get a good peek at the tire, it had sunk even farther into the muck. Oh yeah. The car wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Which meant neither were they.

Panic clawed at her. Her mother’s fury when she wasn’t there tonight and the very real possibility that they were in serious trouble had Cherice’s body in a full tremor. Either that or the aching cold that was spreading through her. Usually it felt good when it finally rained during the summer. It broke the humidity, like a giant water balloon that had been sitting around sweating condensation finally exploded. So why was she cold? She shifted uncomfortably, her wet dress slapping against her bare legs.

Nathaniel was on the phone but turned to her with a frown when her teeth started chattering. It was a bit cool with the sun down, but not enough for that. Maybe her nerves had finally snapped. He finished his call and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

“The tow truck is on its way, but it might be a few minutes. He’s on his way back to his shop with another car right now and then he’ll be right out to get us. We need to hang something from the window to help him spot us.”

He ducked into the car and rummaged through the bags, coming out with his new tie.

Cherice gasped and snatched it out of his hand. “You can’t use that! It’s for your interview.”

“Well, unless you’ve got something better, we’re going to have to use it. I guess we could use my new shirt, but I figured if I had to go into the interview missing an item of clothing, the tie would be the least noticeable. Then again, maybe it would help my chances if I walked in dressed in nothing but slacks and a tie…”

Cherice laughed which, judging by Nathaniel’s smile, had been his goal.

But that didn’t solve their
sos
flag problem.

“What about that other dress you bought?”

She shook her head. “Now that this one is ruined it’s all I’ve got that’s clean. Well, I’ve got a nightgown and the yoga pants, but they’re black so…”

“Yeah, no help.”

She sighed. “I’ve got something we can use. But you have to turn around.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m wearing it and you are not going to watch me take it off, that’s why.”

“You watched me take my clothes off. Fair’s fair.”

“Nathaniel!”

“What?”

That eyebrow rose again and Cherice glared, waiting for him to do as she’d asked. He finally held up his hands and turned around, but his smile stayed in place.

She unsnapped her bra and pulled it, one strap at a time, out through the sleeves of her dress. It took a few minutes, and a few muttered curse words, since she was fighting against wet material, but finally, she got the damn bra off.

“Here,” she said, holding it out.

Nathaniel turned back around and froze, his hand halfway extended toward it.

“Well? Will that work?”

He swallowed and took the white lace bra from her, his eyes flicking briefly to her liberated breasts.

He couldn’t see anything, of course. She was wearing a nice red this time, not the white of her previous wet shirt incident, and covered by a poncho, albeit a see-through one. Still, the way he was staring at her was like she was standing stark naked in the middle of the road. And he liked what he saw.

He’s married!
She reminded herself for the thousandth time. Cherice sucked her lower lip between her teeth and folded her arms across her chest.

Nathaniel cleared his throat and nodded, his fist clenching around the material. Cherice trembled again, imagining all too easily his hand closing around her instead.

“This is perfect. Why don’t you get back in while I get this rigged up?”

He ducked back in the car to snag a hanger from one of the bags and lowered the driver’s side window a fraction of an inch. Cherice made no move to get inside the car. Nathaniel straightened the hanger, threaded both straps of the bra through it, and jammed one end of the hanger through the crack between the window glass and frame. Within just a few minutes, Cherice’s bra waved bravely in the wind.

Nathaniel turned back around and frowned when he saw her standing there.

“You really don’t need to worry. We’ll be fine. We’ve got enough gas to last until he gets here, so we can keep the heat going if you’re cold.”

“That’s good.” She still made no move to get in the car. “Are you sure our weight won’t make the car sink farther? Or maybe make the car slide down the hill?”

“It’ll be fine.”

She shuddered. “It’s like a tomb in there when it’s not moving.”

Nathaniel’s eyebrow raised. “Are you claustrophobic?”