Stephanie felt as though someone had kicked her in the stomach. For a moment she couldn’t breathe. Her heart constricted with an intolerable pain.
“Steph, did you hear me?”
She nodded numbly. “Why?” The word came from deep within her throat, low and guttural.
“He...he didn’t say, but he was serious, Steph. Very serious. I’ve never heard him more angry. You’d better give me the ring.”
Chapter Ten
Stephanie’s right hand covered the large diamond engagement ring protectively. “I don’t understand it. Jonas isn’t making sense.”
“He was very precise when he contacted me.”
Pacing the carpet in front of Jan’s desk, Stephanie folded her arms around her waist and pondered her friend’s words. “Contact Barbara, Toni and Maureen, and ask them to come to personnel right away.”
“What?”
“Just do it,” Stephanie snapped, impatient now. “And tell them to hurry.”
Momentarily dumbfounded, Jan hesitated, then reached for the phone. The contacts were made in a matter of minutes, and one by one her three co-workers rushed into the personnel office.
“What is it?” Maureen asked breathlessly, the first to arrive.
Toni followed on her heels. “Hey, what’s so important?”
Barbara sauntered in last, paused, glanced around and said, “All right, I’m here, what’s the big deal?”
Jan gestured toward Stephanie. “You called them here; you explain.”
“Apparently,” Stephanie began, swallowing the thickening in her throat, “Jonas wants to call off the engagement.”
“What?” Three discordant voices cried out in disbelief.
Barbara recovered first. “What happened?”
“I...don’t know,” Stephanie admitted honestly, her stomach churning as she considered the incredible situation. “I arrived at the office this morning, and Jan contacted me. She told me I had been terminated by Lockwood Industries, and I was to return the engagement ring to her.”
Simultaneously Barbara, Toni and Maureen turned accusing eyes on Jan.
“Hey,” Jan said, slapping her chest. “It wasn’t my fault. I’m as shocked as the rest of you.”
Stephanie twisted the diamond around and around on her finger, believing that she’d almost prefer to lose the appendage than surrender the ring that had been a token of Jonas’s love. “You four are the self-proclaimed experts on love. You’re the ones who convinced me that Jonas and I were meant for each other. I need your advice now more than ever.” Stephanie spoke quietly, doing her best to keep the emotion from her voice. “What can I do now?”
“Did he give any reason?”
“None,” Jan answered. “But he was so angry... worse than I can ever remember hearing him.”
“Can you think of anything?” Maureen turned to Stephanie, her brow creased in a frown that revealed the depth of her bafflement.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” She turned her palms to them in a gesture indicating her own confusion. Unless Donald Black had somehow convinced Jonas that she hadn’t been speaking the truth... but that wasn’t possible, Stephanie decided. Jonas knew her better than that. At least she prayed he did.
“Are you going to give him back the ring?” Toni asked quietly, her voice dejected and unhappy.
“I... don’t know yet.”
“It’s obvious he doesn’t want to face you,” Jan said, her expression thoughtful.
“Probably because he’s afraid of what would happen.”
“But I would never hurt him,” Stephanie returned, appalled at the suggestion that she would do anything to cause Jonas pain.
“Not physically, silly,” Barbara explained with a long sigh. “It’s obvious that he loves you—that isn’t going to change overnight—so breaking off the engagement is bound to be emotionally painful.”
“Maybe even impossible, if he’s forced to face you.”
“Then that’s exactly what’s going to happen.” For the first time, Stephanie thought she could see a glimmer of hope. She wouldn’t make things easy for Jonas. “I’m not going to hand over this ring without an explanation.”
“You shouldn’t,” Maureen stated emphatically.
“He isn’t going to let it happen.”
“He isn’t?” Stephanie wasn’t nearly as convinced as her friends.
“Oh, he might let you get as far as the door—”
“Maybe even the elevator,” Jan interrupted.
“But he’ll come for you once he realizes you really mean to leave.”
“He’ll stop me?” Stephanie was doubtful.
“Oh yes, the hero always rejects the heroine, and then at the very last second he realizes that he couldn’t possibly live without her.”
“He may even quietly plead with you and say ‘Don’t go’ in a tormented voice. You’d be crazy to walk away from him then.”
“It’s like that in all the best romances,” Maureen said, nodding her head sharply.
“But Jonas hasn’t read any of those.” Stephanie wanted desperately to believe that what her friends said was true, but she was afraid to count on it. Jonas was too proud. Too stubborn. Too Jonas.
“He’s enough of a hero to know when he’s turning away from the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He loves you.”
Barbara’s words were the cool voice of reason cutting through the fog of doubt that clouded Stephanie’s troubled mind. Even Elizabeth Lockwood had told Stephanie how much Jonas needed her love. She couldn’t doubt his own mother.
“He must love you, or he wouldn’t have asked you to marry him.” Toni was equally convincing.
“So the next move is mine, right?” Stephanie glanced around at her friends’ intent expressions.
“Most definitely.”
The four followed Stephanie out of personnel, moving in single file like troops marching into battle. Down the hallway they paraded, finally coming to a halt in front of the elevator. Jan pushed the button for Stephanie while the others offered words of encouragement.
“Fight for him,” Barbara advised her thoughtfully. “If he’s going to do this to you, then don’t make it easy on him.”
“Right,” Toni concurred. “Let him know what he’s missing.”
“Good luck,” Jan cried as Stephanie walked into the elevator. Just before the thick steel doors glided shut her friends gave her the thumbs-up sign.
All the confidence Stephanie had felt when she stepped into the elevator deserted her the minute she faced Bertha Westheimer. The woman barely looked in Stephanie’s direction. It was apparent the dragon was prepared for this confrontation.
For a full, intolerable minute Stephanie stood in front of the dragon’s desk. Bertha ignored her.
“Excuse me, please,” Stephanie said in a strong, controlled tone. “I’m here to see Mr. Lockwood.”
“He’s in a meeting.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“My dear young lady, it is hardly my concern what you believe. Mr. Lockwood has no desire to see you.”
“Now, that, I believe.”
For the first time since Stephanie had known Jo-nas’s secretary, Bertha Westheimer smiled. Well, almost smiled, Stephanie corrected herself. She wasn’t completely convinced that the woman was capable of revealing her amusement.
“I’d like to help you, but...”
“I’ll simply tell him you weren’t able to stop me.”
“Mr. Lockwood would know better,” Bertha said quietly. “If I can persevere against pesky attorneys and keep persistent salesmen at bay, one female employee is a piece of cake.”
But Stephanie could see that Bertha was weakening, which was in itself a sight to behold.
“He’s in a rare mood,” Bertha whispered under her breath. “I don’t remember ever seeing him quite like this.”
“Is it his leg?”
“I beg your pardon?” The horn-rimmed glasses that balanced so precariously at the tip of the secretary’s nose threatened to slide off. Bertha rescued them in the nick of time. “I don’t understand your question.”
“Jonas is often irritable and cranky when his leg is hurting him.”
“No, it’s not his leg, Ms. Coulter. It’s you. First thing this morning, I asked about you. When Mr. Lockwood brought you into the office yesterday, it was apparent there’d been some trouble. You were shaking like a frightened rabbit and... well, the minute I said your name, Mr. Lockwood nearly bit my head off. He said if I cared about my job I was to forget I’d ever met you. I’ve been with Mr. Lockwood for a good number of years, and I have never seen him like he was this morning. From the looks of it, I’d say he didn’t go home last night.”
A sense of urgency filled Stephanie. “It’s imperative that I talk to him.”
“I have my instructions, but quite honestly, Ms. Coulter, I don’t believe I can go through—”
“Ms. Westheimer.” Jonas’s voice boomed over the intercom, startling both women. “Just how much longer am I to be kept waiting for the Westinghouse file?”
Stephanie’s heart pounded frantically at the cold, hard sound of Jonas’s voice. She’d thought she’d seen him in every mood imaginable. He could be unreasonable and flippant, but she had never known him to be deliberately cruel. Judging from the edge in his voice, she didn’t doubt he was capable of anything this day.
“Right away, sir,” Bertha answered quickly. She raised her head and whispered to Stephanie. “It would be better if you came back another day... perhaps tomorrow, when he’s had a chance to mull things over.”
“No,” Stephanie countered, and shook her head for emphasis. “It’s now or never.” Squaring her shoulders, she picked up the file he’d requested. It was on the corner of Bertha’s desk. “I’ll take this to him.”
Bertha half rose from her chair, indecision etched in her pointed features. “I... can’t let you do that.”
“You can, and you will,’’ Stephanie told her just as firmly.
Slumping back into her chair, Bertha shook her head slowly and shut her eyes. “I hope I’m doing the right thing.”
With her hand on the knob of the door that led to Jonas’s office, Stephanie hesitated for a second, then pushed open the door. With quick firm steps, she marched across the plush carpeting and placed the file folder on Jonas’s desk. Jonas was busy writing and didn’t glance in her direction.
“I believe you asked for this,” she said softly.
His head flew up so fast that for a moment she wondered if he’d given himself whiplash.
“Get out!”
The harsh words cut through Stephanie, but she refused to give in to the pain. “Not until you tell me what’s going on. Jan Michaels gave me the most ridiculous message this morning. If you want to end our engagement, I have the right to know why.”
His finger pointed viciously at the door. “I’ve had a change of heart. Leave the ring with Ms. Westheimer and get out of my sight.”
She winced at the cold, merciless way he looked at her. “It’s not that simple, Jonas,” she said quietly, fighting back her anger and indignation. “I have a right to know what happened. This doesn’t make any sense. One afternoon you love me enough to ask me to share your life, and then you despise me the following morning.”
Jonas lowered his gaze, and it looked for a minute as though he was going to snap the pen he was holding in half. His hands clenched and unclenched.
“Does it have anything to do with Donald Black?”
His eyes shot to hers and narrowed. “No, but perhaps I was hasty in firing the man.”
Stephanie decided to let that comment slide. “Then what possible explanation could there be?”
He rose slowly from his chair and braced his hands on the side of the desk, leaning forward. His eyes were as blue as a glacier and just as cold. “An interesting thing happened on my way out of the office yesterday afternoon. I heard howls of laughter coming from a group of male employees. By pure chance, I happened to overhear how Stephanie Coulter had managed to pull off the feat of the century. A mere secretary had won the heart of the company president. Apparently some money was riding on just how quickly you could make a fool of me.”
Stephanie blanched, wanting to crawl into a hole, shrivel up and die. “Jonas, I...”
“I didn’t believe it at first,” Jonas interjected, his voice as sharp as a new razor blade. “At least not until I saw the betting sheet posted on the bulletin board. You did amazingly well; the odds weren’t in your favor. Several of the women seemed to have underestimated you. But I noticed the men were quick to trust your many charms. But only three hundred dollars? Really, Stephanie, you sold yourself cheap.”
His eyes narrowed as he mentioned the money, and Stephanie wanted to cry out with rage. “I didn’t have anything to do with the marriage pool.’’
“Not according to what I overheard. You’ve been in on this little setup from the beginning. You and half the office were plotting my downfall like I was some puppet on a string. Tricking me into falling in love with you was all part of the plan, wasn’t it?”
“I—”
“Don’t bother to deny it. At least have the decency to own up to the truth.”
“I never had any intention of falling in love with you,” she admitted, battling back tears.
“I suppose not. All you wanted—all anyone wanted—was to see me make a fool of myself.”
Moisture wetted her lashes, but Stephanie refused to give in to the wall of tears that threatened to erupt at any second. “You want the truth, then fine, I’ll tell you everything.”
Jonas reclaimed his chair and reached for his pen. “I have no desire to hear it.”
He started writing, ignoring her, but Stephanie refused to walk away from him now. He had to understand that it had never been a game with her. She’d fallen into the girls’ plans as an unwilling victim.
“Several weeks ago, a few of the ladies from the office approached me... it was right after I’d worked for you when Ms. Westheimer was ill.” She waited for some response, but when Jonas didn’t give her any, Stephanie continued undaunted. “They believed ... the girls from the office... that you worked so hard and demanded so much of everyone else because you needed a wife and family to fill your time. They thought you and I were perfect together.”
Jonas snickered.
Stephanie did her best to ignore it. “Anyway, I laughed at them and told them it was a crazy idea. I didn’t want any part of it.”
“Obviously something changed your mind.”
“Yes, something did,” she cried. “Paris. I met the real Jonas Lockwood at a fountain in a French park, and I knew then that I’d never be the same. For just a fleeting instant, I glimpsed the man inside that thick facade and discovered how much I could come to love him.”