Joanna's Highlander (Highland Protector #2)(62)
One of the MacClendon clan stood and lifted his cup. “To the joining of Grant and Joanna. May it be blessed with love, laughter, and many sons. Slainte!” The hall echoed with cheers, clinking mugs, and stomping.
Joanna smiled until her cheeks ached, all the while backing toward the exit. “Thank you all,” she said again. “Thank you so much.” She frantically motioned for Lucia to follow. Come on. Will you?
Lucia turned to her son. “Come on, T.”
“I wanna stay here with the men, Mom.” Tyler sat up straighter and thumped his chest with his fist.
“Leave the boy with me, lass,” Taggart said with the smile of a man who knew exactly what he was doing. “He’s a fine lad and always welcome among the MacClendon clan.”
Aww…yay. A warm flush of happiness for Lucia flooded through Joanna but was then quickly shoved out of the way by her mounting anxiety. “Uhm…Lucia? Now?” She hated to ruin the moment, but Taggart and Lucia could pick this back up as soon as she’d had a long heart-to-heart with Lucia to figure out what the hell to do.
Lucia shooed her onward. “Right behind you, sweets. I’ll have you feeling better in no time.” As soon as they’d walked through the archway of the upstairs kitchen, Lucia started in. “You’re as nervous as a whore in church. What the hell happened at that meeting?”
“Keep your voice down.” Joanna motioned Lucia to the far end of the kitchen, all the while watching the entrance to make sure no one had followed. Hugging her middle as she leaned back against the counter, she clenched her fisted hands so tightly her nails dug into her palms. “She offered me a job.”
“She what?”
“A job.” Joanna swallowed hard, the feigned nausea suddenly becoming quite real. “While we’re in here, go ahead and mix up something for my upset stomach, will you? I’m about to blow chunks.”
Lucia stared at her in open-mouthed disbelief. “I don’t know anything about making homemade no-puke medicine and you know it. I might have some antacid tablets in my purse, but it’s downstairs. Do you really want me to risk it?”
Joanna shook her head, sucked in a deep breath, and slowly released it out her nose. “No. I’ll tough it out.”
“Good. Now get to the job offer. What kind of job? Scrubbing her toilets with your thumbnails or something? The woman hates you.” Lucia pulled out a chair at the table and slid into it.
“Actually, she doesn’t,” Joanna replied, still unable to quite believe that fact herself. She joined Lucia at the table and sagged into a chair. “She believed me when I apologized and told her that I had no idea that Matthew was married and had children. It appears that I wasn’t his first…” Joanna paused. How had Lillian phrased it? Oh yeah. “His first dalliance,” she finished with a slow bobbing of her head.
“So she offered you a job. What job?”
“CEO of Asclepius Pharmaceuticals.”
“Seriously?” Lucia leaned forward, rapt interest arching her brows.
“Seriously.” Joanna laced her fingers together and propped her clasped hands on the table. “And the follow-up email she sent listed a healthy six-figure starting salary, quarterly bonuses, stock options, paid vacation, and even more benefits than I ever dreamed could exist.”
Lucia frowned, tilting her head as though trying to sort out a problem. “Wait. What happened to your old boss? Wasn’t he CEO?”
“It appears his dishonesty reached a level that even big business couldn’t accept.” Joanna couldn’t help the feeling of satisfaction making her smile. “It’s my understanding that he’s checked into the penitentiary for an extended stay. He’s booked a room in the embezzlement and drug-running wing and it doesn’t have much of a view.”
Wow. Lucia didn’t say the word aloud, but Joanna easily read her lips.
“Exactly.” Joanna leaned back in the chair and dropped her hands into her lap. “Karma finally decided to kick in.” She took a deep breath and felt her mood slip back to the confused dark mess of earlier. “I haven’t sent her my reply yet. I was going to do it tonight after I talked it over with you.” She reached out and grabbed hold of Lucia’s hands. “You’ve always been my sounding board and helped me figure things out. So…what do you think?”
“I think I’m not the one you should be talking to,” Lucia answered in a quiet voice that triggered Joanna’s guilt reflex. “How are you going to have a life here with Grant and be CEO to a company based in Chicago?”
“That was my question as well.” Grant stood in the archway, jaw clenched and feet widespread as though he was about to charge into battle.
I’ve always heard the term “blood running cold.” Now I know how it feels. Joanna opened her mouth to speak but didn’t know what the hell to say. I am so busted.
“You’re on your own, chica.” Lucia rose, pushed her chair back under the table, and hurried out of the room.
Grant didn’t say a word, just stood in the doorway glaring at her. But then again, he didn’t have to speak. The way he held himself, shoulders thrown back, arms clenched across his broad chest, a scowl so dark that Joanna expected to see lightning flash around him and hear thunder—all those things conveyed his mood more accurately than any words.